Quarteira ( or ) is a Portuguese

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 ...

, in the municipality (''

concelho Concelho () is the Portuguese-language term for municipality, referring to the territorial subdivision in local government. In comparison, the word ''município'' () refers to the organs of State. This differentiation is still in use in Portugal ...

'') of

Loulé Loulé () is a city and municipality in the region of Algarve, district of Faro, Portugal. In 2011, the population of the entire municipality was 70,622 inhabitants, in an area of approximately . The municipality has two principal cities: Loul� ...

in 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 ...

.Detail Regional Map, Algarve-Southern Portugal, The population in 2011 was 21,798,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> in an area of 38.16 km².

History

Cerro da Vila Roman Ruins Saturday 20 November 2010

The settlement of the region dates back to, at least, the Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula (at one time confused with the village of Carteia). There are still other authors who suggest that settlement of the region may have begun in the era of Phoenician or Carthaginian traders. For several centuries, Quarteira was a modest fishing village, situated on the edge of a beach, encircled by pines. King Denis authorized 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'', ...

(''charter'') for the settlement on 15 November 1297. In the 15th century, King

John I of Portugal John I ( pt, João �uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...

ordered the first cultivation of sugar cane in continental Portugal. Created in 1916, the civil parish quickly became known for its beaches, fishing and its forests of pine. Quarteira was elevated to the status of ''cidade'' (''city'') on 13 May 1999.

Geography

Quarteira is a coastal civil parish, located along the southern extent of the Algarve fronting Albufeira Municipality to the west (in the parish of Olhos de Água). In addition, the local area authority is bordered in the east by

Almancil Almancil () is a town and '' freguesia'' in the Loulé Municipality, in the affluent Golden Triangle region of the Algarve of southern Portugal. Almancil is known for its three Michelin star restaurants, the most of any town in the Algarve. Th ...

, northeast by São Clemente, north by São Sebastião and Boliqueime. From the Atlantic coast, the frontier with its neighbours extends northwest along the ''Ribeira de Algibre'', before following the M526 municipal roadway to the Estrada Nacional EN125 in Maritenda. From here, the border travels southeast along the EN125 until just after the N396 motorway, where it then divides along a ravine southwest towards the Atlantic Ocean, alongside the Royal Golf Course. The coast includes of normally-classified

Blue Flag beach The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a not-for-profit non-go ...

Economy

Golf remains a symbol for this parish, municipality, and region, with five distinct golf courses contributing to the economy, particularly during the off-season. In relation to this sport, the parish is home to

Vilamoura Vilamoura is a coastal resort in the Loulé municipality in Algarve, Portugal. It is one of the three corners of Algarve's Golden Triangle. Vilamoura comprises one of the largest single tourist complexes in Europe and with about 2,000 hectares ...

, Europe's largest private tourist facility. In addition, the region accommodates various tourists with two hundred hotels and residences, including casinos, bars and discos.

Architecture

Archaeological

Roman ruins of Cerro da Vila The Roman Ruins of Cerro da Vila are the remnants of a historical villa in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. Its vestiges lie in the vicinity of the resort and marina of Vilamoura, in the civil parish of Quarteira, municipality of Loulé ...

()

Civic

* Apartment Complex Avenida de Sagres, 147/149 () * Apartment Complex Quarteira I () * Apartment Complex Rua de São Tomé e Príncipe, 26/36 () * Fiscal Guard Post of Quarteira () * Lighthouse of Vilamoura () * Loulé-Praia de Quarteira Railway Station () * Maritime Delegation of Quarteira () * Residence Cada do Mirante () * Residence Gonçalves () * Residence Villa Sol e Mar () * Residence Casa Martins Laginha () * Restaurante-Residencial Toca do Coelho/Hotel D. José

Military

* Fort of Armação ()

Religious

* Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição () * Church of São Pedro do Mar () * Church of Vilamoura ()

Culture

Among other festivities attracting tourism to the region is the '' Marchas Populares'' in June.

Town Twinning

Twin towns — Sister cities

The following place is

Sister City A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

to Quarteira : *

, Portugal

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quarteira Freguesias of Loulé Seaside resorts in Portugal Towns of the Algarve