Amadora (), officially Amadora City (), is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and

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 the northwest 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 ...

and 10 km from central

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 population in 2011 was 175,136,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> in an area of 23.78 km² (9.2 sq mi). It is the fourth biggest and most densely populated city in Portugal.

History

There is significant evidence of

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 ...

settlements in the municipality. The

Necropolis of Carenque The Necropolis of Carenque () is an archaeological site consisting of three well-preserved late Neolithic collective sepulchres or tombs, dating back to about 3000 BCE, which are dug into smooth limestone outcrops. It is situated in the municipali ...

consists of three artificial caves that served as tombs from around 3000 BCE. Amadora was originally named ''Porcalhota'', for being a

Majorat ''Majorat'' () is a French term for an arrangement giving the right of succession to a specific parcel of property associated with a title of nobility to a single heir, based on male primogeniture. A majorat ( fideicommis) would be inherited by ...

of the daughter of a man surnamed ''Porcalho'' who was called for being a female ''Porcalhota''. The Aqueduto das Águas Livres, which brings water from the

Sintra Sintra (, ), officially the Town of Sintra (), is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2021 was 385,654, in an area of . Sintra is one of the ...

hills to

, and stretches , was finished in the 1770s and includes the largest masonry arch ever built, located in Campolide — the local coat of arms also displays the aqueduct (like others along its way). At the request of its population, in 1907, a decree issued during King Carlos I reign, merged the communities of Porcalhota, Amadora and Venteira into one town named Amadora. At the present time Amadora does not have any airfield. However, in the 1920s a small airfield (the first in Portugal) was located here. The first flight from Portugal to Brazil left from Amadora. The Captain of the airplane was Adm.

Gago Coutinho Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho, GCTE, GCC (; 17 February 1869 – 18 February 1959), generally known simply as Gago Coutinho, was a Portuguese geographer, cartographer, naval officer, historian and aviator. An aviation pioneer, Gago Coutinho and ...

, a well known Portuguese celebrity. The municipality was formed on 11 September 1979, when it ceased being a parish of the municipality of Oeiras. A few days later, on 17 September, Amadora was granted city status. The former

Sorefame Sorefame (an abbreviation of ''Sociedades Reunidas de Fabricações Metálicas'', meaning ''"Reunited Society of Metalwork Fabrications")'' was a Portugal, Portuguese manufacturer of railway rolling stock and industrial equipment, such as dam gat ...

railway rolling stock factory was located in Amadora, but was closed in 2004. Most of the carriages for Portuguese Railways built during the second half of the 20th century were constructed here.

Geography

One of the largest urban communities in Portugal, Amadora forms a

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

with

, sharing the same subway, bus and train networks. It is dominated by large apartment blocks, commercial parks, industrial areas and some headquarters of international companies. Administratively, the municipality is divided into 6 civil parishes (''

freguesias (), 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 Portuguese overs ...

''): * Águas Livres *

Alfragide Alfragide () is a parish in Amadora Municipality. The population in 2011 was 17,044,

Encosta do Sol Encosta do Sol is a civil parish in the municipality of Amadora Amadora (), officially Amadora City (), is a List of cities in Portugal, city and concelho, municipality in the northwest of the Lisbon metropolitan area and 10 km from central L ...

Falagueira-Venda Nova Falagueira-Venda Nova is a civil parish in the municipality of Amadora Amadora (), officially Amadora City (), is a List of cities in Portugal, city and concelho, municipality in the northwest of the Lisbon metropolitan area and 10 km from ce ...

* Mina de Água *

Venteira Venteira is a civil parish in the municipality of Amadora Amadora (), officially Amadora City (), is a List of cities in Portugal, city and concelho, municipality in the northwest of the Lisbon metropolitan area and 10 km from central Lisbon. ...

Climate

Amadora has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Csa'') with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.

Demographics

Economy

Despite being a residential city, Amadora has commercial zones, industries and headquarters of international companies operating in Portugal. As commercial zones, it has

IKEA IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services. IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...

, Nokia, Decathlon, Alegro, Continente and ''Ubbo'' (one of the biggest shopping malls in Europe).

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

and

Roche F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche (), is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational corporation, multinational holding healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, ...

are examples of international companies based in Amadora. Amadora hosted Portugals national builder of railway rolling stock,

, until its demise in 2004.

Transport

Amadora's public transport network is extremely far-reaching and reliable and is fully integrated with the transportation network of the

. It has 3

metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

stations, the commuter

Sintra Line Linha de Sintra is a railway line that connects the stations of Rossio railway station, Rossio and Sintra railway station, Sintra, Portugal. and is operated by Comboios de Portugal. History The railway, one of the first to be planned in Portuga ...

with 3 stations, 2 bus services (Carris Metropolitana and Carris) and 4 motorways around the city (2ª Circular, CRIL, CREL and IC-16).

