Lagos (; literally "lakes"; cel-x-proto, Lacobriga) is a city and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

at the mouth of Bensafrim River and along the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, in the Barlavento region of the

Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...

, in southern

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 31,049, in an area of 212.99 km². The city of Lagos proper (which includes only the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

of São Sebastião e Santa Maria) has a population of approximately 22,000. Typically, these numbers increase during the summer months, with the influx of visiting tourists and seasonal residents. While the majority of the population lives along the coast and works in tourism and services, the inland region is sparsely inhabited, with the majority of the people working in agriculture and forestry. Lagos is one of the most visited cities in the Algarve and Portugal, due to its variety of tourist-friendly beaches, rock formations ( Ponta da Piedade), bars, restaurants and hotels, renowned for its vibrant summer nightlife and parties. Yet, Lagos is also a historic centre of the Portuguese

Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration), also known as the early modern period, was a period largely overlapping with the Age of Sail, approximately from the 15th century to the 17th century in European history, during which seafarin ...

, frequent home of Henry the Navigator, historical shipyard and, at one time, centre of the European slave trade. In 2012, travel website TripAdvisor, classified Lagos as the number one travel destination, on a list of "15 destinations on the rise" worldwide.

Lagos, Nigeria Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, may have been named after it, since, at the time of the 15th century, Lagos, Portugal, was the main centre of Portuguese maritime expeditions down the African coast.

History

Lagos is an ancient maritime town with more than 2000 years of history. The name ''Lagos'' comes from a Celtic settlement, derived from the Latin '' Lacobriga'', the name of the settlement was established during the pre-

Punic The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of t ...

civilizations. It became an early settlement of the

Carthaginians The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of the ...

, who recruited Celtic tribesmen in their war against the Romans (the Punic Wars). Owing to its already important harbour, it was colonized by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and integrated into the Roman province of Lusitania, becoming known as Lacobriga.

Quintus Sertorius Quintus Sertorius (c. 126 – 73 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who led a large-scale rebellion against the Roman Senate on the Iberian peninsula. He had been a prominent member of the populist faction of Cinna and Marius. During the l ...

, a rebellious Roman general, helped by the Lusitanians of Lacobriga (who had been oppressed under Roman Generals and members of

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force. Sulla ha ...

party), successfully defeated the Roman army of Caecilius Metellus Pius probably at nearby Monte Molião. With the fall of Rome, the town of Lagos was occupied in the sixth century by the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

from the

Kingdom of Toledo The Kingdom of Toledo ( es, Reino de Toledo) was a realm in the central Iberian Peninsula, created after the capture of Toledo by Alfonso VI of León in 1085. It continued in existence until 1833; its region is currently within Spain. Bac ...

and later by the Byzantines. The

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

arrived in the 8th century from North Africa, renaming the settlement ''Zawaia'' (meaning ''lago'', or ''lake''). It became part of the much larger coastal region of '' al-Gharb'', which eventually became known as the ''

''. The Moors fortified the town with Lagos Castle and established important trade links to Northern Africa from their bases in the Iberian peninsula. In 1174, the local Wāli gave permission for the Christian peoples to construct a church dedicated to São João Baptista, which was built outside the town's walls (becoming the oldest church in the Algarve).

Kingdom

Even as King Afonso Henriques advanced to the south, the Christian

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

never made it into Algarve and Alentejo, and the south remained under Moorish control. King Sancho I, with the support of Crusader forces used Lagos as a stepping stone to attack the fortress of Alvôr. Zawaia was eventually captured by King

Afonso III of Portugal Afonso III (; rare English alternatives: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse''), or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' ( Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin), the Boulonnais ( Port. ''o Bolonhês''), King of Portugal ...

in 1241, but was only taken definitively in 1249. From this period on the King began self-styling himself as the ''"King of Portugal and the Algarve"'', stressing the fact that the Algarve (which had for so long been ruled by the Moors as a foreign country) had been annexed into the dominion of the Portuguese. Lagos became an independent jurisdiction under the rule of King

Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholico ...

in 1361. King John I assembled his fleet in the harbour of Lagos, before setting sail for the siege and conquest of the city of Ceuta in 1415. This was the first step in opening the Muslim world to medieval Europe, which in fact led to the

with Portuguese explorers sailing across the whole world. By the 15th century, Lagos became the centre of Portuguese maritime exploration, with ships ordered south to trace the shoreline of Africa in order to find routes to India.

