fbpx
Wikipedia

Faro, Portugal

Faro (/ˈfɑːr/ FAR-oh, Portuguese: [ˈfaɾu] ) is a municipality, the southernmost city and capital of the district of the same name, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.[2] With an estimated population of 60,995 inhabitants in 2019[1] (with 39,733 inhabitants in the city proper,[3] making it the biggest city and second most populous municipality in the Algarve (after Loulé) and one of the biggest in Southern Portugal), the municipality covers an area of about 202.57 km2 (78.21 sq mi).[4]

Faro
Clockwise: Aerial view of Faro; Faro Cathedral; city gates; Castelo de Faro; historic center; Estói Palace.
Coordinates: 37°00′58″N 07°56′06″W / 37.01611°N 7.93500°W / 37.01611; -7.93500
Country Portugal
RegionAlgarve
Intermunic. comm.Algarve
DistrictFaro
Parishes4
Government
 • PresidentRogério Bacalhau (PSD)
Area
 • Total202.57 km2 (78.21 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total60,995[1]
Time zoneUTC±00:00 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+01:00 (WEST)
Postal code
8000
Local holiday7 September
WebsiteOfficial website

History edit

 
The medieval cathedral of Faro
 
The Manuel Bívar park, the main square and historic centre of Faro

The Ria Formosa lagoon attracted humans from the Palaeolithic age until the end of prehistory. The first settlements date from the fourth century BC, during the period of Phoenician colonization of the western Mediterranean.[5] At the time, the area was known as Ossonoba, and was the most important urban centre of southern Portugal and commercial port for agricultural products, fish, and minerals.[5]

Between the second and eighth centuries, the city was under the domain of the Romans, then the Byzantines, and later Visigoths, before being conquered by the Arabic-speaking Muslims known as Moors in 713.[5] From the third century onwards and during the Visigothic period, it was the site of an Episcopal see,[5] the Ancient Diocese of Ossonoba (306-688). The Byzantine presence has endured in the city walls' towers that were built during the Byzantine period.

With the advent of Moorish rule in the eighth century, Ossonoba retained its status as the most important town in the southwest corner of the Iberian Peninsula.[5] In the 9th century, after a revolt[6] led by Yahia Ben Bakr who was succeeded in office by his son, Bakr Ben Yahia, it became the capital of a short-lived princedom and was fortified with a ring of defensive walls.[5] At this time, in the 10th century, the name Santa Maria began to be used instead of Ossonoba. By the 11th century, the town was known as Santa Maria Ibn Harun.[5]

During the Second Crusade soon after the Anglo-Norman forces took Lisbon in 1147 a detachment of this group sacked Faro, which was still by then under Muslim rule, on their way to the Holy Land. Again in 1217, during the Fifth Crusade, a Frisian fleet of crusaders on their way to Acre, sacked and burned the city.[7]

During the 500 years of Moorish rule, some Jewish residents of Faro made written copies of the Old Testament. The Moors were defeated and expelled in 1249 by the forces of the Portuguese King Afonso III. With the decline of the importance of the city of Silves (which was made the regional bishopric as Diocese of Silves shortly during and properly after the Reconquista), Faro took over the role of administration of the Algarve area.

Portuguese Kingdom edit

 
Former district civil government's palace
 
View of Faro from its cathedral
 
Estói Palace with its mixture of Renaissance and Baroque styles

After Portuguese independence in 1143, Afonso Henriques and his successors began an expansion and Christian repopulation into the southern Iberian territory which had previously been occupied by the Moors.[5] Following the conquest by D. Afonso III, in 1249, the Portuguese referred to the town as Santa Maria de Faaron or Santa Maria de Faaram.[5] In the following years, the town became prosperous, due to its secure port and exploitation of salt. Consequently, by the beginning of the Portuguese Age of Discovery, the town was well positioned to become a leading commercial centre.[5]

In the 14th century, the Jewish community began to grow in importance. In 1487, Samuel Gacon began printing the Pentateuco in Hebrew, the first book printed in Portugal.[5] The Jewish community of Faro had long been a dominant force in the region, with many artisans and merchants contributing heavily to the economy and city development,[5] but this level of prosperity was interrupted in December 1496 by an edict of Manuel I of Portugal, expelling those who did not convert to Christianity. As a result, officially, Jews no longer remained in Portugal.[5] In the place of the Jewish village of Vila Adentro, the convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunção was founded and patronised by Queen Leonor, wife of the king.[5]

Manuel I promoted the development and expansion of the city; 1499 had the construction of a hospital, the Church of Espírito Santo (or Church of the Misericórdia), a customshouse, and a slaughterhouse, all near the shoreline.[5]

By 1540, John III of Portugal had elevated Faro to the status of city, then in 1577, the bishopric of the Algarve was transferred from Silves,[5] which retains a co-cathedral, to the present Diocese of Faro.

In 1597, the city was sacked by English privateers led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. The resultant fires damaged the walls, churches, and other buildings.[5] At the same time, English troops seized the library of the Bishop of Faro, then Fernando Martins de Mascarenhas, which eventually became part of the collection of the University of Oxford's Bodleian Library.[5] Among the looted books was the first printed book in Portugal: a Torah in local Hebrew (Judeo-Español), printed by Samuel Gacon at his workshop in Faro.[5]

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the city was expanded, with a series of walls during the period of the Restoration Wars (1640-1668), encompassing the semicircular front to the Ria Formosa.[5]

The western city of Lagos had become the capital of the historical province of Algarve in 1577, but this all changed with the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.[5] It affected many settlements across the Algarve, including Faro, which suffered damage to churches, convents (specifically the Convent of São Francisco and Convent of Santa Clara), and the episcopal palace, in addition to the walls, castle towers and bulwarks, barracks, guardhouses, warehouses, customshouses, and prison.[5]

Much of the greater devastation across the coastal and lowland regions was caused by a tsunami, which dismantled fortresses and razed homes. Almost all the coastal towns and villages of the Algarve were heavily damaged by the tsunami, except Faro, protected by the sandy banks of the Ria Formosa lagoon.[5] With the capital Lagos devastated, Faro became the administrative seat of the region the following year, 1756.[5]

Geography edit

 
Aerial view of Faro, in 2023.
 
