Almada () is a city 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, located on the southern margin of the

Tagus River The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

, on the opposite side of the river from

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

. The two cities are connected by the

25 de Abril Bridge The 25 de Abril Bridge (, 25th of April Bridge, ) is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon, capital of Portugal, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of the Tagus, Tagus River. It has a main span length of , ma ...

. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 174,030,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> in an area of 70.21 km². The urbanized core center, the city of Almada proper, had a population of 101,500 in 2001. It makes part of the

Lisbon Metropolitan Area The Lisbon Metropolitan Area (; abbreviated as AML) is a metropolitan areas in Portugal, metropolitan area in Portugal centered on Lisbon, the capital and largest city of the country. The metropolitan area, covering 17 List of cities in Portuga ...

History

Human presence in the area of Almada dates to the end of the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period about 5000 years ago; archeological excavations performed in the municipality suggest that non-sedentary nomadic tribes may have occupied this location sporadically. The gradual development of settlement here made its greatest advance with the coming of Islamic civilization, when Muslims constructed a fort at Almada to defend and monitor the entrance to the

. Lying across the river from Lisbon, the area of Almada was a crossroads for a succession of various peoples who traded along the Tagus, including

Phoenicians Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime civi ...

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

s and

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

. As one of the principal Arab military bases along the southern margin of the Tagus, Almada was conquered by the Christian forces of

Afonso I Dom Afonso IOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' ( Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French influence ...

with the aid of English

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

in 1147. Alongside these Christians there lived many free Moors and Jews, under the royal protection guaranteed them by Afonso I in the charter of 1170 (which applied to all the former Moorish strongholds at Lisbon, Almada,

Palmela Palmela () is a town and municipality in Portugal. As of 2011, the population was 62,831, covering an area of 465.12 km². The municipality is located in the Lisboa Region and Setúbal District, about south of Lisbon. The municipal holiday ...

and Alcácer). Almada received 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 ...

from King Sancho I in 1190, although it came at a price: Miramolim Jacub-Abu-Jassuf, son of the Moorish leader who had laid siege to Santarém in 1171, was angered by the Christian victories and gathered a large army. He boldly attacked in the north, conquering

Alcácer do Sal Alcácer do Sal () is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. The population in 2011 was 13,046, in an area of 1,499.87 km2. History Earliest settlement There has been human settlement in the area for more than 40,000 y ...

and Silves, while forcing the residents of Almada, Palmela and other towns along the Tagus into hiding. It would be some time after the death of Sancho before this region would be restored to Portuguese control. When this event occurred with the success of the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

in driving the Muslims out, the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...

, a donatorio of Almada after 28 October 1186, had an important role in the territory (especially between the Tagus and

Sado River The 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 Atlanti ...

s). In this role, it facilitated the repopulation of acquired territories and was the beneficiary of the various local economies.

Geography

Although small in area, the city of Almada has a large population. It is bounded to the southeast by

Seixal Seixal () is a Portugal, Portuguese city and municipality, located in the district of Setúbal District, Setúbal, in the metropolitan area of Lisbon region, Lisbon. Its population includes 184,269 inhabitants (2011), in an area of that includes ...

, to the south by

Sesimbra Sesimbra () is a municipality of Portugal, in the Setúbal District, lying at the foothills of the ''Serra da Arrábida'', a mountain range between Setúbal and Sesimbra. Due to its particular position at the Península de Setúbal, Setúbal Bay, ...

, to the west by 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 ...

and to the north and northeast by the Tagus River. At

Cacilhas Cacilhas () is a former Freguesia (Portugal), civil parish in the municipality of Almada Municipality, Almada, Lisbon metropolitan area, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Almada, Cova da Piedade, Pragal e Cacilhas. The popula ...

, its main port, ferry boats transport visitors and local residents across to Lisbon daily, while the

, which spans the Tagus, is traversed by

rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Railway track or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' (1967 fil ...

, commercial and personal vehicles daily. Almada is considered a transportation hub and a fast-growing suburb; its coast has several sandy beaches and panoramic vistas. Located in the

district of Setúbal A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

, the municipality includes two cities, Almada and Costa da Caparica, and is divided into five civil parishes: * Almada, Cova da Piedade, Pragal e Cacilhas *

Caparica e Trafaria Caparica e Trafaria is a civil parish in the municipality of Almada Almada () is a city and a municipality in Portugal, located on the southern margin of the Tagus River, on the opposite side of the river from Lisbon. The two cities are connecte ...