Infante ''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...

Henry the Navigator, third son of King John, lived most of the time in Lagos. From here he directed expeditions to

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

and to the western coast of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

with

caravel The caravel (Portuguese: , ) is a small maneuverable sailing ship used in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing win ...

lateen A lateen (from French ''latine'', meaning "Latin") or latin-rig is a triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast, and running in a fore-and-aft direction. The settee can be considered to be an associated type of the same ...

-rigged ships with excellent seafaring capabilities. Lagos was also the home port for

Gil Eanes Gil Eanes (or Eannes, in the old Portuguese spelling; ) was a 15th-century Portuguese navigator and explorer. Biography Gil Eanes was born in Lagos in 1395. Little is known about his personal life prior to his role in the Portuguese Age of Dis ...

who was the first to sail beyond Cape Bojador in 1434, after a failed attempt in 1433 that put him out of favour with the, then considered the end of the world. The act of rounding the Cape, much like the later rounding of the Cape of Good Hope, permitted Eanes (and the navigators that followed) to advance into the African subcontinent. When, by 1443, Lançarote (then fiscal officer of the crown) had sailed as far as

Arguim Arguin ( ar, أرغين, pt, Arguim) is an island off the western coast of Mauritania in the Bay of Arguin. It is approximately in size, with extensive and dangerous reefs around it. The island is now part of the Banc d'Arguin National Park. ...

and brought back 275 Africans, the Portuguese had sufficient slaves to relieve the perpetual handicap of agricultural labour. Over the following decades, news of discoveries and achievements, and ships loaded with spices and goods would flow into the port of Lagos. It was also the gateway for the first African slaves into post-medieval Europe.H. Morse Stephens (1891), p. 149 Even before Africa was opened-up to the Portuguese, the seamen of Lagos were already unscrupulous slave traders. From the first slave markets in Lagos (the ''

Mercado de Escravos The ''Mercado de Escravos'' (Slave Market) is a historical building in Lagos, in the Faro District of Portugal. It is located on the site where the first slave market in Europe of the modern era took place, in 1444. The building was first used ...

'', which opened in 1444), many Africans were dispersed throughout Europe, bringing a considerable income to the Portuguese monarchy and merchant classes, as well as cheap labour force. As the major sponsor of these expeditions, Prince Henry received one-fifth of the selling price of every slave. The demand for the indentured labour force was so high that, by 1450, profit on Mauritanian slaves was 700 percent. The discovery of gold by Alfonso Gonçales also increased activities in Lagos, whose residents petitioned the Infante Henry to establish a trading company to pursue gold deposits in the region.Robert Kerr (1844), p. 189 This included Juan Dias (ancestor of Bartolomeu Dias who rounded the Cape of Good Hope),

Lançarote de Freitas Lançarote de Freitas, better known as Lançarote de Lagos or Lançarote da Ilha, was a 15th-century Portuguese explorer and slave trader from Lagos, Portugal. He was the leader of two large Portuguese slaving raids on the West African coast in 144 ...

, Estevan Alfonso and Rodrigo Alvarez, who provisioned a squadron of six caravels to travel to isle of Garças in 1444, but returned with 150 Africans. Centro de Lagos edited

Following the death of Prince Henry, and the expansion into the Atlantic and New World, the port of Lagos continued to receive shipments of goods and slaves, but its role began to decrease. Lisbon began to prosper, with ships returning directly from the colonies of the Azores, Madeira and Brazil, while trading houses began to relocate to the capital. But, even as the wealth arrived in Lisbon and Lagos, the ostentation was widely on display in the royal residences. King Sebastian, obsessed with his plans for a great crusade against the Kingdom of Fez, assembled a huge fleet in Lagos in 1578. During this ill-fated attempt he and most of Portugal's nobility were killed in the Battle of Ksar El Kebir in Morocco, eventually causing a succession crisis, that eventually resulted in the

Iberian Union pt, União Ibérica , conventional_long_name =Iberian Union , common_name = , year_start = 1580 , date_start = 25 August , life_span = 1580–1640 , event_start = War of the Portuguese Succession , event_end = Portuguese Restoration War , ...

