One more for Uruguay, and that will get me out of May. Three more months to catch up on. So I'm finishing with Uruguay's tallest lighthouse, which the Lighthouse Directory says (as you'll see below) is one of the tallest concrete lighthouses in the world.
Thus, this lighthouse is the Isla de Lobos ("Island of the Wolves", naturally) lighthouse, which is probably on that island. Let's check by looking here. Yes, it is -- east of Montevideo. It's the most notable thing on the island, which I suspect does not have any wolves. Pictures, as well as the Wikipedia article, indicate it has lots of southern sea lions and fur seals, and it's a nature reserve. Southern right whales show up there, too.
Now, we can find out more about the lighthouse:
"1906 (station established 1858). Active; focal plane 66 m (217 ft); white flash every 5 s; the tower also carries a continuous red light at a focal plane of 53 m (174 ft). 59 m (194 ft) round tapered concrete block tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a round stone base. Lighthouse painted white; base unpainted; lantern and watch room painted with red and white vertical stripes. ... Uruguay's tallest lighthouse, this is also one of the tallest concrete lighthouses in the world. The 1858 lighthouse was short-lived: sealers protested that it scared away the animals, so the light was moved to Punta del Este in 1860. The 1906 tower was designed by Victor Benavídez and built by José María Claret. Located on a small (36 ha, 90 acre) island about 13 km (8 mi) southeast of Punta del Este. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed (the island is a wildlife sanctuary protecting a huge colony of seals)."
Pictures of the big white tower are below. One is a stamp that is mentioned by the Lighthouse Directory; I didn't include that part. The lighthouse on the stamp doesn't look like the one in the island now; it appears to be based on the earlier lighthouse, shown in the black-and-white photo.




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