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Lagoa () 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 ...
in
the district ''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series which 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. Pre ...
of Faro, in the Portuguese region of
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 ...
. 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 establishments. The ac ...
as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
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 ( pt, lagoa), which were drained in order to create a fertile land. 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 ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
and then 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 ...
, the entire 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 ...
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 ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a 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 kno ...
. Muslim influence in Lagoa was profound, from the rich patrimony left behind, not only in neighboring
Silves Silves may refer to : Europe * Silves, Portugal, municipality and former bishopric in Algarve, southern Portugal ** Silves (parish), a civil parish in the municipality of Silves ** Castle of Silves, a medieval castle in civil parish of 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, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In combination with ...
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 pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. This area was known i ...
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 Silves may refer to : Europe * Silves, Portugal, municipality and former bishopric in Algarve, southern Portugal ** Silves (parish), a civil parish in the municipality of Silves ** Castle of Silves, a medieval castle in civil parish of Silves ...
. On the 16 January 1773, a
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'', Ca ...
(charter) was issued by King Joseph I, incorporating the municipality of Lagoa, after its principal settlement (Lagoa) was elevated to the status of town ( pt, vila). 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 Ferragudo is a Portuguese civil parish at the western border of the municipality of Lagoa. The population in 2011 was 1,973, in an area of 5.41 km². Ferragudo serves mainly as a bedroom community for its much larger neighbour, the city of Po ...
, 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 or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
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 Silves may refer to : Europe * Silves, Portugal, municipality and former bishopric in Algarve, southern Portugal ** Silves (parish), a civil parish in the municipality of Silves ** Castle of Silves, a medieval castle in civil parish of Silves ...
, west by
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 ...
, and fronts 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 ...
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, 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 ...
and
Albufeira Albufeira () is a city and seat of its own municipality in the district of Faro, in the southernmost Portuguese region of Algarve. The municipality population in 2021 was 44,158, in an area of . The city proper had a population of 28,645 in 2021 ...
. 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 Grande () is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Baixada Santista. The population is 330,845 (2020 est.) in an area of 149.25 km². Population history History Although t ...
* Praia da Malhada do Baraço *
Praia da Marinha Praia da Marinha (in English: ''Navy Beach'' or ''Marinha Beach'') is one of the most emblematic beaches of Portugal with a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, located on the Atlantic coast in Caramujeira, part of the Lagoa Municipality, Algar ...
* 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 ( pt,
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 Port ...
) that provide local administrative control are: *
Estômbar e Parchal Estômbar e Parchal is a civil parish in the municipality of Lagoa, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Estômbar and Parchal Parchal is a town and a former civil parish in the municipality ('' concelho'') of L ...
*
Ferragudo Ferragudo is a Portuguese civil parish at the western border of the municipality of Lagoa. The population in 2011 was 1,973, in an area of 5.41 km². Ferragudo serves mainly as a bedroom community for its much larger neighbour, the city of Po ...
*
Lagoa e Carvoeiro Lagoa e Carvoeiro is a civil parish in the municipality of Lagoa, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Lagoa and Carvoeiro. The population in 2011 was 9,987,Porches Porches may refer to: * Porch, an architectural element * Porches (Lagoa), a civil parish (''freguesia'') in the municipality of Lagoa, Algarve, Portugal * Porches Pottery (Olaria Algarve), producer of hand-painted pottery * Porches (band) Porch ...
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'' ( pt, vila), 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 Estômbar is a town in the civil parish of Estômbar e Parchal, in the municipality (''concelho'') of Lagoa, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 4,985, in an area of 24.21 km². It is situated just west of the city of Lagoa itself. Its civi ...
, 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 (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when t ...
,
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% s ...
, Apolónia,
Intermarché Intermarché (English translation: Intermarket) is the brand of a general commercial French supermarket, part of the large retail group Les Mousquetaires founded in 1969 under the name EX Offices, by Jean-Pierre Le Roch. EX Offices was renamed I ...
and Pingo Doce), medical offices, educational (elementary, secondary, music, art) institutions as well as sports, leisure and tourism facilities.
Lagoa DOC Lagoa is a Portuguese wine region centered on the Lagoa municipality in the Algarve region. The region has Portugal's highest wine classification as a '' Denominação de Origem Controlada'' (DOC). The region is bordered to the west by the Portim ...
is a Portuguese wine region centered around Lagoa municipality.