. When Portugal came under Spanish rule, the Portuguese coast became a target for the English fleet. Lagos, close to the Spanish naval base of

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

, was attacked by Sir Francis Drake in the late 1580s, but was defended by its inhabitants, resulting in Drakes sack of Faro. But, the coast was under regular attack of other

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

s and corsairs, in addition to the Spanish who bombarded the Algarve during the Portuguese Restoration War (1640–1668), which led to the construction of a string of forts all along the coast. One of them was the late-17th-century '' Fort of Ponta da Bandeira'' in Lagos, which was completed between 1679 and 1690 (according to the stone inscription over the main door). From 1576 to 1755, Lagos was a high-profile capital of the Algarve, until the old Portuguese town was destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami of 1755. Although some walls from the 16th century still remain, as well as the governor's castle, many of the buildings are from the 17th century. Two well-known naval battles took place off Lagos, reflecting its strategic location: in the Battle of Lagos (1693) a French flotilla defeated a combined Anglo-Dutch force, while in the

Battle of Lagos (1759) The naval Battle of Lagos took place between a British fleet commanded by Sir Edward Boscawen and a French fleet under Jean-François de La Clue-Sabran over two days in 1759 during the Seven Years' War. They fought south west of the Gulf of C ...

a British force defeated a French force.

Geography

Physical geography

By its geographical position (east-northeast to west-southwest orientation) and lithological diversity, the Algarve stands out as a unique

stratigraphic Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostra ...

and morpho-tectonic region.M. Cachão, P. Terrinha, A. Santos (2005), pp. 179–180 A peripheral Carboniferous unit of the

Variscan orogeny The Variscan or Hercynian orogeny was a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea. Nomenclature The name ''Variscan'', comes f ...

, it constitutes the

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...

and Cenozoic sedimentary layers, deposited onto two totally distinct superimposed basins. Between the Middle-Upper

Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago (Year#Abbreviations yr and ya, Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 ...

to Hettangian, sediments evolved from continental ( fluvial red

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

) to shallow marine over the entire region, which included instances of evaporates, tholeiite fissural

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

s, lava flows,

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to refer ...

and

pyroclast Tephra is fragmental material produced by a volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size, or emplacement mechanism. Volcanologists also refer to airborne fragments as pyroclasts. Once clasts have fallen to the ground, they rem ...

s. The area of Lagos, conforms to the Middle

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

Lagos-Portimão formation (a band that extends along the coast from Lagos to Albufeira, abutting the Serra do Caldeirão to the north) and which corresponds to marine sedimentation over relatively stable, but a minorly deformed limestone shelf platform.Markus H. Forst, Thomas C. Brachert and Joiio Pais (2000), p. 290J. Pais et al. (2000), p. 279 A period of calm during the intra-Miocene (of approximately 2.4 Ma) led to generalized exposure and development of karst, that influences the present day coastline. The conspicuous horizontal bending of this profile in the cliffs of Lagos, much like the remainder of the Lagos-Portimão formation, is formed by alternating bands of

siliciclastic Siliciclastic (or ''siliclastic'') rocks are clastic noncarbonate sedimentary rocks that are composed primarily of silicate minerals, such as quartz or clay minerals. Siliciclasic rock types include mudrock, sandstone, and conglomerate Conglomera ...

and

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...

lithologies. The low degree of cementation in the layers causes a high degree of instability of the cliffs. The littoral and cliff sands are dominated by various bivalve organisms,

bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a ...

ns, larger benthic

foraminifers Foraminifera (; Latin for "hole bearers"; informally called "forams") are single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class of amoeboid protists characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm for catching food and other uses; and commonly an ...