Charneca de Caparica e Sobreda Charneca de Caparica e Sobreda is a civil parish in the municipality of Almada Almada () is a city and a municipality in Portugal, located on the southern margin of the Tagus River, on the opposite side of the river from Lisbon. The two cities a ...

* Costa da Caparica *

Laranjeiro e Feijó Laranjeiro ( Portuguese for ''field of orange trees'') is a former civil parish in the municipality of Almada, Lisbon metropolitan area The Lisbon Metropolitan Area (; abbreviated as AML) is a metropolitan areas in Portugal, metropolitan area ...

Demographics

Transportation

The

links Lisbon and Almada, which are on opposite sides of the Tagus river. The municipality is served by a light-rail transit system, the

Metro Transportes do Sul The Metro Transportes Sul do Tejo (MTS, ''South Tagus Rapid Transit System'') is a light rail system that provides mass-transit services for the Almada and Seixal Municipality, Seixal Municipalities of Portugal, municipalities in Portugal. The sy ...

, linking it to the suburban rail system (

Fertagus Fertagus is a commuter rail operator connecting Lisbon, Portugal's capital, to suburbs on the Setúbal Peninsula, located to the south across the Tagus River. Fertagus crosses the river over the Ponte 25 de Abril. Fertagus is owned by the Port ...

) serving

Greater Lisbon Grande Lisboa () or Greater Lisbon is a Portuguese NUTS II and III region and subregion. It was previously only a NUTS III subregion integrated in the Lisboa Region and, previously, in the Lisboa e Vale do Tejo until it was abolished at the J ...

and the municipality of

Sanctuary of Christ the King

Notable citizens

Public service

Joan of Portugal Joan of Portugal ( �uˈɐnɐ 31 March 1439 – June 13, 1475) was the Queen of Castile as the second wife of King Henry IV of Castile. The posthumous daughter of King Edward of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon, she was born in the Quinta ...

(1439–1475) Queen of Castile as the second wife of King

Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile (Spanish language, Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), nicknamed the Impotent, was King of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingdom of León, León and the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Ca ...

. * Elvira Fortunato (born 1964) a Portuguese scientist, professor in the Materials Science Department at the NOVA

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; ) is a public university, public research university in Lisbon, and Portugal's largest university. It was founded in 1911, but the university's present structure dates to the 2013 merger of the former Universit ...

Diana Prata Diana Prata is a Portuguese neuroscientist who concentrates on identifying the biological basis of human behaviour. She reported the first evidence that schizophrenia-risk genes can also predispose to bipolar disorder and has also investigated re ...

(born ca.1975) neuroscientist, head of the Biomedical Neuroscience at the

, brought up in Almada * Diogo Batáguas (born ca.1984) stand-up comedian and public figure, notable for his monthly YouTube program named "Relatório DB". * Rita Ferreira (born ca.1993) nuclear medicine resident, notable for her love of sundae caramelo.

Arts

* Vitor Gonçalves (born 1963) a Portuguese theatre director *

UHF Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter ...

(formed 1970's) rock band formed in Almada * Anabela Braz Pires (born 1976) known as ''Anabela'', singer and musical theatre actress. * Xutos & Pontapés, (Wiki PT) (formed 1978) a Portuguese

Rock band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

Sara Tavares Sara Alexandra Lima Tavares (; 1 February 1978 – 19 November 2023) was a Portuguese singer, composer, guitarist and percussionist. She was born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal. Second-generation Portuguese of Cape Verdean descent, she comp ...

(born 1978) a Portuguese singer, composer, guitarist and percussionist, family from Almada * Pedro Barateiro (born 1979) a Portuguese artist *

Patricia Ribeiro Patrícia Nogueira Ribeiro (born 11 October 1981), better known as Patrícia Ribeiro is a Portuguese transsexual singer, songwriter, model and dancer. She is contracted by DistriRecords label. She was the fourth person from her country to undergo ...

