Akraberg
Akraberg Lighthouse | |
| Location | Suðuroy, Faroe Islands Denmark |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 61°23′40″N 6°40′45″W / 61.394428°N 6.679112°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1909 |
| Foundation | concrete base |
| Construction | cast iron |
| Height | 14 metres (46 ft) |
| Shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings | white tower and lantern, red lantern roof |
| Fog signal | one blast every 60s. |
| Light | |
| Focal height | 94 metres (308 ft) |
| Range | 20 nmi (37 km; 23 mi) (white), 14 nmi (26 km; 16 mi) (red, green) |
| Characteristic | two long (2 s) flashes every 20 s, white, red or green depending on direction |
| Denmark no. | DFL-6500 |
Akraberg is the southern tip of Suðuroy, 5 km (3.1 mi) south from the village of Sumba, in the Faroe Islands. The name Akraberg derives from akur (cereal field). Five kilometres (3.1 miles) south of Akraberg is the southernmost point of The Faroe Islands, a rock called the Munkurin (The Monk), also called Sumbiarsteinur, which is one of a group of six rocks. This group of rocks are called Flesjarnar. The sound between Suðuroy and Munkurin is notorious for its strong current, it is called Røstin; the poet Poul F. Joensen (born 1898, died 1970) mentioned it in one of his poems "...Røstin rísin rann...".
The waters south of Sumba are notorious for their unpredictability. Here lies a series of rocky skerries below and above sea level, and the meeting of currents, together with wind and weather, create dangerous conditions for boats and ships. The situation became more hazardous in 1884 when much of the high rock Munkurin on the southernmost rock, Sumbiarsteinur, crashed into the sea, and the seafarers lost the best fixed landmark of the rocks.