Setúbal (, , ; cel-x-proto, Caetobrix) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...
and a
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
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal:
:* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
. The population in 2014 was 118,166,
occupying an area of .
The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies within the
Lisbon metropolitan area
The Lisbon Metropolitan Area ( pt, Área Metropolitana de Lisboa; abbreviated as AML) is a metropolitan area in Portugal centered on Lisbon, the capital and largest city of the country. The metropolitan area, covering 18 municipalities is the ...
.
In the times of
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the Mus ...
the city was known as ''Shaṭūbar'' (
Andalusian Arabic
Andalusi Arabic (), also known as Andalusian Arabic, was a variety or varieties of Arabic spoken mainly from the 9th to the 17th century in Al-Andalus, the regions of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal) once under Muslim rule. ...
: ). In the 19th century, the port was called ''Saint Ubes'' in English, and ''Saint-Yves'' in French.
The municipal holiday is 15 September, which marks the date in 1860 when
King Pedro V of Portugal officially recognised Setúbal as a city.
City information

The city of Setúbal is located on the northern bank of the
Sado River
The river Sado () is a river in southern Portugal; it is one of the major rivers in the country. It flows in a northerly direction (the only major Portuguese river to do so) through from its springs in the hills of Ourique before entering the A ...
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...
, approximately south of Portugal's capital,
Lisbon. It is also the seat of the
Setúbal District
The District of Setúbal ( pt, Distrito de Setúbal ) is a district located in the south-west of Portugal. It is named for its capital, the city of Setúbal.
Geography
It is delimited by Lisbon District and Santarém District on the north, � ...
and formerly in the historic
Estremadura Province.
In the beginning of the 20th century, Setúbal was the most important center of Portugal's fishing industry, particularly specializing in processing and exporting
sardine
"Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the ...
s. None of the many factories then created are operating today. However, the existing maritime ports, either traditional, commercial and the new marines, keep the city links to the ocean and water well alive and vibrant. Tourism, based on the beautiful existing natural conditions plus excellent hotels, resorts and infrastructures, is one of the city's most appreciated resources, due to its interconnection with the
Sado (river)
The river Sado () is a river in southern Portugal; it is one of the major rivers in the country. It flows in a northerly direction (the only major Portuguese river to do so) through from its springs in the hills of Ourique before entering the A ...
on one side and Atlantic Ocean on another, having a coast line with both. The city is also connected with the nearby coast of the
Arrábida hills natural park - which offers an unspoiled nature and beautiful beaches to the Atlantic Ocean. A
dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...
colony inhabits the
Sado River
The river Sado () is a river in southern Portugal; it is one of the major rivers in the country. It flows in a northerly direction (the only major Portuguese river to do so) through from its springs in the hills of Ourique before entering the A ...
. Across the river on the south bank lies the peninsula of
Tróia, a place with vast white/golden sand beaches where several luxury hotels and resorts were recently built. The
Tróia peninsula can be sighted from the city, across the river.
Albarquel, Figueirinha, Galápos, Galapinhos, Creiro and Portinho da Arrábida are some of the city's many beaches, located in the north bank of the estuary, at the very beginning of the
Arrábida hills.
History
In antiquity the city was known as Cetobriga, a
Turdetani
The Turdetani were an ancient pre-Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula, living in the valley of the Guadalquivir (the river that the Turdetani called by two names: ''Kertis'' and ''Rérkēs'' (Ῥέρκης); Romans would call the river by ...
settlement that came under Roman control in the province of
Lusitania.
Culture

The main historical monument of the city of Setúbal is the
Monastery of Jesus, which is a 15th- and 16th-century church that represents one of the first buildings in the Portuguese late
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
style known as
Manueline
The Manueline ( pt, estilo manuelino, ), occasionally known as Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese architectural style originating in the 16th century, during the Portuguese Renaissance and Age of Discoveries. Manu ...
.