Flamingos on Ria Formosa

The municipality of Faro is divided into two distinct areas, the coastline, part of the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa (Nature Park of Ria Formosa) and the barrocal, characterized by hills and valleys, populated with typical Algarvan vegetation.[8]

The nature park was created by Decree-Law 373/87, on 8 December 1987, and is considered one of the seven natural wonders of Portugal, with a beach that is around 7 km (4 mi) from the downtown.[8] It includes the river and a lagoon system, interspersed with dunes, forming a small islands and peninsulas, that protect a large area of marshes, channels, and islets.[8] The beaches in Faro are situated on the peninsula of Ancão and island of Culatra, along the corridor of the nature park.[9] The park is a rich and complex aquatic ecosystem, consisting of barrier islands, marshes, and channels, comprising sandy shorelines that separate the waters of the Ria Formosa and Atlantic Ocean.[9] The beaches of Faro and Barrinha/Barra de São Luís, are located on the Ancão peninsula, the beach of Barreta on the Ilha Deserta, and the beaches of Farol and Culatra are located on the Ilha Culatra.[9] The barrier islands are separated by tidal flats and shallows, including (from west to east) the Barra do Ancão/Barra de São Luís, the Barra de Santa Maria/Barra do Farol, and the Barra da Culatra/Barra da Armona (in the municipality of Olhão).[9]

Annually, many species of aquatic migratory birds transient northern Europe and nest there during the winter.[8] These include flamingos, terns, pied avocets, Eurasion wigeons, and common chaffinches.[8]

Within the town are gardens and open spaces, among which are the Manuel Bivar Garden, Alameda João de Deus Garden, and the Mata do Liceu.[8]

The variety of species and natural conditions result in the region being a popular ecotourism zone, promoting birdwatching, boating trips into the delta, kayaking along the Ria Formosa, pedestrian trails, and biking tours, accompanied by nature guides.[8] The municipality is crossed by the southern Ecovia do Algarve, a bicycling circuit that connects the Algarve to the rest of Europe.[8]

Climate edit

Faro has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa), moderated by a transitioning Portugal-Canary current giving a certain resemblance to Southern California that is not heated in the summer by the Mediterranean Sea like Algarve. Given this region is highly susceptible to the difference of precipitation throughout the seasons of the year, in the future scarcity of water could appear in conjunction with the increase of temperature and less incidence of rains.

Summers are warm to hot and sunny with average daytime maximum temperatures of 27–35 °C (81–95 °F). Summer warmth can linger well into October. The weather in the winter is generally mild by European standards, managing around 6 hours of sunshine each day, with temperatures averaging around 8–16 °C (46–61 °F) in the coldest month. The city receives most of its rainfall over the winter; rain is scarce between June and September. The annual average temperature is around 17.5 to 18.5 °C, however it is becoming hotter and hotter, reaching as high as 19.1 °C (66.4 °F) in 2017, with average temperatures since 2010 or even since 1994 being around 18–19 °C (64–66 °F),[10][11] and the annual rainfall is around 500 millimetres (19.69 in), however in recent years, rainfall has diminished, even reaching as low as 178.6 mm in 2019,[12][11] with the average yearly rainfall from 2017 to 2021 being closer to 350mm. The average sea temperature is 16–17 °C (61–63 °F) in January rising to 22–24 °C (72–75 °F) in August and September. Higher sea water temperatures are reached if the weather patterns produce a significant outflow of warmer surface water out of the Mediterranean which bathe the coastal Algarve with much warmer water.[13][14][15]

With over 3000 hours of sunshine a year, Faro is often regarded as one of the sunniest cities in Europe, alongside near by Tavira.[16][17][18] July and August have the most sunshine, while December has the least.

