While technological advancements in navigation aids, such as GPS and radar beacons, have rendered most lighthouses unnecessary, they remain as symbols of security and steadfastness along nations' shores.
Around the world, lighthouses were built on volcanoes, tiny islands, and cliff edges, while today, others appear precariously perched on crumbling rocks.
In the US, approximately 670 lighthouses remain, according to Guinness World Records, and the government is known to give them away for free. Each year, the US General Services Administration offers a handful of structures to the public under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. In 2023, a record number — 10 — were given away or sent to auction, including historic lighthouses in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Maine.
Others are open to visitors or can be admired from afar.
These photos show iconic lighthouses around the world, from India to Scotland.