Loures

Sister cities

• Maio
• Diu
• Armamar
• Matola

History

There was early human settlement in the Loures area dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period, as evidenced by findings at the Cave of Pego do Diabo and the Cave of Salemas. Several Neolithic burial chambers have been identified, such as the Anta de Carcavelos and the Anta do Alto da Toupeira. Loures was a Roman settlement during the 1st millennium, based in a cemetery that eventually became the site of the first church. It was also a region notable for the presence of many castros, before the Roman occupation; the Romans influenced many of these settlers to abandon the foothills and begin occupying the fertile lowlands for economic reasons.''' Loures council established a Municipal Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation in 2021.

Geography

Loures borders the municipalities of Odivelas, Sintra, Mafra, Arruda dos Vinhos, Vila Franca de Xira and Lisbon. The municipality is traditionally divided in three areas: the rustic one, to the north (the parishes of Lousa, Fanhões, Bucelas, Santo Antão do Tojal and São Julião do Tojal), the urban one, to the south (Frielas, Loures and Santo António dos Cavaleiros) and the urban-industrial, to the east (Apelação, Bobadela, Camarate, Moscavide, Portela de Sacavém, Prior Velho, Sacavém, Santa Iria de Azóia, São João da Talha and Unhos). Portela de Sacavém is the site of Portugal's largest airport. In this eastern area, the ten local parishes claim to be independent from Loures, and form its own municipality set in the town of Sacavém. This struggle dates from the beginnings of the Portuguese Republic, and has a very strong support among the local population.