and

Coralline algae Coralline algae are red algae in the order Corallinales. They are characterized by a thallus that is hard because of calcareous deposits contained within the cell walls. The colors of these algae are most typically pink, or some other shade of ...

with minor additions of echinoids and balanids implying a shallow-water depositional system of a warm-temperate climatic regime. The locality of Cerro das Mós, from where a large crocodilian ('' Tomistoma schlegelii'') tooth was collected long ago, has also produced some Odontoceti teeth. These may be dated from the

Serravallian The Serravallian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or a stage in the middle Miocene Epoch/Series, which spans the time between 13.82 Ma and 11.63 Ma (million years ago). The Serravallian follows the Langhian and is followed by the Tortonian ...

, which, constitute the oldest marine mammal occurrence in the Algarve.

Climate

Lagos has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Csa'') with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Like the rest of the Algarve, Lagos is very sunny, averaging over 3100 hours of sunshine a year. Precipitation is concentrated in the winter months, where highs average around and lows around , wind and humidity are also more prevalent during this season, averaging of wind and around 80 percent humidity. Summers are warm to hot, very sunny and generally still, the coastal sea breeze helps to cool down the often excessive heat of this season. Sea temperatures have little seasonal variation and are their highest in September-October and their lowest in March, averaging in the summer, and in the winter.

Ecoregions/Protected areas

Lagos has many natural interest sites, including: * '' Ponta da Piedade'' ( en, Mercy Point) * ''Grutas da Costa d'Oiro'' ( en, Golden Coast Grottos) * ''Laguna de Alvor'' ( en, Lagoon of Alvor) *"Bravura Dam" en, Bravura Dam) * ''Mata Nacional de Barão de S.João'' ( en, National Forest of the Baron of Saint John), representing a varied flora that includes Pine (''

Pinaceae The Pinaceae, or pine family, are conifer trees or shrubs, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces. The family is included in the order Pinales, formerly kn ...

''), Acacia ('' Acacia''), Eucalyptus (''

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...

'') and Strawberry trees (''

Arbutus unedo ''Arbutus unedo'' is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe. The tree is well known for its fruits, which bear some resemblance to the strawberry — hence the common na ...

''), with six pedestrian trails and six campsites. In the zone of Pedra Branca, is a Paleolithic

menhir A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be found ...

, called the Menhir of Pedro do Galo, accessible through the pedestrian trails, visitors can use the tables and picnicking areas near the guardhouse for barbecues, while small children have access to a playground. A public sports field and 100 metre interval obstacle course was also constructed to attract activity, near the picnic area.

Beaches

* ''Meia Praia'' (''Half Beach'') —the most popular tourist beach, consisting of soft, white sand, Meia Praia is one of the largest open bays in Europe, resulting in calm seas, permitting conditions for many nautical sports, while cliffs provide sheltered coves from strong windy conditions; * ''Praia Solaria'' (''Sunny Beach''); * ''Praia da Batata'' (''Potato Beach'') — a small beach tucked between two small cliffs (where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean). It is known for the small music festivals that take place there during summer; * ''Praia dos Estudantes'' (''Students' Beach''); * ''Praia da Dona Ana'' ('' Dona Ana Beach'') - its areal is slightly thicker than the beaches in the surrounding area and it is surrounded by striking rock formations. At high tide the beach is split by the geomorphology of the cliffs; * ''Praia do Canavial'' (''Canavial Beach''); * ''Praia de Camilo'' (''Camilo Beach''); * ''Praia da Luz'' (''Beach of Light'') - located in the parish of

Luz Luz ( ''Lūz'') is the name of two places in the Bible. Mentioned in Genesis Luz is the ancient name of a royal Canaanite city, connected with Bethel (Genesis 28:19; 35:6). It is debated among scholarsRashi on 28:17 whether Luz and Bethel repres ...

, the beach is bounded in the east by ''Rocha Negra'' ( en, Black Rock), providing summer vacationers with a popular escape. * ''Praia da Balança''- located after ''Praia da Boneca'' and ''Praia dos Pinheiros'', it is a sandy cove enclosed by towering cliffs.