Climate data for Faro (FAO), 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1981-present, sun hours 1971-1995
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 21.9
(71.4)
24.7
(76.5)
28.9
(84.0)
30.1
(86.2)
33.6
(92.5)
37.1
(98.8)
44.3
(111.7)
39.6
(103.3)
37.4
(99.3)
33.3
(91.9)
28.6
(83.5)
24.0
(75.2)
44.3
(111.7)
Average high °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0)
16.9
(62.4)
19.1
(66.4)
20.4
(68.7)
22.8
(73.0)
26.4
(79.5)
29.2
(84.6)
28.8
(83.8)
26.6
(79.9)
23.2
(73.8)
19.6
(67.3)
17.0
(62.6)
22.2
(72.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 12.0
(53.6)
12.8
(55.0)
14.8
(58.6)
16.1
(61.0)
18.4
(65.1)
21.9
(71.4)
24.2
(75.6)
24.1
(75.4)
22.3
(72.1)
19.3
(66.7)
15.7
(60.3)
13.3
(55.9)
17.9
(64.2)
Average low °C (°F) 7.9
(46.2)
8.7
(47.7)
10.5
(50.9)
11.8
(53.2)
14.0
(57.2)
17.3
(63.1)
19.1
(66.4)
19.4
(66.9)
18.0
(64.4)
15.3
(59.5)
11.7
(53.1)
9.6
(49.3)
13.6
(56.5)
Record low °C (°F) −1.2
(29.8)
−1.2
(29.8)
2.3
(36.1)
3.6
(38.5)
6.7
(44.1)
8.0
(46.4)
11.9
(53.4)
13.1
(55.6)
9.9
(49.8)
7.8
(46.0)
2.7
(36.9)
1.2
(34.2)
−1.2
(29.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 59.7
(2.35)
52.0
(2.05)
39.4
(1.55)
38.8
(1.53)
21.6
(0.85)
4.3
(0.17)
1.8
(0.07)
3.9
(0.15)
22.5
(0.89)
60.6
(2.39)
91.2
(3.59)
115.8
(4.56)
511.6
(20.14)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 182.1 172.0 242.6 253.6 305.0 326.9 360.6 344.9 279.1 227.0 191.6 159.0 3,044.4
Percent possible sunshine 59 56 65 64 68 74 81 82 75 65 63 53 67
Source: IPMA[14][19]
Climate data for Faro (FAO), elevation: 8 m or 26 ft, 1961-1990 normals and extremes
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 22.4
(72.3)
25.6
(78.1)
27.4
(81.3)
28.3
(82.9)
33.8
(92.8)
36.7
(98.1)
39.8
(103.6)
39.4
(102.9)
37.4
(99.3)
33.3
(91.9)
28.8
(83.8)
25.4
(77.7)
39.8
(103.6)
Average high °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0)
16.7
(62.1)
18.4
(65.1)
19.8
(67.6)
22.4
(72.3)
25.4
(77.7)
28.7
(83.7)
28.8
(83.8)
26.7
(80.1)
23.1
(73.6)
19.4
(66.9)
16.7
(62.1)
21.8
(71.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 11.9
(53.4)
12.6
(54.7)
13.7
(56.7)
15.1
(59.2)
17.5
(63.5)
20.6
(69.1)
23.3
(73.9)
23.4
(74.1)
21.8
(71.2)
18.7
(65.7)
15.1
(59.2)
12.7
(54.9)
17.2
(63.0)
Average low °C (°F) 7.7
(45.9)
8.4
(47.1)
8.9
(48.0)
10.4
(50.7)
12.5
(54.5)
15.7
(60.3)
17.9
(64.2)
18.0
(64.4)
16.9
(62.4)
14.3
(57.7)
10.9
(51.6)
8.6
(47.5)
12.5
(54.5)
Record low °C (°F) −1.2
(29.8)
−1.2
(29.8)
1.8
(35.2)
3.6
(38.5)
5.6
(42.1)
7.4
(45.3)
10.5
(50.9)
11.6
(52.9)
10.2
(50.4)
6.0
(42.8)
2.2
(36.0)
−1.4
(29.5)
−1.4
(29.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 78
(3.1)
72
(2.8)
39
(1.5)
38
(1.5)
21
(0.8)
8
(0.3)
1
(0.0)
4
(0.2)
14
(0.6)
67
(2.6)
86
(3.4)
94
(3.7)
522
(20.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 8 9 5 6 3 1 trace 1 2 6 7 8 56
Average relative humidity (%) 77 77 71 68 64 65 60 60 65 71 75 77 69
Mean monthly sunshine hours 172 165 234 251 314 332 368 352 273 226 182 167 3,036
Source: NOAA[20]

Human geography edit

 
Town center of Faro

Administratively, the municipality is divided into four civil parishes (freguesias):[21]

International relations edit

Faro is twinned with:[22]

Transport edit

 
Part of the International Airport
 
An Alfa Pendular raillink in the main Faro railway station

Faro is served by a transport network connecting it to the Algarve, and by extension, other European markets. Faro is about 3 hours and 30 minutes by air from the principal European destinations. By car, it is about 2 hours and 30 minutes from Lisbon, along the A2, and less than 1 hour from Andalusia, along the A22.[23]

Through the city's international Airport, it receives millions of visitors annually, with 45 airlines serving this airport, including many low-cost airlines.[24] In recent years, the number of visitors travelling through the airport has increased as more and more low-cost airlines compete to offer cheap flights to the Algarve.[24] The transport facilities to and from Faro airport and the centre of Faro include taxicabs and a bus line.[23]

Faro is served by the centrally located Faro railway station, and a smaller halt in the east of the city at Bom João.[25] The main station is operated by the national railway operator Comboios de Portugal (CP), which operates the Alfa Pendular, Intercidades and CP Regional routes, as well as a special service during the summer, the InterRegional line. The Alfa Pendular service connects Faro to the North and terminates in Porto. The Intercidades and InterRegional services connect Faro to Lisboa. The CP Regional service operates across the east and west Algarve and connects Faro to Lagos in the west Algarve, and Vila Real de Santo António in the east Algarve. Bom João is only served by the CP Regional trains heading east. Despite the proximity of Seville, it is not connected by train.[26]

The town is served by a public transport network that include minibuses, local bus lines, and regional services across the Algarve.

Due to its position along the coast, a need exists to connect the shoreline communities with the outlying with various islands; with the exception of the island of Faro, most are accessible only by boat service.[27] Throughout the year (from the commercial wharf or Portas do Mar wharf, depending on the time of year), regular and tourist services are operated along the estuary.[27]

Culture and entertainment edit

The Faro city holiday is on 7 September.[28] The students' festival (Semana Académica da Universidade do Algarve), organized every year by students from the University of the Algarve, is also an important event in Faro.[29]

The Faro motorcycle club is responsible for one of the largest motorcycle events in Portugal and Europe.[30]

 
The Estádio Algarve opened for Euro 2004

Sports edit

A 30,000-seat stadium Estádio Algarve, shared by the cities of Faro and Loulé, was one of the venues of the Euro 2004 football championship. Louletano Desportos Clube (a club from the city of Loulé) and Sporting Clube Farense (from Faro) also use smaller municipal stadiums. The stadium is also used for concerts, festivals, and other events.