Also of interest are the
São Julião Church, also with Manueline portals. The ''Castelo de São Filipe'', is a 16th- and 17th-century fortress on the north bank of the Sado river, overseeing the city. The fortress was converted into a luxury hotel (''
pousada'').
Teatro Animação de Setúbal is based in Setúbal.
Demography (municipality)
Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 5 civil parishes (''
freguesias
''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as " parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former ...
''):
*
Azeitão (São Lourenço e São Simão)
Azeitão (São Lourenço e São Simão) is a civil parish in the municipality of Setúbal, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes São Lourenço and São Simão. The population in 2011 was 18,877,
*
Gâmbia – Pontes – Alto da Guerra
Gâmbia – Pontes – Alto da Guerra is a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Setúbal. The population in 2011 was 5,885,[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 mild, rainy winters and warm to hot, dry summers. Temperatures in the winter vary between during the day and at night, most of the precipitation (starting from November) falls in this season. Temperatures in the summer vary between during the day and at night, precipitation is scarce during this season. The average annual temperature varies between .
On 4 August 2018, Setúbal registered a record high temperature of which, according to weather records expert Maximiliano Herrera, was the highest temperature ever recorded on the coast of the Iberian Peninsula.
Economy
According to the census of 2011, the municipality of Setúbal had a
labor force
The workforce or labour force is a concept referring to the pool of human beings either in employment or in unemployment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic r ...
of 58,514 people, among whom 15.6% were unemployed. Among those who had a job, 1.6% were working in the
Primary sector
The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining.
The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in ...
, 24.9% in the
Secondary sector
In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in constructio ...
and 73.5% in the
Tertiary sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector ( raw materials) and the secon ...
.
Setúbal is notable for the industries of
pulp
Pulp may refer to:
* Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit
Engineering
* Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture
* Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper
* Molded pulp, a packaging material ...
,
paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre e ...
,
cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement m ...
,
fertilizers
A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...
,
pesticides
Pesticides are substances that are meant to pest control, control pest (organism), pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microb ...
, other phytopharmaceutical products,
thermal power
A thermal power station is a type of power station in which heat energy is converted to electrical energy. In a steam-generating cycle heat is used to boil water in a large pressure vessel to produce high-pressure steam, which drives a s ...
,
shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roo ...
and
ship repair
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...
there was a lot of automobile assembling industry since the 1950s with several known manufacturers had or have opened assembly halls for the Portuguese market. Today there are only 3 tradenames nearby currently in production. The Port of Setúbal had a cargo throughput of 6.058 million tons in 2012,
making it the 4th busiest port in Portugal, with 7.4% of the cargo throughput in the country.
In the 19th century, the area was notable for the production of sea salt. St. Ubes bay salt was exported as far as Australia in the 1830s.
Sports
The city's main sports club is
Vitória de Setúbal
Vitoria or Vitória may refer to :
People
* Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian
* Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer
* Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer
* Steven Vitória ...
, the football club established on 20 November 1910.
Notable residents and citizens
Public Service
*
Diogo Fernandes Pereira
Diogo Fernandes Pereira, sometimes called simply Diogo Fernandes, was a Portuguese 16th-century navigator, originally from Setúbal, Portugal. Diogo Fernandes was the first known European captain to visit the island of Socotra in 1503 and the di ...
(ca.15C-ca.16C) a 16th-century navigator; in 1503 the first European captain to visit the island of
Socotra
Socotra or Soqotra (; ar, سُقُطْرَىٰ ; so, Suqadara) is an island of the Republic of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, under the ''de facto'' control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist participant in Yemen� ...
and discovered the
Mascarenes
The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of the islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Thei ...
archipelago (
Réunion
Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
,
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
, and
Rodrigues
Rodrigues (french: Île Rodrigues, link=yes ; Creole: ) is a autonomous outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Islands, which include Mauritius and Réunion. Rod ...
) in 1507
*
José Travassos Valdez, 1st Count of Bonfim
José Lúcio Travassos Valdez (February 23, 1787 – July 10, 1862), only Baron and first Count of Bonfim (), was a Portuguese soldier and statesman.