Sustainable tourism

In 2012 Lagos received the QualityCoast Gold Award for its efforts to become a sustainable tourism destination. Because of this award, Lagos has been selected for inclusion in the global atlas for sustainable tourism DestiNet.

Human geography

The municipality of Lagos is located approximately east of the Cape St. Vincent coast, along the southern coast of the Algarve. It is surrounded along its borders by the municipalities of

Vila do Bispo Vila do Bispo () is a municipality (''concelho'') in the Portuguese Algarve. It has 5,717 inhabitants in an area of 179.06 km2. History The first references to this region referred to the ''Aldeia do Bispo'' in the 14th century, in a char ...

(to the west),

Aljezur Aljezur () is a town and municipality of the District of Faro and Algarve region, in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 5,884, in an area of 323.50 km². The municipality comprises 4 parishes. History Aljezur Do árabe al jazair, plur ...

(to the northwest),

Monchique Monchique () is a municipality of southern Portugal, in Faro District (province of Algarve). The population in 2011 was 6,045, in an area of 395.30 km2. The Municipality of Monchique is situated in the Serra de Monchique and together with t ...

(to the northeast) and

Portimão Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 55,614, in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão (). In 1924, it was ...

(to the east). To the north of Lagos is the road to Silves, the first capital of the Algarve,

(spa town/mountain), Milfontes, a coastal town and port/harbour of the city of Sines, that winds through the scenic protected landscape of the Southwest Natural Park (Costa Sudoeste Alentejana e Vicentina). Administratively, the municipality is divided into four civil parishes ('' freguesias''): * Bensafrim e Barão de São João * Lagos (São Sebastião e Santa Maria) *

, which includes the separate villages of

Almádena Almádena () is a village located in Portugal's western Algarve. Administratively, it is part of the civil parish (freguesia) of Praia da Luz, Luz, (popularly known as Praia da Luz), and the municipality (Municipalities of Portugal, município) o ...

and Espiche. * Odiáxere

Twin towns — Sister cities

Lagos is twinned with: *

Torres Vedras Torres Vedras () is a municipality in the Portuguese district of Lisbon, approximately north of the capital Lisbon in the Oeste region, in the Centro of Portugal. The population was 83,075, in an area of . History In 1148, Afonso I took ...

, district of Lisbon, Portugal * Ribeira Grande, island of São Miguel,

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

Ribeira Grande de Santiago Ribeira Grande de Santiago is a ''concelho'' (municipality) of Cape Verde. It is situated in the southwestern part of the island of Santiago. Its seat is the city Cidade Velha. Its population was 8,325 at the 2010 census, and its area is 137.3&nbs ...

, island of

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

, Cape Verde *

Palos de la Frontera Palos de la Frontera () is a town and municipality located in the southwestern Spanish province of Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is situated some from the provincial capital, Huelva. According to the 2015 census, the cit ...

, autonomous community of

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Ksar El Kebir El-Ksar el Kebir (Arabic language, Arabic: القصر الكبير; ber, ⵍⵇⵚⵔ ⵍⴽⴱⵉⵔ, lqṣr lkbir) is a city in northwestern Morocco, about 160 km north of Rabat, 32 km east of Larache and 110 km south of Tangi ...

, city in the province of

Larache Larache ( ar, العرايش, al-'Araysh) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast, where the Loukkos River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Larache is one of the most important cities of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. Man ...

Sassenheim Sassenheim () is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality covered an area of 6.62 km² (of which 0.23 km² water) and had a population of 14,906 in 2005. Sinc ...

, town in the province of South Holland,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Economy

Lagos' economy, like many coastal towns in Portugal, has always been closely linked to the sea, and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

has been an important activity since very ancient times. Since 1960, the city has embraced

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

, which has become its most important economic activity. It has beautiful beaches, good climate, the sea, a scenic coastline, and historical patrimony. The Marina de Lagos has 460 berths and has become an important centre for long-distance cruisers, and it is also known for its modern drawbridge. Lagos also has numerous cultural and night-life entertainment venues. Lagos Station is the western terminus of the Linha do Algarve railway line, which connects Lagos to

Vila Real de Santo António Vila Real de Santo António (, often run together as ) is a city, civil parish, and municipality in the Algarve, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 19,156, in an area of 61.25 km2. It is one of the few municipalities in Portugal without ter ...