Notable people edit

 
Maria Veleda, 1912
 
Sara Martins, 2018

Sport edit

References edit

Notes
  1. ^ a b "População residente: total e por grandes grupos etários". Pordata. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  2. ^ Algarve/Southern Portugal (GeoCenter Detail Map). GeoCenter International Ltd. 2003. ISBN 3-8297-6235-6.
  3. ^ "União de Freguesias de Faro". cm-faro.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Statistics Portugal". Ine.pt. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Câmara Municipal, ed. (2015), História (in Portuguese), Faro (Algarve), Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Faro
  6. ^ A revolta dos Muladis de Xantamarya Al-Gharb (Histórias de Portugal em Marrocos) https://historiasdeportugalemarrocos.com/2014/02/03/a-revolta-dos-muladis-de-xantamarya-al-gharb/
  7. ^ Villegas-Aristizábal, Lucas, "A Frisian Perspective on Crusading in Iberia as Part of the Sea Journey to the Holy Land, 1217–1218," Studies in Medieval and Renaissance History, 3rd Series 15 (2018, Pub. 2021): 88-149. https://www.academia.edu/37460772/A_Frisian_Perspective_on_Crusading_in_Iberia_as_part_of_the_Sea_Journey_to_the_Holy_Land_1217_1218
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Câmara Municipal, ed. (2015), Natureza (in Portuguese), Faro, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Faro
  9. ^ a b c d Câmara Municipal, ed. (2015), Praias (in Portuguese), Faro, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Faro
  10. ^ "Temperatura média do ar (Média anual)".
  11. ^ a b "Statistics Portugal – Web Portal".
  12. ^ "Precipitação total".
  13. ^ Berte, Elena; Panagopoulos, Thomas (3 July 2014). "Enhancing city resilience to climate change by means of ecosystem services improvement: a SWOT analysis for the city of Faro, Portugal". International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development. 6 (2): 241–253. doi:10.1080/19463138.2014.953536. ISSN 1946-3138. S2CID 153909896.
  14. ^ a b "IPMA – 008". Meteo.pt. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  15. ^ Ltd, Copyright Global Sea Temperatures-A.-Connect. "Europe sea temperatures | Sea Temperatures". seatemperature.org. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  16. ^ "The sunniest places on Earth". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  17. ^ Sanchez-Lorenzo, Arturo; Brunetti, Michele; Calbó, Josep; Martin-Vide, Javier (2007). "Recent spatial and temporal variability and trends of sunshine duration over the Iberian Peninsula from a homogenized data set". Journal of Geophysical Research. Arturo Sanchez‐Lorenzo, Michele Brunetti, Josep Calbó, Javier Martin‐Vide. 112 (D20): D20115. Bibcode:2007JGRD..11220115S. doi:10.1029/2007JD008677.
  18. ^ Sanchez‐Lorenzo, Arturo; Calbó, Josep; Brunetti, Michele; Deser, Clara (2009). "Dimming/brightening over the Iberian Peninsula: Trends in sunshine duration and cloud cover and their relations with atmospheric circulation". Journal of Geophysical Research. Arturo Sanchez-Lorenzo, Josep Calbó, Michele Brunetti, Clara Deser. 114 (D10): D00D09. Bibcode:2009JGRD..114.0D09S. doi:10.1029/2008JD011394.
  19. ^ "Faro 1971-1995 normals (sunshine)" (PDF). IPMA. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Faro (08554) – WMO Weather Station". NOAA. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  21. ^ Diário da República. "Law nr. 11-A/2013, page 552 48" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  22. ^ "Geminações". cm-faro.pt (in Portuguese). Faro. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  23. ^ a b Câmara Municipal, ed. (2015), Como Chegar (in Portuguese), Faro, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Faro
  24. ^ a b Câmara Municipal, ed. (2015), Aeroporto (in Portuguese), Faro, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Faro
  25. ^ Câmara Municipal, ed. (2015), Transporte Ferroviário (in Portuguese), Faro, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Faro
  26. ^ Trains in the Algarve. wetravelportugal.com. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  27. ^ a b Câmara Municipal, ed. (2015), Barco para ilhas (in Portuguese), Faro, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Faro
  28. ^ "CRÓNICA DE FARO: 7 de Setembro, dia da cidade". Jornal do Algarve (in European Portuguese). 7 September 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  29. ^ Lemos, Pedro (14 May 2019). "Semana Académica recebeu "mais de 30 mil pessoas"". Sul Informação (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  30. ^ "Concentração internacional de motos". cm-faro.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  31. ^ Carlos Quintas, IMDb Database retrieved 5 June 2021.
  32. ^ Sara Martins, IMDb Database retrieved 5 June 2021.
Sources
  • Valla, Margarida, A Fortificação Moderna nas duas Cidades Portuárias: Faro e Setúbal (PDF) (in Portuguese), Faro, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Faro

External links edit

  • Official municipal website (in Portuguese)
 
Albufeira
 
Alcoutim
 
Aljezur
 
Castro Marim
 
Faro
 
Lagoa
 
Lagos
 
Loulé
 
Monchique
 
Olhão
 
Portimão
 
São Brás de Alportel
 
Silves (Portugal)
 
