Seixal Municipality

Seixal () is a Portuguese city and municipality, located in the district of Setúbal, in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. Its population includes 184,269 inhabitants (2011), in an area of that includes six parishes. It is situated across the Tagus River estuary from Lisbon. Its seat is the city of Seixal, a centre of 31,600 inhabitants situated along the Rio Judeu.

The present Mayor is Joaquim Santos, elected by the Unitary Democratic Coalition since September 2013.

History

The toponymy ''Seixal'' comes from a type of smooth stone (''seixo'') that is found in rivers; the name evolving from the name used to describe the geomorphology of the region.

Since the Roman era, the Tagus bay has been a region of human settlement, from many of the archaeological discoveries at Quinta do Rouxinol, in Corroios, and Quinta de S. João, in Arrentela (beginning in the period of the Portuguese Age of Discovery). A land of fishermen and signeurial holdings, the municipality of Seixal evolved over the centuries, always with the connection to the river. It was across the Tagus that many of the region's products (fishe, cereals, salt, olive oil, wine and fruits) were exported to the regional capital.

In the 15th century, due to its prime location, various dockyards and shipbuilders began constructing river boats and trans-Atlantic ships. At the same time, the tides of the region were used to develop mills, such as the tidal mill in Corroios in 1403, fostering various the millers, caulkers and carpenters along the river. It was in Seixal that the brothers Vasco da Gama and Paulo da Gama built vessels for the trip to India. While Vasco da Gama was in Lisbon to prepare the trip, Paulo da Gama commanded carpenters and caulkers in the construction of the ships. Estevão da Gama, the father of the brothers, was commander of Seixal. The construction of the ships was the beginning of what is known as the '' Portuguese Discoveries''. The settlement at this time was actually a part of the parish of Arrentela, then a division of Almada.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the population of the territory numbers three dozen homes, and by the 18th century there was a population of 400 inhabitants.

After the Liberal revolution, during the administrative reforms of 1836, during the reign of Queen Maria II of Portugal, Seixal obtained the status of municipality. A few years later (1895), this status, was extinguished. At that time Amora was integrated into the municipality of Almada, while Arrentela, Aldeia de Paio Pires and Seixal was annexed into the municipality of Barreiro. Yet, three years later the municipality of Seixal was newly instituted.

As a consequence, by the 18th century, the municipality became an aristocratic retreat for the nobility in nearby Lisbon, resulting in the construction several vacation properties or villas, such as Quinta da Fidalga, Quinta do Alamo, Quinta da Trindade, Quinta de São Pedro and Quinta de Cheiraventos.

Around the bay there are several factories that were important in the development of the municipality, such as the ''Fábrica de Vidros da Amora'' (''Amora Glass Factory'', the ''Companhia de Lanifícios da Arrentela'' (''Arrentela Wool Co.''), the ''Mundet Cork Factory'' in Seixal; and the cod drying buildings on the Ponta dos Corvos. These early factory installations transformed the municipality from a rural outpost into an industrial centre, eventually resulting in the installation of the steelmaker Siderurgia Nacional in 1961.

In 1966, a bridge was inaugurated over the Tagus providing a direct, stable link to Lisbon.

The civil parish of Corroios was created in 1976. On 27 May 1993, the parish of Fernão Ferro was established, following the division of the old parish of Arrentela; and on 20 May, the towns of Seixal and Amora evolved to the status of city.

Geography

Seixal is situated on the peninsula of Setúbal and is part of the metropolitan area of Lisbon. The municipality is bordered to the east by the municipality of Barreiro, south by Sesimbra, west by Almada (with which it has a strong affinity) and the north by the Tagus estuary, through which connects to Lisbon.

The Bay of Seixal is part of the Tagus River Estuary, that is fed by several rivers and confluents that extend to the sea; classified as a ''Reserva Ecológica Nacional'' (''National Ecological Reserve''), the bay and small tributaries are part of one of the most important humid zones in Portugal, supporting an elevated biodiversity and exceptional landscape.

Seixal is one of the eight municipalities with the most inhabitants in Portugal, and is composed of four parishes occupying a territory of :
* Amora
* Corroios

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