Lagoa (Algarve)
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Lagoa () is a city and
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in
the district ''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series that aired on CBS from October 7, 2000, to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department. P ...
of Faro, in the Portuguese region of
Algarve The Algarve (, , ) is the southernmost NUTS statistical regions of Portugal, NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities (concelho, ''concelhos'' or ''município ...
. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 22,975, in an area of 88.25 km2. Its urban population, in the city of Lagoa proper, is 6,100 inhabitants. An important travel destination, its coast has won numerous accolades. Marinha Beach was considered by the
Michelin Guide The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few restaurants ...
as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and as one of the 100 most beautiful beaches in the world.


History

According to some historical sources, the earliest settlement in the area occurred along the edges of small lakes or marshes (), which were drained in order to create a fertile land, although a small remnant wetland, Alagoas Brancas, can still be seen to the southeast of the city centre. There are many pre-historic vestiges of the early settlements, including menhirs (standing stones), funerary necropoles and artifacts that date a human presence to remote history. After the Celtiberian era, including the age of Cynete presence and domination, followed by the arrival of the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
and then the
Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...
, the entire region of the
Algarve The Algarve (, , ) is the southernmost NUTS statistical regions of Portugal, NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities (concelho, ''concelhos'' or ''município ...
was conquered and ruled by Arabs when they moved into the Iberian peninsula in the 8th century. When the area was later reconquered in the mid-12th century by Christian forces from the north, it was integrated into the fledgling
Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal was a Portuguese monarchy, monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also known as the Kingdom of Portugal a ...
. Muslim influence in Lagoa was profound, from the rich patrimony left behind, not only in neighboring Silves ( then taifa capital), but also in Lagoa where commerce thrived. During the 14th century, a favorable confluence of conditions allowed Lagoa to develop rapidly. Yet, the events of the
1755 Lisbon earthquake The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, All Saints' Day, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In ...
left little marks from this period: the reconstruction wiped away many of its classic architecture (there are a rare few of this period, including the churches of Estômbar and Porches). The coastal zone was, for centuries, attacked by
barbary pirates The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...
and corsairs, and those responsible for public security erected various defensive structures along the coast, such as the fortresses of Nossa Senhora da Rocha, Carvoeiro and São João de Ferragudo, in addition to the lookouts and redoubts, such as the tower of Lapa or Marinha. For a long period, Lagoa was governed within the municipality of Silves. On the 16 January 1773, a
foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The ''Carta de Foral'', or simply ''Foral'', was a royal document in Portugal and its former empire, whose purpose was to establish a ''concelho'' (Council) and regulate its administration, borders and priv ...
(charter) was issued by King Joseph I, incorporating the municipality of Lagoa, after its principal settlement (Lagoa) was elevated to the status of town (). The local natural resources contributed to the current economic structure of the municipality, with agriculture (especially fruit and wine production), fishing, light industry and, later, tourism influencing the activities of the region. The fishing industry (in the communities of Ferragudo, Benagil, Carvoeiro and Senhora da Rocha), vineyards, and the traditional products of irrigated agriculture were the principal sources of wealth for the area until the 1970s. Driven by the abundance of fish, the canning and conserve industry at the beginning of the 20th century was responsible for an economic boom, that brought a general prosperity and wealth to the region. From the 1960s, however,
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
increasingly became the main driver of the area's economic development and creation of brand new infrastructure. This has brought an increase in job creation, its growth rapidly became the economic engine of the municipality, and it has now assumed a prominent place in the local economy. In parallel to the growth of tourism, the growth of all the related activities, especially in the construction industry, services, and commerce in general, resulted in the elevation of Lagoa to the status of city (''cidade'').


Geography


Physical geography

Lagoa is bounded on the north and east by the municipality of Silves, west by
Portimão Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro (district), Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2022 was 63,079 in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão. In ...
, and fronts the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
to the south. The city proper is about 35 to 59 meters above sea level, with most of it standing above 45 meters high. Lagoa is a municipality rich in beaches. They have been improved dramatically over the last few decades, in terms of infrastructure and access, as well as in terms of water quality and the environment. They now successfully compete with the better known beaches of
Portimão Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro (district), Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2022 was 63,079 in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão. In ...
and
Albufeira Albufeira (, ), officially the City of Albufeira (), is a List of cities in Portugal, city and Concelho, municipality of Faro District in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2021 was 44,158, in an area of . The city proper ...
. The largest beaches are: * Praia de Albandeira * Praia da Angrinha * Praia do Barranco * Praia do Barranquinho * Praia de Benagil * Praia dos Beijinhos * Praia dos Caneiros * Praia do Carvalho * Praia de Carvoeiro * Praia da Corredoura * Praia da Cova Redonda * Praia de Ferragudo * Praia Grande * Praia da Malhada do Baraço * Praia da Marinha * Praia do Mato * Praia da Mesquita * Praia do Molhe * Praia Nova * Praia de Nossa Senhora da Rocha * Praia do Pau * Praia do Pintadinho * Praia dos Tremoços * Praia do Vale de Centeanes


