Faro

Sister cities

• Macau
• Huelva
• Málaga
• Passau
• Praia
• Bolama
• Príncipe
• Bayonne
• Tangier

History

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The Jewish community of Faro had…

Geography

The municipality of Faro is divided into two distinct areas, the coastline, part of the Nature Park of Ria Formosa and the barrocal, characterized by hills and valleys, populated with typical Algarvian vegetation. The coastal area includes the Praia de Faro community on the Ancão Peninsula and the Barreta and Culatra islands. 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 from the downtown. 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. 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. The municipality is crossed by the southern Ecovia do Algarve, a bicycling circuit that connects the Algarve to the rest of Europe. and the annual rainfall is around , however in recent years, rainfall has diminished, even reaching as low as in 2019, During the summer months, tropical nights are common and, on average, Faro has 45 tropical nights per year, which is the highest in Portugal. Faro has the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in Portugal, which was on 26 July 2004. With over 3000 hours of sunshine a year, Faro is often regarded as one of the sunniest cities in Europe, alongside nearby Tavira. July and August have the most sunshine, while December has the least. Administratively, the municipality is divided into five civil parishes (freguesias): * Faro (Sé e São Pedro) * Conceição * Estoi * Montenegro * Santa Bárbara de Nexe

Most-observed species

• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,347
• Sardinian Warbler

  Curruca melanocephala (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  9,530
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  9,041
• Little Egret/Western Reef-Heron

  Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  8,265
• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  7,884
• Iberian Magpie

  Cyanopica cooki Bonaparte, 1850 · Aves
  7,726
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  7,666
• White Stork

  Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,851