What is a lighthouse for?
A lighthouse is a tower with a very powerful light that guides sailors.
We need benchmarks
A good navigator is able to find his route at night just by looking at the Moon and the stars. But when the fog lifts… there is no point of reference anymore! The slightest error of course could launch the ship against the reefs … To avoid this danger, the lighthouses were built.
The oldest lighthouse in the world
The oldest lighthouse of mankind was built in Egypt, in the city of Alexandria, 2,400 years ago. It was 134 meters tall and was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
A reassuring light
The lighthouses are found at the entrance of ports, on dangerous islets, and along the coasts surrounded by reefs. A lighthouse is a large tower with a lighting system that sends powerful beams of light, colored white, green and red, to the ships. Thanks to these signals the boats can orient themselves.
Did you know…
… In France there are more than 1,333 lighthouses? And they proudly rise over 5,000 kilometers of coastline and save the lives of thousands of sailors. Currently, the headlights are powered by electricity; long ago, lighthouse watchers used simple candles.
WE LEARN A NEW CONCEPT
Reef:
a reef is a reef barely submerged in the sea. They are dangerous, since ships do not see them and are in danger of colliding with them.
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