Early life
Travassos Valdez was born in Elvas, Portugal, on February 23, 1787, and originally ...
(1787–1862) soldier, politician,
Prime Minister of Portugal, 1839 to 1841
*
Rui Machete
Rui Manuel Parente Chancerelle de Machete (born 7 April 1940) is a Portuguese politician. Machete served as Minister of Social Affairs
A Ministry of Social Affairs or Department of Social Affairs is the common name for a government department ...
(born 1940) a Portuguese politician and Govt. minister
The Arts

*
Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage
Manuel Maria Barbosa l'Hedois du Bocage (15 September 1765 – 21 December 1805), most often referred to simply as Bocage, was a Portuguese Neoclassic poet, writing at the beginning of his career under the pen name ''Elmano Sadino''.
Biography
...
(1765–1805) notable satirical and classical poet.
*
Luisa Todi Luisa (Italian and Spanish), Luísa (Portuguese) or Louise ( French) is a feminine given name; it is the feminine form of the given name Louis (Luis), the French form of the Frankish Chlodowig (German Ludwig), from the Germanic elements ''hlod ...
(1753–1833) a Portuguese mezzo-soprano opera singer
*
João Vaz
João José Vaz (9 March 1859, in Setúbal – 17 February 1931, in Lisbon) was a Portuguese painter and decorator who specialized in maritime subjects.
Biography
In 1872, he enrolled at the "Academia das Belas-Artes" (now part of the Unive ...
(1859-1931) a painter and decorator who specialized in maritime subjects.
*
Roy Campbell (1901–1957) a South African poet, died nearby in a car accident.
*
Sebastião da Gama (1924–1952) a Portuguese poet, he wrote about the
Arrábida Natural Park
*
Lima de Freitas
Lima de Freitas (1927–1998) was a Portuguese painter, illustrator, ceramicist and writer. He studied at the Faculdade de Belas-Artes da Universidade de Lisboa, Escola Superior de Belas Artes de Lisboa.
He illustrated over 100 books, most nota ...
(1927–1998) Portuguese painter, illustrator, ceramicist and writer.
*
Zeca Afonso Zeca may refer to:
* José Afonso (1929–1987), Portuguese folk and political musician also known mononymously as Zeca
* Zeca (footballer, born 1946), full name Jose Luiz Ferreira Rodrigues, Brazilian football manager known mononymously as Zeca
* ...
(1929-1987) singer and songwriter, lived, worked and died in the city
*
Manuela Couto (born 1964) a Portuguese actress on TV, cinema and theatre.
*
Luís Buchinho (born 1969) a Portuguese fashion designer.
*
Mazgani (born 1974) an Iranian-Portuguese singer-songwriter.
*
Sofia Vitória (born 1979) singer of Jazz &
World Music
*
Sabrina (born 1982) represented Portugal at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Helsinki, Finland, following the country's victory at the with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...
.
*
André Marques (born 1984) writer and director.
André Marques, IMDb Database
retrieved 28 June 2021.
* Filipa Barroso, (Wiki PT) (born 1998) model and Miss Portuguesa 2017
* Matilde Lima, (Wiki PT) (born 1999) model and Miss Universo Portugal 2017
Sport
*Francisco Santos (footballer)
Francisco dos Santos (8 March 1904 – ??) was a Portuguese footballer who played as a forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (assoc ...
(1904 - ?)
*Oceana Zarco
Oceana Zarco (12 April 191111 January 2008) was the first professional female cyclist in Portugal.
Oceana Rosa de Sousa Zarco was born on 12 April 1911 in the parish of Santa Maria da Graça in Setúbal, Portugal. Her stepfather, João Duarte, ...
(1911–2008) first Portuguese female professional cyclist, in 1925
* Jaime Graça (1942–2012) a footballer and coach with 303 club caps and 36 for Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal:
:* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
*Silvino Louro
Silvino de Almeida Louro (born 5 March 1959), known simply as Silvino in his playing days, is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Having ended his professional career in his 40s – playing in 21 Primeira Liga seasons an ...