Tavira
 
Vila do Bispo
 
Vila Real de Santo António
Albufeira Alcoutim Aljezur Castro Marim Faro Lagoa Lagos Loulé Monchique Olhão Portimão São Brás de Alportel Silves Tavira Vila do Bispo Vila Real de Santo António

faro, portugal, faro, ɑːr, portuguese, ˈfaɾu, municipality, southernmost, city, capital, district, same, name, algarve, region, southern, portugal, with, estimated, population, inhabitants, 2019, with, inhabitants, city, proper, making, biggest, city, second, . Faro ˈ f ɑːr oʊ FAR oh Portuguese ˈfaɾu is a municipality the southernmost city and capital of the district of the same name in the Algarve region of southern Portugal 2 With an estimated population of 60 995 inhabitants in 2019 1 with 39 733 inhabitants in the city proper 3 making it the biggest city and second most populous municipality in the Algarve after Loule and one of the biggest in Southern Portugal the municipality covers an area of about 202 57 km2 78 21 sq mi 4 FaroMunicipalityClockwise Aerial view of Faro Faro Cathedral city gates Castelo de Faro historic center Estoi Palace FlagCoat of armsCoordinates 37 00 58 N 07 56 06 W 37 01611 N 7 93500 W 37 01611 7 93500Country PortugalRegionAlgarveIntermunic comm AlgarveDistrictFaroParishes4Government PresidentRogerio Bacalhau PSD Area Total202 57 km2 78 21 sq mi Population 2019 Total60 995 1 Time zoneUTC 00 00 WET Summer DST UTC 01 00 WEST Postal code8000Local holiday7 SeptemberWebsiteOfficial website Contents 1 History 1 1 Portuguese Kingdom 2 Geography 2 1 Climate 2 2 Human geography 3 International relations 4 Transport 5 Culture and entertainment 5 1 Sports 6 Notable people 6 1 Sport 7 References 8 External linksHistory edit nbsp The medieval cathedral of Faro nbsp The Manuel Bivar park the main square and historic centre of FaroThe Ria Formosa lagoon attracted humans from the Palaeolithic age until the end of prehistory The first settlements date from the fourth century BC during the period of Phoenician colonization of the western Mediterranean 5 At the time the area was known as Ossonoba and was the most important urban centre of southern Portugal and commercial port for agricultural products fish and minerals 5 Between the second and eighth centuries the city was under the domain of the Romans then the Byzantines and later Visigoths before being conquered by the Arabic speaking Muslims known as Moors in 713 5 From the third century onwards and during the Visigothic period it was the site of an Episcopal see 5 the Ancient Diocese of Ossonoba 306 688 The Byzantine presence has endured in the city walls towers that were built during the Byzantine period With the advent of Moorish rule in the eighth century Ossonoba retained its status as the most important town in the southwest corner of the Iberian Peninsula 5 In the 9th century after a revolt 6 led by Yahia Ben Bakr who was succeeded in office by his son Bakr Ben Yahia it became the capital of a short lived princedom and was fortified with a ring of defensive walls 5 At this time in the 10th century the name Santa Maria began to be used instead of Ossonoba By the 11th century the town was known as Santa Maria Ibn Harun 5 During the Second Crusade soon after the Anglo Norman forces took Lisbon in 1147 a detachment of this group sacked Faro which was still by then under Muslim rule on their way to the Holy Land Again in 1217 during the Fifth Crusade a Frisian fleet of crusaders on their way to Acre sacked and burned the city 7 During the 500 years of Moorish rule some Jewish residents of Faro made written copies of the Old Testament The Moors were defeated and expelled in 1249 by the forces of the Portuguese King Afonso III With the decline of the importance of the city of Silves which was made the regional bishopric as Diocese of Silves shortly during and properly after the Reconquista Faro took over the role of administration of the Algarve area Portuguese Kingdom edit nbsp Former district civil government s palace nbsp View of Faro from its cathedral nbsp Estoi Palace with its mixture of Renaissance and Baroque stylesAfter Portuguese independence in 1143 Afonso Henriques and his successors began an expansion and Christian repopulation into the southern Iberian territory which had previously been occupied by the Moors 5 Following the conquest by D Afonso III in 1249 the Portuguese referred to the town as Santa Maria de Faaron or Santa Maria de Faaram 5 In the following years the town became prosperous due to its secure port and exploitation of salt Consequently by the beginning of the Portuguese Age of Discovery the town was well positioned to become a leading commercial centre 5 In the 14th century the Jewish community began to grow in importance In 1487 Samuel Gacon began printing the Pentateucoin Hebrew the first book printed in Portugal 5 The Jewish community of Faro had long been a dominant force in the region with many artisans and merchants contributing heavily to the economy and city development 5 but this level of prosperity was interrupted in December 1496 by an edict of Manuel I of Portugal expelling those who did not convert to Christianity As a result officially Jews no longer remained in Portugal 5 In the place of the Jewish village of Vila Adentro the convent of Nossa Senhora da Assuncao was founded and patronised by Queen Leonor wife of the king 5 Manuel I promoted the development and expansion of the city 1499 had the construction of a hospital the Church of Espirito Santo or Church of the Misericordia a customshouse and a slaughterhouse all near the shoreline 5 By 1540 John III of Portugal had elevated Faro to the status of city then in 1577 the bishopric of the Algarve was transferred from Silves 5 which retains a co cathedral to the present Diocese of Faro In 1597 the city