(via Faro and

Tavira Tavira () is a Portuguese town and municipality, capital of the ''Costa do Acantilado'', situated in the east of the Algarve on the south coast of Portugal. It is east of Faro and west of Huelva across the river Guadiana into Spain. The Gilã ...

). The passenger train service is operated by

Comboios de Portugal CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE (''CP''; English: ''Trains of Portugal'') is a state-owned company which operates passenger trains in Portugal. Before June 2009, CP stood for Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (English: ''Portuguese Railways'') ...

(CP). Connections are available at Tunes for trains to Lisbon and Porto.

Architecture

Menir_da_Cabeça_do_Rochedo_-_Lagos_-_10-05-2018

Prehistoric

* Menir da Cabeça do Rochedo ( pt, Menir da Cabeço do Rocheado)

Civic

* Barracks of the Guarda Fiscal of Lagos ( pt, Quartel e Posto da Guarda Fiscal) * Building of the

Caixa Geral de Depósitos Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) () is a Portuguese state-owned banking corporation, and the largest bank in Portugal, established in Lisbon in 1876. CGD now has presence in 23 countries spanning four continents through branches, representative ...

( pt, Edifício da Caixa Geral de Depositos) * Building of the Correios, Telégrafos e Telefonos ( pt, Edifício dos Correios, Telégrafos e Telefones de Lagos) * Building of the Portagem ( pt, Edifício Antigo da Portagem) * District Courthouse/Palace of Justice ( pt, Tribunal da Comarca/Palácio da Justiça) * District Jailhouse of Lagos/Cultural Centre of Lagos ( pt, Cadeia Comarcã de Lagos/Centro Cultural) * D. Maria Bridge ( pt, Ponte Dona Maria) * Fonte Coberta Dam ( pt, Barragem da Fonte Coberta) * Gil Eanes Secondary/Commercial-Industrial School ( pt, Escola Industrial e Comercial de Lagos/Escola Secundária Gil Eanes) * Hotel Tivolli Lagos ( pt, Hotel de Lagos) * Municipal Hall of Lagos ( pt, Edifício dos Paços do Concelho) * Lighthouse of Ponta da Piedade ( pt, Farol da Ponta da Piedade) * Pillory of Lagos ( pt, Pelourinho de Lagos) * Regional Museum of Lagos ( pt, Museu Regional de Lagos) - this modest regional museum is located next to the church of Santo António., housing the eclectic collection of archaeological finds from prehistory and the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

, in addition to minerals, Roman mosaics, Moorish oil-lamps and pottery. The

ethnographic Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject ...

section includes exhibits from life in the Algarve, that includes not only residential, but also military artefacts, such as swords, muskets and cannonballs, and the

foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The word ''foral'' ({{IPA-pt, fuˈɾaɫ, eu, plural: ''forais'') is a noun derived from the Portuguese word ''foro'', ultimately from Latin ''forum'', equivalent to Spanish ''fuero'', Galician '' foro'', ...

('' charter'') issued by King Manuel for Lagos. Religious artefacts are also prominent in the displays, that include the sacerdotal vestments worn by the

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

s who said Holy Mass to King Sebastian (before he left on his ill-fated conquest of Morocco), and a

diptych A diptych (; from the Greek δίπτυχον, ''di'' "two" + '' ptychē'' "fold") is any object with two flat plates which form a pair, often attached by hinge. For example, the standard notebook and school exercise book of the ancient world w ...

(dating from the 16th century) with scenes from the Annunciation and

Presentation of Jesus at the Temple The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (or ''in the temple'') is an early episode in the life of Jesus Christ, describing his presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem, that is celebrated by many churches 40 days after Christmas on Candlemas, o ...