Human geography

The four civil parishes () that provide local administrative control are: *
Estômbar e Parchal Estômbar e Parchal is a civil parish in the municipality of Lagoa Municipality (Algarve), Lagoa, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Estômbar and Parchal. The population in 2011 was 9,004,
* Ferragudo * Lagoa e Carvoeiro * Porches All the civil parishes, excluding the city of Lagoa proper which is the seat of the entire municipality made of 4 civil parishes, have obtained the social designation of ''towns'' (), although they administratively govern a disperse region of rural-urban agglomerations.


Economy

Lagoa is one of the most important tourist areas of the Algarve. There are various factors which have contributed to its popularity, namely the variety of offerings to visitors (the beauty of its beaches, modern tourist accommodation, its golf courses and cultural heritage), orderly planning of land use within the municipality area (
council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
area), its social stability, and the friendliness of its citizens. The city continues to improve facilities and organize events of interest to tourists. Each summer it hosts a large exhibition of craft products at the Parque de Feiras e Exposições de Lagoa (Fair and Exhibition Grounds of Lagoa), known by its official name's acronym FATACIL. Certain heritage buildings have been renovated for cultural uses in the city, notably the Municipal Library and the Convento de São José (St. Joseph Convent) – the Cultural Centre of the City of Lagoa – where various shows and a variety of exhibitions take place. Similarly the Municipal Auditorium hosts numerous shows and other events each week. Many cultural activities take place at the Parque Municipal de Fontes, north of Estômbar, all year round, including theatre, dances, and traditional folk-songs. In the 2000s and 2010s, Lagoa registered one of the highest levels of economic development in the Algarve. It has nowadays numerous supermarkets (
ALDI Aldi (German pronunciation: ), stylised as ALDI, is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and ...
,
Auchan Auchan () is a French multinational retail group headquartered in Croix, France. It was founded in 1961 by Gérard Mulliez and is owned by the Mulliez family, who has 95% stake in the company. With 354,851 employees, of which 261,000 have 5% ...
, Apolónia, Intermarché and Pingo Doce), medical offices, educational (elementary, secondary, music, art) institutions as well as sports, leisure and tourism facilities. Lagoa DOC is a Portuguese wine region centered around Lagoa municipality.


Architecture


Civic

* Congress Centre of Arade () * Lighthouse of Alfanzina () * Lighthouse of Ponta do Altar () * Railway Station of Lagoa ()


Military

* Castle of Estômbar / Castle of Abenabece () * Fort of Our Lady of the Incarnation () * Fort of Our Lady of the Rock (), a medieval castle is situated in 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of Porches, overlooking the cliffs of the parish; inside the fort is the ''Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Rocha'', of uncertain date. * Castle of Saint John of Arade / Fort of Saint John of Arade ()


Religious

* Church of Our Lady of Light () * Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel () * Convent of Saint Joseph () * Convent of Saint Francis () * Church of Saint James the Great () * Church of Our Lady of Incarnation (), the 16th century church of the Encarnation, is a Baroque-era temple that includes vaulted-ceiling decorated in azulejo tile, and gilded chancel; * Church of Our Lady of Conception () * Church of Mercy of Lagoa () * Church of Mercy of Estômbar () * Hermitage of Saint Antony () * Holy Well ()


Notable people

* Remexido (1796–1838) a notorious guerrilla leader of the Algarve * Hermínio da Palma Inácio (1922–2009) a Portuguese revolutionary against the Salazar dictatorship and airplane hijacker *
Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira, GCTE GCC GCIH ComA (; 16 August 1939 – 22 January 2025) was a Portuguese Army officer who was the last Governor of Macau. Background Vieira was born on 16 August 1939. He was the son of João da Silva Vieira a ...
(born 1939) a retired Portuguese Army officer, the last
Governor of Macau The governor of Macau (; ) was a Portugal, Portuguese colonial official who headed the Portuguese Empire, colony of Portuguese Macau, Macau, before 1623 called captain-major (). The post was replaced on 20 December 1999 upon the handover of M ...


See also

* Craft, Tourism, Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Fair of Lagoa * Lagoa DOC


References


External links


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