was sacked by English privateers led by Robert Devereux 2nd Earl of Essex The resultant fires damaged the walls churches and other buildings 5 At the same time English troops seized the library of the Bishop of Faro then Fernando Martins de Mascarenhas which eventually became part of the collection of the University of Oxford s Bodleian Library 5 Among the looted books was the first printed book in Portugal a Torah in local Hebrew Judeo Espanol printed by Samuel Gacon at his workshop in Faro 5 Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries the city was expanded with a series of walls during the period of the Restoration Wars 1640 1668 encompassing the semicircular front to the Ria Formosa 5 The western city of Lagos had become the capital of the historical province of Algarve in 1577 but this all changed with the 1755 Lisbon earthquake 5 It affected many settlements across the Algarve including Faro which suffered damage to churches convents specifically the Convent of Sao Francisco and Convent of Santa Clara and the episcopal palace in addition to the walls castle towers and bulwarks barracks guardhouses warehouses customshouses and prison 5 Much of the greater devastation across the coastal and lowland regions was caused by a tsunami which dismantled fortresses and razed homes Almost all the coastal towns and villages of the Algarve were heavily damaged by the tsunami except Faro protected by the sandy banks of the Ria Formosa lagoon 5 With the capital Lagos devastated Faro became the administrative seat of the region the following year 1756 5 Geography edit nbsp Aerial view of Faro in 2023 nbsp Flamingos on Ria FormosaThe municipality of Faro is divided into two distinct areas the coastline part of the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa Nature Park of Ria Formosa and the barrocal characterized by hills and valleys populated with typical Algarvan vegetation 8 The nature park was created by Decree Law 373 87 on 8 December 1987 and is considered one of the seven natural wonders of Portugal with a beach that is around 7 km 4 mi from the downtown 8 It includes the river and a lagoon system interspersed with dunes forming a small islands and peninsulas that protect a large area of marshes channels and islets 8 The beaches in Faro are situated on the peninsula of Ancao and island of Culatra along the corridor of the nature park 9 The park is a rich and complex aquatic ecosystem consisting of barrier islands marshes and channels comprising sandy shorelines that separate the waters of the Ria Formosa and Atlantic Ocean 9 The beaches of Faro and Barrinha Barra de Sao Luis are located on the Ancao peninsula the beach of Barreta on the Ilha Deserta and the beaches of Farol and Culatra are located on the Ilha Culatra 9 The barrier islands are separated by tidal flats and shallows including from west to east the Barra do Ancao Barra de Sao Luis the Barra de Santa Maria Barra do Farol and the Barra da Culatra Barra da Armona in the municipality of Olhao 9 Annually many species of aquatic migratory birds transient northern Europe and nest there during the winter 8 These include flamingos terns pied avocets Eurasion wigeons and common chaffinches 8 Within the town are gardens and open spaces among which are the Manuel Bivar Garden Alameda Joao de Deus Garden and the Mata do Liceu 8 The variety of species and natural conditions result in the region being a popular ecotourism zone promoting birdwatching boating trips into the delta kayaking along the Ria Formosa pedestrian trails and biking tours accompanied by nature guides 8 The municipality is crossed by the southern Ecovia do Algarve a bicycling circuit that connects the Algarve to the rest of Europe 8 Climate edit Faro has a hot summer Mediterranean climate Koppen Csa moderated by a transitioning Portugal Canary current giving a certain resemblance to Southern California that is not heated in the summer by the Mediterranean Sea like Algarve Given this region is highly susceptible to the difference of precipitation throughout the seasons of the year in the future scarcity of water could appear in conjunction with the increase of temperature and less incidence of rains Summers are warm to hot and sunny with average daytime maximum temperatures of 27 35 C 81 95 F Summer warmth can linger well into October The weather in the winter is generally mild by European standards managing around 6 hours of sunshine each day with temperatures averaging around 8 16 C 46 61 F in the coldest month The city receives most of its rainfall over the winter rain is scarce between June and September The annual average temperature is around 17 5 to 18 5 C however it is becoming hotter and hotter reaching as high as 19 1 C 66 4 F in 2017 with average temperatures since 2010 or even since 1994 being around 18 19 C 64 66 F 10 11 and the annual rainfall is around 500 millimetres 19 69 in however in recent years rainfall has diminished even reaching as low as 178 6 mm in 2019 12 11 with the average yearly rainfall from 2017 to 2021 being closer to 350mm The average sea temperature is 16 17 C 61 63 F in January rising to 22 24 C 72 75 F in August and September Higher sea water temperatures are reached if the weather patterns produce a significant outflow of warmer surface water out of the Mediterranean which bathe the coastal Algarve with much warmer water 13 14 15 With over 3000 hours of sunshine a year Faro is often regarded as one of the sunniest cities in Europe alongside near by Tavira 16 17 18 July and August have the most sunshine while December has the least Climate data for Faro FAO 1981 2010 normals extremes 1981 present sun hours 1971 1995Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high C F 21 9 71 4 24 7 76 5 28 