Notable people

* Seomara da Costa Primo (1895–1986 in Amadora) a botany professor, educator and author of school textbooks on scientific subjects * Cruzeiro Seixas (1920–2020) a ''"man who paints"'' and a Portuguese poet * Maria José Valério (1933–2021) a Portuguese singer, she sang popular music and

fado Fado (; "destiny, fate") is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably has much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar Rui Vieira Nery states that "the only reliable information on the history of fado ...

. * Marcelino da Mata (1940 in Ponte Nova – 2021 in Amadora) a highly decorated Portuguese Army officer, born in

Portuguese Guinea Portuguese Guinea (), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a Portuguese overseas province in West Africa from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as G ...

* João Baião (born 1963 in Buraca) a TV presenter, entertainer and actor. *

José Miguel Ribeiro José Miguel Ribeiro (Amadora, Portugal, 18 January 1966) is a Portuguese film director. Biography José Miguel Ribeiro was born on 18 January 1966 in Amadora, Portugal. Just studying Fine Arts at the School of Belas-Artes from Lisboa and st ...

(born 1966 in Amadora) a Portuguese film director.

Sport

Jorge Jesus Jorge Fernando Pinheiro de Jesus (; born 24 July 1954) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player. Most recently he was the manager of Saudi Professional League, Saudi P ...

(born 1954) a football manager and former player; former manager of Benfica *

Rui Costa Rui Manuel César Costa (; born 29 March 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who is the 34th president of sports club S.L. Benfica. He also succeeded Luís Filipe Vieira as president of the club's SAD board of directors. ...

(born 1972) a retired footballer with 498 club caps and 94 with

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 ...

* Vasco Matos (born 1980) a Portuguese retired professional footballer with 405 club caps * Diogo Silva (born 1983 in Amadora) a Portuguese footballer with over 300 club caps * Nani (born 1986) a footballer with close to 400 club caps and 112 with

* Miguel Tavares (born 1993) a volleyball player with the

Portugal men's national volleyball team The Portugal men's national volleyball team is the team representing Portugal in volleyball competitions. Their best results to date are winning the 2010 Men's European Volleyball League in Spain, the second place in the 2007 Men's European Vo ...

* Diana Silva (born 1995) a footballer who plays for

Aston Villa W.F.C. Aston Villa Women Football Club is the women's Women's association football, football team of Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa, currently playing in the Women's Super League. The club has been in existence since 1973. Originally titled ''Solihull ...

and the

Portugal women's national football team The Portugal women's national football team () represents Portugal in international Women's association football, women's football competition. The team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and competes as a member of UEFA ...

Rúben Dias Rúben dos Santos Gato Alves Dias (born 14 May 1997) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and the Portugal national football team, Portugal nati ...

(born 1997) a footballer who plays for

Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton), they became Ardwick Assoc ...

and has 37 caps with

Renato Sanches Renato Júnior Luz Sanches (; born 18 August 1997) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club S.L. Benfica, Benfica, on loan from Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris ...

(born 1997) a footballer who plays for

Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. With 52 major trophies ...

and has 32 caps with

Gallery

File:View_of_Portas_de_Benfica,_CRIL_and_Benfica.JPG, CRIL (''Circular Regional Interior de Lisboa'') in Amadora, Lisbon File:Alfragide_norte,_outubro_2017.jpg, Condos in the parish of Alfragide File:Amadora_-_Ciencia_Viva.jpg, ''Centro Ciência Viva da Amadora'', Lisbon File:Amadora_-_Igreja.jpg, Amadora, Lisbon Region File:Damaia_-_Ferrovia_-_Amadora.jpg, Damaia Main Train Station, Amadora File:FCM_DOLCEVITA_TEJO.jpg, Amadora, Lisbon File:MetroAlfornelos5.JPG,

Lisbon Metro The Lisbon Metro () is a rapid transit system in Lisbon, Portugal. Opened in December 1959, it was the first rapid transit system in Portugal. , the system's four lines total of route and serve 56 stations. History Initial plans The idea ...

in Alfornelos, Amadora

Culture

Every year, Amadora city organizes the Amadora International Comics Festival.Amadora International Comics Festival official website
. Accessed July 5, 2017.

References

External links

Amadora International Comics Festival
- official festival Web site
Photos from AMADORA

- media information
https://www.municipiosefreguesias.pt/municipio/1/camara-municipal-da-amadora
- Portal Nacional dos Municípios e Freguesias - Município da Amadora {{Authority control Amadora, Cities in Portugal Populated places in Lisbon District Municipalities of Lisbon District