(born 1959) a former footballer with 408 club caps and 23 for Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal:
:* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
* José Mourinho (born 1963) distinguished football manager.
* Fernando Mendes (born 1966) a former footballer with 350 club caps and 11 for Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal:
:* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
*Bruno Ribeiro
Bruno Miguel Fernandes Ribeiro (born 22 October 1975) is a Portuguese football manager and former player who is now the head coach at Campeonato de Portugal club Moura.
A midfielder with a powerful left-foot strike, he began his playing ca ...
(born 1975) a football manager and former player with 305 club caps
*Bruno Lage
Bruno Miguel Silva do Nascimento (born 12 May 1976), known as Bruno Lage (), is a Portuguese football manager who most recently was the head coach of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
During his short tenure as coach of Benfica i ...
(born 1976) a football manager, head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club' ...
* Susana Costa (born 1984) a Portuguese athlete specialising in the triple jump
* Marco Soares (born 1984) a footballer with over 370 club caps and 49 for Cape Verde
, national_anthem = ()
, official_languages = Portuguese
, national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole
, capital = Praia
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, demonym ...
International relations
Setúbal is twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...
with:
Setúbal has international cooperation protocols with:
Gallery
File:Castillo de San Felipe, Setúbal, Portugal, 2020-07-19, DD 02.jpg, 16th-century Fort of St. Filipe.
File:Iglesia de San Julián, Setúbal, Portugal, 2021-09-09, DD 59-61 HDR.jpg, São Julião Church in central Setúbal.
File:Convento de Jesús, Setúbal, Portugal, 2021-09-08, DD 18.jpg, Monastery of Jesus of Setúbal
The Monastery of Jesus ( pt, Mosteiro de Jesus) is a historical religious building in Setúbal, Portugal, which served a monastery of Poor Clare nuns. It is one of the first buildings in the Manueline style, the Portuguese version of late Gothic. T ...
(15th and 16th centuries).
File:Jesus Convent 5.JPG, ''Cruzeiro'' (a Stone cross) and façade of the Monastery of Jesus of Setúbal
The Monastery of Jesus ( pt, Mosteiro de Jesus) is a historical religious building in Setúbal, Portugal, which served a monastery of Poor Clare nuns. It is one of the first buildings in the Manueline style, the Portuguese version of late Gothic. T ...
.
File:Iglesia del convento de Jesús, Setúbal, Portugal, 2021-09-08, DD 19.jpg, Main entrance to the Gothic-Manueline Monastery of Jesus of Setúbal
The Monastery of Jesus ( pt, Mosteiro de Jesus) is a historical religious building in Setúbal, Portugal, which served a monastery of Poor Clare nuns. It is one of the first buildings in the Manueline style, the Portuguese version of late Gothic. T ...
.
File:Porto de Setubal I.jpg, A view of Setúbal's seaport.
File:Jardim Bonfim Setubal 2.JPG, Jardim Bonfim park.
File:Setubal 20070727.jpg, Largo da Misericórdia.
File:Manesson-Travaux-de-Mars 9685.tif, Fortifications of Setúbal. Manesson Mallet: ''Travaux de Mars ou l'Art de la Guerre''.
References
Bibliography
External links
Town Hall official website
O Bocagiano Local News
Setúbal na Rede is a pioneering project, innovative and the first digital-only newspaper in Portugal.
Setúbal Walking Tour
(Youtube)
Largo De Jesus to Train Station Walking Tour
(Youtube)
Fishing Port to Albarquel Park Walking Tour
(Youtube)
Viewpoint Of S. Sebastião, Praça Do Quebedo Walking Tour
(Youtube)
Abandoned Boats In Setúbal
(Youtube)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Setubal
Cities in Portugal
Port cities and towns in Portugal
Phoenician colonies in Portugal
Populated places in Setúbal District
Municipalities of Setúbal District