9 84 0 30 1 86 2 33 6 92 5 37 1 98 8 44 3 111 7 39 6 103 3 37 4 99 3 33 3 91 9 28 6 83 5 24 0 75 2 44 3 111 7 Average high C F 16 1 61 0 16 9 62 4 19 1 66 4 20 4 68 7 22 8 73 0 26 4 79 5 29 2 84 6 28 8 83 8 26 6 79 9 23 2 73 8 19 6 67 3 17 0 62 6 22 2 72 0 Daily mean C F 12 0 53 6 12 8 55 0 14 8 58 6 16 1 61 0 18 4 65 1 21 9 71 4 24 2 75 6 24 1 75 4 22 3 72 1 19 3 66 7 15 7 60 3 13 3 55 9 17 9 64 2 Average low C F 7 9 46 2 8 7 47 7 10 5 50 9 11 8 53 2 14 0 57 2 17 3 63 1 19 1 66 4 19 4 66 9 18 0 64 4 15 3 59 5 11 7 53 1 9 6 49 3 13 6 56 5 Record low C F 1 2 29 8 1 2 29 8 2 3 36 1 3 6 38 5 6 7 44 1 8 0 46 4 11 9 53 4 13 1 55 6 9 9 49 8 7 8 46 0 2 7 36 9 1 2 34 2 1 2 29 8 Average precipitation mm inches 59 7 2 35 52 0 2 05 39 4 1 55 38 8 1 53 21 6 0 85 4 3 0 17 1 8 0 07 3 9 0 15 22 5 0 89 60 6 2 39 91 2 3 59 115 8 4 56 511 6 20 14 Mean monthly sunshine hours 182 1 172 0 242 6 253 6 305 0 326 9 360 6 344 9 279 1 227 0 191 6 159 0 3 044 4Percent possible sunshine 59 56 65 64 68 74 81 82 75 65 63 53 67Source IPMA 14 19 Climate data for Faro FAO elevation 8 m or 26 ft 1961 1990 normals and extremesMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high C F 22 4 72 3 25 6 78 1 27 4 81 3 28 3 82 9 33 8 92 8 36 7 98 1 39 8 103 6 39 4 102 9 37 4 99 3 33 3 91 9 28 8 83 8 25 4 77 7 39 8 103 6 Average high C F 16 1 61 0 16 7 62 1 18 4 65 1 19 8 67 6 22 4 72 3 25 4 77 7 28 7 83 7 28 8 83 8 26 7 80 1 23 1 73 6 19 4 66 9 16 7 62 1 21 8 71 3 Daily mean C F 11 9 53 4 12 6 54 7 13 7 56 7 15 1 59 2 17 5 63 5 20 6 69 1 23 3 73 9 23 4 74 1 21 8 71 2 18 7 65 7 15 1 59 2 12 7 54 9 17 2 63 0 Average low C F 7 7 45 9 8 4 47 1 8 9 48 0 10 4 50 7 12 5 54 5 15 7 60 3 17 9 64 2 18 0 64 4 16 9 62 4 14 3 57 7 10 9 51 6 8 6 47 5 12 5 54 5 Record low C F 1 2 29 8 1 2 29 8 1 8 35 2 3 6 38 5 5 6 42 1 7 4 45 3 10 5 50 9 11 6 52 9 10 2 50 4 6 0 42 8 2 2 36 0 1 4 29 5 1 4 29 5 Average precipitation mm inches 78 3 1 72 2 8 39 1 5 38 1 5 21 0 8 8 0 3 1 0 0 4 0 2 14 0 6 67 2 6 86 3 4 94 3 7 522 20 5 Average precipitation days 1 mm 8 9 5 6 3 1 trace 1 2 6 7 8 56Average relative humidity 77 77 71 68 64 65 60 60 65 71 75 77 69Mean monthly sunshine hours 172 165 234 251 314 332 368 352 273 226 182 167 3 036Source NOAA 20 Human geography edit nbsp Town center of FaroAdministratively the municipality is divided into four civil parishes freguesias 21 Faro Se e Sao Pedro Conceicao e Estoi Montenegro Santa Barbara de NexeInternational relations editSee also List of twin towns and sister cities in Portugal Faro is twinned with 22 nbsp Bolama Guinea Bissau nbsp Haikou China nbsp Hayward United States nbsp Huelva Spain nbsp Maxixe Mozambique nbsp Praia Cape Verde nbsp Principe Sao Tome and Principe nbsp Tangier MoroccoTransport edit nbsp Part of the International Airport nbsp An Alfa Pendular raillink in the main Faro railway stationFaro is served by a transport network connecting it to the Algarve and by extension other European markets Faro is about 3 hours and 30 minutes by air from the principal European destinations By car it is about 2 hours and 30 minutes from Lisbon along the A2 and less than 1 hour from Andalusia along the A22 23 Through the city s international Airport it receives millions of visitors annually with 45 airlines serving this airport including many low cost airlines 24 In recent years the number of visitors travelling through the airport has increased as more and more low cost airlines compete to offer cheap flights to the Algarve 24 The transport facilities to and from Faro airport and the centre of Faro include taxicabs and a bus line 23 Faro is served by the centrally located Faro railway station and a smaller halt in the east of the city at Bom Joao 25 The main station is operated by the national railway operator Comboios de Portugal CP which operates the Alfa Pendular Intercidades and CP Regional routes as well as a special service during the summer the InterRegional line The Alfa Pendular service connects Faro to the North and terminates in Porto The Intercidades and InterRegional services connect Faro to Lisboa The CP Regional service operates across the east and west Algarve and connects Faro to Lagos in the west Algarve and Vila Real de Santo Antonio in the east Algarve Bom Joao is only served by the CP Regional trains heading east Despite the proximity of Seville it is not connected by train 26 The town is served by a public transport network that include minibuses local bus lines and regional services across the Algarve Due to its position along the coast a need exists to connect the shoreline communities with the outlying with various islands with the exception of the island of Faro most are accessible only by boat service 27 Throughout the year from the commercial wharf or Portas do Mar wharf depending on the time of year regular and tourist services are operated along the estuary 27 Culture and entertainment editThe Faro city holiday is on 7 September 28 The students festival Semana Academica da Universidade do Algarve organized every year by students from the University of the Algarve is also an important event in Faro 29 The Faro motorcycle club is responsible for one of the largest motorcycle events in Portugal and Europe 30 nbsp The Estadio Algarve opened for Euro 2004Sports edit A 30 000 seat stadium Estadio Algarve shared by the cities of Faro and Loule was one of the venues of the Euro 2004 football championship Louletano Desportos Clube a club from the city of Loule and Sporting Clube Farense from Faro also use smaller municipal stadiums The stadium is also used for concerts festivals and other events Notable people edit nbsp Maria Veleda 1912 nbsp Sara Martins 2018Bakr Ben Yahia an important Marrano figure in Gharb al Andalus Madragana born ca 1230 mistress to king Afonso III