(born 1981) transsexual singer, songwriter, dancer and convicted extortionist. *

Da Weasel Da Weasel are a Portuguese hip hop/rap rock band from Almada, fronted by MCs Pacman (now known as Carlão) and Virgul. They are one of the oldest hip-hop projects in Portugal, having been formed in 1993 and terminated in 2010, and known for bei ...

(formed 1993) a Portuguese hip-hop band/rock band from Almada * Aenima (formed 1997) a Portuguese

dark wave Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...

, rock band *

Ava Inferi Ava Inferi was a Portuguese gothic metal band formed in Almada by Norwegian guitarist and songwriter Rune Eriksen (a.k.a. Blasphemer, Mayhem). Their debut album, '' Burdens'', was released in January 2006. In the spring of 2007, vocalist Carmen ...

(2005–2013) a Portuguese

Doom Metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

band

Sport

* Alfredo Murça (1948–2007) a Portuguese international footballer with nearly 400 club caps * Rui Eugénio (born 1966) a Portuguese former footballer with over 400 club caps * Rui Madeira (born 1969), a Portuguese rally driver *

Luís Figo Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo (; born 4 November 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger for Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan. He won 127 caps for the Portugal national team, a one-t ...

(born 1972) known as ''Figo'', former footballer with 570 caps and 127 for

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Telma Monteiro Telma Alexandra Pinto Monteiro ComM (born 27 December 1985) is a Portuguese retired judoka who has won multiple medals in international competitions, such as the European and World Championships. She is a two-time winner of the Paris Grand ...

(born 1985), world champion

judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

Silvestre Varela Silvestre Manuel Gonçalves Varela (born 2 February 1985) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger. He represented mainly Porto during his career, amassing Primeira Liga totals of 268 matches and 47 goals over 12 ...

(born 1985) a footballer with over 400 club caps and 27 for

Carlos Emanuel Soares Tavares Carlos Emanuel Soares Tavares (born 23 April 1985), known as Carlitos, is a former professional footballer who played as a right or left-back. Club career Born in Almada, Setúbal District, Carlitos played the vast majority of his career in th ...

(born 1985) known as ''Carlitos'', a footballer with 350 club caps and 32 for

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

* Aylton Boa Morte (born 1993) a Portuguese footballer with over 350 club caps * Mónica Mendes (born 1993) a Portuguese footballer with 51 caps for Portugal women *

Miguel Oliveira Miguel Ângelo Falcão de Oliveira (; born 4 January 1995) is a Portuguese professional motorcycle racer who competes in the MotoGP World Championship for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, getting the step up from KTM Tech3,MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

Rider *

André Horta André Filipe Luz Horta (born 7 November 1996) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club Braga. He made over 200 Primeira Liga appearances for Vitória de Setúbal, Benfica and Braga, winning a le ...

(born 1996) a Portuguese footballer *

Rafael Leão Rafael Alexandre da Conceição Leão (; born 10 June 1999) is a Portuguese professional association football, footballer who plays as a left winger for Serie A club Inter Milan, AC Milan and the Portugal national football team, Portugal nationa ...

(born 1999) a Portuguese footballer * Paulo Bernardo (footballer) (born 2002) footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Hunskelper and Scottish league and cup double winner 2023/24. *

Gonçalo Inácio Gonçalo Bernardo Inácio (; born 25 August 2001) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Portugal national team. Coming through Sporting CP's youth academy, he made his fir ...

(born 2001) footballer who currently plays for

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

club

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

and the

Portugal national football team The Portugal national football team () has represented Portugal in men's international Association football, football competitions since 1921. The national team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the governing body for ...

International relations

Almada is twinned with: *

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

, Czech Republic *

Porto Amboim Porto Amboim is a port town in Cuanza Sul Province, Angola with a population of 65,000; it comprises an area of 4,638 km. In the past Porto Amboim was connected by an isolated 123 km narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gaug ...

, Angola *

Regla Regla () is one of the 15 municipalities or boroughs (''municipios'' in Spanish) in the city of Havana, Cuba. It comprises the town of Regla, located at the bottom of Havana Bay in a former aborigine settlement named ''Guaicanamar'', Loma Modelo ...

, Cuba * Sal, Cape Verde

References

;Notes ;Sources *

External links

Almada MunicipalityAlmada Digital
{{Authority control Cities in Portugal Populated places in Setúbal District Municipalities of Setúbal District