Architecture


Civic

* Congress Centre of Arade ( pt, Centro de Congressos do Arade) * Lighthouse of Alfanzina ( pt, Farol de Alfanzina) * Lighthouse of Ponta do Altar ( pt, Farol de Ponta do Altar) * Railway Station of Lagoa ( pt, Estação Ferroviária de Lagoa / Estação Ferroviária de Estombar-Lagoa)


Military

* Castle of Estômbar / Castle of Abenabece ( pt, Castelo de Estômbar / Castelo de Abenabece) * Fort of Our Lady of the Incarnation ( pt, Forte de Carvoeiro / Forte de Nossa Senhora da Encarnação) * Fort of Our Lady of the Rock ( pt, Forte e Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Rocha), 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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
of
Porches Porches may refer to: * Porch, an architectural element * Porches (Lagoa), a civil parish (''freguesia'') in the municipality of Lagoa, Algarve, Portugal * Porches Pottery (Olaria Algarve), producer of hand-painted pottery * Porches (band) Porch ...
, 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 ( pt, Castelo de São João do Arade / Forte de São João do Arade)


Religious

* Church of Our Lady of Light ( pt, Igreja Matriz de Lagoa / Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz) * Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel ( pt, Convento de Nossa Senhora do Carmo / Convento de Nossa Senhora do Socorro) * Convent of Saint Joseph ( pt, Convento de São José) * Convent of Saint Francis ( pt, Convento de São Francisco / Convento do Praxel / Convento do Parchal) * Church of Saint James the Great ( pt, Igreja Matriz de Estômbar / Igreja São Tiago Maior) * Church of Our Lady of Incarnation ( pt, Igreja Matriz de Porches / Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Encarnação), 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 ( pt, Igreja Matriz de Ferragudo / Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição) * Church of Mercy of Lagoa ( pt, Igreja da Misericórdia de Lagoa) * Church of Mercy of Estômbar ( pt, Igreja da Misericórdia de Estômbar) * Hermitage of Saint Antony ( pt, Ermida de Santo António da Mexilhoeira da Carregação) * Holy Well ( pt, Poço Santo / Poço Santo de Nossa Senhora)


Notable people

*
Remexido Remexido, the nickname of José Joaquim de Sousa Reis ( Estômbar, 19 October 1796 – Faro, 2 August 1838), was a civil servant and wealthy land tenant who became a notorious guerrilla leader of the Algarve in Portugal, defending the rights ...
(1796–1838) a notorious guerrilla leader of the Algarve *
Hermínio da Palma Inácio Hermínio da Palma Inácio (1922–2009) was a Portuguese revolutionary against the Salazar dictatorship. Biography Palma Inácio began the anti-fascist struggle at age 25 as a member of the Golpe dos Militares, a movement launched on 10 April ...
(1922–2009) a Portuguese revolutionary against the Salazar dictatorship and airplane hijacker *
Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira, GCTE GCC GCIH ComA (; b. Lagoa, 16 August 1939), is a retired Portuguese Army officer who was last Governor of Macau. Background He is the son of João da Silva Vieira (b. Lagoa or Faro on 9 November 1913) an ...
(born 1939) a retired Portuguese Army officer, the last Governor of Macau


See also

* Craft, Tourism, Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Fair of Lagoa *
Lagoa DOC Lagoa is a Portuguese wine region centered on the Lagoa municipality in the Algarve region. The region has Portugal's highest wine classification as a '' Denominação de Origem Controlada'' (DOC). The region is bordered to the west by the Portim ...


References


External links


Lagoa Municipality

Lagoa Municipality Magazine

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