of Portugal Francisco Barreto 1520 1573 a soldier explorer and an officer in Morocco Jose Maria da Ponte e Horta 1824 1892 a Portuguese noble Governor of Angola Macau and Mozambique Sebastiao Custodio de Sousa Teles 1847 1921 a senior politician and military officer Maria Veleda 1871 1955 an educator journalist and activist Raul Pires Ferreira Chaves 1889 1967 a civil engineer and inventor Adelino da Palma Carlos 1905 1992 the first Prime Minister of Portugal after the Carnation Revolution of 1974 Carlos Quintas born 1951 a stage and TV actor and singer 31 Sara Martins born 1977 a Portuguese born French actress of Cape Verdean descent 32 Diogo Picarra born 1990 a singer won the Portuguese version of Pop Idol in 2012 Sport edit Manuel Balela born 1956 a football coach Jose Rafael born 1958 a retired footballer Ana Dias born 1974 a long distance and marathon runner four time Olympian Rui Machado born 1984 a retired professional tennis player Ines Murta born 1997 a tennis playerReferences editNotes a b Populacao residente total e por grandes grupos etarios Pordata Retrieved 4 May 2021 Algarve Southern Portugal GeoCenter Detail Map GeoCenter International Ltd 2003 ISBN 3 8297 6235 6 Uniao de Freguesias de Faro cm faro pt in European Portuguese Retrieved 4 May 2021 Statistics Portugal Ine pt Retrieved 10 July 2015 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Camara Municipal ed 2015 Historia in Portuguese Faro Algarve Portugal Camara Municipal de Faro A revolta dos Muladis de Xantamarya Al Gharb Historias de Portugal em Marrocos https historiasdeportugalemarrocos com 2014 02 03 a revolta dos muladis de xantamarya al gharb Villegas Aristizabal Lucas A Frisian Perspective on Crusading in Iberia as Part of the Sea Journey to the Holy Land 1217 1218 Studies in Medieval and Renaissance History 3rd Series 15 2018 Pub 2021 88 149 https www academia edu 37460772 A Frisian Perspective on Crusading in Iberia as part of the Sea Journey to the Holy Land 1217 1218 a b c d e f g h Camara Municipal ed 2015 Natureza in Portuguese Faro Portugal Camara Municipal de Faro a b c d Camara Municipal ed 2015 Praias in Portuguese Faro Portugal Camara Municipal de Faro Temperatura media do ar Media anual a b Statistics Portugal Web Portal Precipitacao total Berte Elena Panagopoulos Thomas 3 July 2014 Enhancing city resilience to climate change by means of ecosystem services improvement a SWOT analysis for the city of Faro Portugal International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development 6 2 241 253 doi 10 1080 19463138 2014 953536 ISSN 1946 3138 S2CID 153909896 a b IPMA 008 Meteo pt Retrieved 10 July 2015 Ltd Copyright Global Sea Temperatures A Connect Europe sea temperatures Sea Temperatures seatemperature org Retrieved 19 April 2019 The sunniest places on Earth The Daily Telegraph London Sanchez Lorenzo Arturo Brunetti Michele Calbo Josep Martin Vide Javier 2007 Recent spatial and temporal variability and trends of sunshine duration over the Iberian Peninsula from a homogenized data set Journal of Geophysical Research Arturo Sanchez Lorenzo Michele Brunetti Josep Calbo Javier Martin Vide 112 D20 D20115 Bibcode 2007JGRD 11220115S doi 10 1029 2007JD008677 Sanchez Lorenzo Arturo Calbo Josep Brunetti Michele Deser Clara 2009 Dimming brightening over the Iberian Peninsula Trends in sunshine duration and cloud cover and their relations with atmospheric circulation Journal of Geophysical Research Arturo Sanchez Lorenzo Josep Calbo Michele Brunetti Clara Deser 114 D10 D00D09 Bibcode 2009JGRD 114 0D09S doi 10 1029 2008JD011394 Faro 1971 1995 normals sunshine PDF IPMA Retrieved 4 February 2021 Faro 08554 WMO Weather Station NOAA Retrieved 28 March 2019 Diario da Republica Law nr 11 A 2013 page 552 48 PDF in Portuguese Retrieved 22 July 2014 Geminacoes cm faro pt in Portuguese Faro Retrieved 11 December 2019 a b Camara Municipal ed 2015 Como Chegar in Portuguese Faro Portugal Camara Municipal de Faro a b Camara Municipal ed 2015 Aeroporto in Portuguese Faro Portugal Camara Municipal de Faro Camara Municipal ed 2015 Transporte Ferroviario in Portuguese Faro Portugal Camara Municipal de Faro Trains in the Algarve wetravelportugal com Retrieved 20 April 2020 a b Camara Municipal ed 2015 Barco para ilhas in Portuguese Faro Portugal Camara Municipal de Faro CRoNICA DE FARO 7 de Setembro dia da cidade Jornal do Algarve in European Portuguese 7 September 2019 Retrieved 7 May 2021 Lemos Pedro 14 May 2019 Semana Academica recebeu mais de 30 mil pessoas Sul Informacao in European Portuguese Retrieved 7 May 2021 Concentracao internacional de motos cm faro pt in European Portuguese Retrieved 7 May 2021 Carlos Quintas IMDb Database retrieved 5 June 2021 Sara Martins IMDb Database retrieved 5 June 2021 SourcesValla Margarida A Fortificacao Moderna nas duas Cidades Portuarias Faro e Setubal PDF in Portuguese Faro Portugal Camara Municipal de FaroExternal links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Faro nbsp Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article Faro town nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Faro Official municipal website in Portuguese Municipality of Faro District Algarve nbsp nbsp Albufeira nbsp Alcoutim nbsp Aljezur nbsp Castro Marim nbsp Faro nbsp Lagoa nbsp Lagos nbsp Loule nbsp Monchique nbsp Olhao nbsp Portimao nbsp Sao Bras de Alportel nbsp Silves Portugal nbsp Tavira nbsp Vila do Bispo nbsp Vila Real de Santo AntonioAlbufeira Alcoutim Aljezur Castro Marim Faro Lagoa Lagos Loule Monchique Olhao Portimao Sao Bras de Alportel Silves Tavira Vila do Bispo Vila Real de Santo Antonio Portal nbsp Portugal Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Faro Portugal amp oldid 1176803329, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.