. * Slave Market/Customshoues of Lagos ( pt, Mercado de Escravos/Vedoria/Alfândega de Lagos)

Military

* Bulwark of Alcaria/Freiras ( pt, Baluarte da Alcaria/das Freiras) * Bulwark of Porta dos Quartos ( pt, Baluarte da Porta dos Quartos) * Bulwark of Santa Maria/Porta da Vila ( pt, Baluarte de Santa Maria/da Porta da Vila) * Bulwark of São Francisco/Jogo da Bola ( pt, Baluarte de São Francisco/do Jogo da Bola) * Castle of Senhora da Luz ( pt, Castelo da Senhora da Luz) * Fort of Meia Praia ( pt, Forte da Meia Praia) * Fort of Ponta da Bandeira ( pt, Forte da Ponta da Bandeira) - also known as the Forte do Pau da Bandeira, the Forte de Nossa Senhora da Penha de França or the Forte do Registo, the fort, which guarded the entrance to the harbour, was originally dedicated to the ''Santa Virgem Senhora da Penha de França'' (to which it was referred). This squat rectangular fort guards the entrance to the harbour, accessed by a small drawbridge, to terraced spaces (that overlook the town, beach and harbour) and the small chapel (decorated with 17th-century

azulejo ''Azulejo'' (, ; from the Arabic ''al- zillīj'', ) is a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, r ...

s tile). Until the late 20th century, the fort was used as a service depot for military forces and housed services linked to maritime activities (such as supplies for lifeboats and nautical sports). It was restored between 1958 and 1960, and officially acquired by the municipality of Lagos in 1983, where it was converted into exhibition displays of maritime history, with astrolabes and models of caravels. * Fort of Pinhão ( pt, Forte do Pinhão) * Military Barracks of Lagos ( pt, Edifício Militar em Lagos/Trem de Artilharia) * Musketeers' Workshop/Warehouse and Saddlery ( pt, Edifício Oficina do Espingardeiro/Armazém do Espingardeiro/Selaria) * Regimental Warehouse/Church of São Brás ( pt, Armazém Regimental e Desparecido Igreja de São Brás) * Tower of Atalaia ( pt, Torre da Atalaia) * Walled/Tower Fortifications of Lagos ( pt, Muralhas e Torreões de Lagos)

Religious

Igreja de Santa Maria (Saint Mary Church), Lagos, Portugal

* Chapel/Hermitage of São João Baptista ( pt, Capela/Ermida de São João Baptista) * Church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo ( pt, Igreja da Nossa Senhora do Carmo) * Church of Nossa Senhora da Luz ( pt, Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Luz) * Church of Odiáxere ( pt, Igreja de Odiáxere) * Church of Santa Maria ( pt, Igreja de Santa Maria/da Misericórdia) * Church of Santo António ( pt, Igreja de Santo António) - its simple façade with the asymmetrical bell towers, date from 1715, and contrast sharply with the extravagantly decorated interior, which is covered in gilded wood carvings and blue-and-white 18th-century

tiles (''talha dourada'') which fill the walls of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, while six Baroque paintings by José Joaquim Rasquinho, representing the miracles of Saint Anthony are hung on its walls. The wooden

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

was painted with a ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

'' effect, while polychrome statues of cherubs playing with animals and fishes are scattered within the interior. It was one of the few buildings to survive the Great Earthquake of 1755, reconstructed by the local commander of Regimental Infantry, who may have added the polychromatic statue of St. Anthony with military sash. Purportedly, King Sebastian attended his last mass in this church, before his ill-fated expedition to

.* Convent of Nossa Senhora do Loreto ( pt, Convento de Nossa Senhora do Loreto) * Church of São Sebastião ( pt, Igreja de São Sebastião/de Nossa Senhora da Conceição) * Hermitage of São Pedro de Pulgão/Nossa Senhora dos Aflitos ( pt, Ermida de São Pedro do Pulgão/Nossa Senhora dos Aflitos) * Ruins of the Hermitage of Santo Amaro ( pt, Ruinas da Ermida de São Amaro) * Ruins of the Convent of the Trinity ( pt, Ruinas do Antigo Convento da Trindade/dos Frades Trinos)

Culture

Many local traditions are celebrated in the municipality and range from gastronomy to traditional handicrafts. In gastronomy, there are the local specialties: ''Dom rodrigos'' and ''morgados'' cookies based on local products, such as almonds, figs and

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

. Lagos is also a wine-producing region and is famous for its ''

moscatel Muscatel ( ) is a type of wine made from muscat grapes. The term is now normally used in the United States to refer to a fortified wine made from these grapes rather than just any wine made from these grapes. This fortified muscatel became popu ...

