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Cabo Frio Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located on the southern point of the Ilha do Cabo Frio, called Focinho do Cabo, in the municipality of Arraial do Cabo, Brazil.[1]
The first lighthouse, a cylindrical stone tower 5m (16feet) high, was lit on 17 February 1836 and was built on the highest hill of the island, at an altitude of 395m (1,296feet). The lantern was equipped with catoptrics lens and parabolic reflectors lit by 18 oil lamps. As the top of the island was frequently covered by fog, due to the cold Antarctic currents, the lighthouse was not always operational. It was decided to build another lighthouse on the southern point of the island at a lower altitude.
The second lighthouse was a cylindrical stone tower, 15m (49feet) high, with balcony and lantern and it was inaugurated on 7 September 1861. The lantern was equipped with catoptrics lens and it had a range of ; in 1893 the equipment was changed with the 1st order of Fresnel lens built by Barbier, Benard, et Turenne.
The current lighthouse, built in 1926, is settled on a lower level respect to its nearby predecessor; it is a white cylindrical cast iron tower 16m (52feet) high with balcony and lantern. The lantern emits a white flash every 10 seconds) visible up to . The lighthouse is managed by Brazilian Navy and is identified by the country code number BR-2400. Because of the difficulty of reaching the lighthouse from the pier, an helipad was built nearby the keeper's housing.[2] [3]