'' wine, and also for a strong alcoholic spirit, the ''aguardente de medronho'', made of berries of strawberry tree.

Notable citizens

* Gundisalvus of Lagos (c.1370–1422), saint of the

Order of Saint Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...

* Soeiro da Costa (c.1390–c.1472), navigator and one of the ''Heroic Twelve'' of the '' Lusiadas'' *

(1395–15thC), navigator and explorer of the 15th century *

Diogo Gomes Diogo Gomes () was a Portuguese navigator, explorer and writer. Diogo Gomes was a servant and explorer of Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator. His memoirs were dictated late in his life to Martin Behaim. They are an invaluable (if sometimes in ...

(c.1420–c.1500), a Portuguese navigator, explorer and writer * Pedro de Sintra (15thC), a Portuguese explorer of

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

around 1462 *

(15thC), navigator and slave trader in the 15th century *

Diogo Rodrigues Dom Diogo Rodrigues, Dom Diogo Roiz (; Lagos, Portugal – 21 April 1577; Colvá, Goa) was a Portuguese explorer of the Indian Ocean who sailed as an ordinary helmsmanAuguste Toussaint, ''History of the Indian Ocean'' (Chicago: University Pre ...

(c.1501–1577), navigator, captain, Governor of

Salsette Island Salsette Island is an island in Konkan division of the state of Maharashtra on India's west coast. Administratively known as Greater Mumbai, the city district of Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban District, Mira Bhayander and a portion of Thane lie wi ...

Gaspar Jorge de Leão Pereira Gaspar Jorge de Leão Pereira, or simply Gaspar de Leão Pereira or Gaspar de Leão (Lagos - Goa, 15 August 1576) was the first Archbishop of Goa. After the diocese of Goa was elevated to an archdiocese, he was appointed Archbishop of Goa, Pri ...

(?? in Lagos –1576), the first Archbishop of Goa *

Manuel Pereira de Sampaio Manuel Pereira de Sampaio (Lagos; 1692 - Rome; February 1750) was a Portuguese nobleman and diplomat, who served as King John V of Portugal's ambassador to the Holy See. He is remembered notably for having secured the styling of '' Most Faithful ...

(1692–1750), a nobleman and diplomat at the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

in Rome * José Sebastião de Almeida Neto (1841–1920), a Cardinal and

Patriarch of Lisbon The Patriarch of Lisbon ( la, Patriarcha Olisiponensis, pt, Patriarca de Lisboa), also called the Cardinal-Patriarch of Lisbon once he has been made cardinal, is the ordinary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lisbon. He is one of the ...

Júlio Dantas Júlio Dantas, GCC (1876 – 1962) was a Portuguese doctor, poet, journalist, politician, diplomat and dramatist. He was born in Lagos and was a prolific writer; he cultivated various literary genres, from poetry to novels and journalis ...

(1876–1962), doctor, poet, journalist, screenwriter, politician and diplomat * José Reis, first

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

geriatric physician, founder of the Portuguese Geriatric and Gerontological Society in 1951 * Júlia Barroso (1930–1996), actress, singer and teacher Julia Barroso, IMDb Database
retrieved 06 June 2021

Sport

Fernando Cabrita Fernando da Silva Cabrita (1 May 1923 – 22 September 2014) was a Portuguese football forward and manager. He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 295 games and 88 goals over the course of 14 seasons, in representation of Olhanense and Sporting d ...

(1923–2014), a footballer with 351 club caps and manager * Jamila Marreiros (b.1988), a football goalkeeper, 12 caps with Portugal women * Diogo Viana (b.1990), a Portuguese professional footballer

References

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

{{Authority control Populated places in Faro District Municipalities of the Algarve Towns of the Algarve Seaside resorts in Portugal Municipalities of Faro District