Faro is the district that presents the largest Portuguese coast over a district, the Algarve coast, which extends over more than 150 kilometers from the border with Spain to the Costa Vicentina, in the west.
Coincident with the traditional province of the Algarve, limits at north with the district of Beja in the east with Spain, and south and west by the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of the district is located in the city of Faro, and the Algarve population, is about 451 005 inhabitants in an area of 4960 km2.
The name Algarve comes from the Arabic word "Al-Gharb" which means the West. The Arab culture had a very large contribution in the architecture of the region.
The whole district is extensive and with a Mediterranean climate, offering pleasant temperatures throughout the year, being that in the district, there are some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe.
The district has a vast historical and cultural heritage, which includes the architecture of whitewashed houses with beautiful chimneys, the church belfries and the museums that shows excerpts the Algarve people ancestors.
In the whole territory of Algarve, it´s possible to visit museums, churches, fortresses and castles of Portugal's history, among which stands out the Castle of Silves Castle and the Castle of Alcoutim, in Aljezur.
The Algarve region, which corresponds to the district of Faro, was until 1910, the year of the proclamation of the Republic in Portugal, considered as a kingdom of Jure, an honorific title, used for centuries by the respective monarchs, but never differentiated from the rest Portugal, from the government point of view.
The Portuguese monarchs were crowned for centuries with the title "King of Portugal and the Algarve", until 1471, and from the same date, such as "King of Portugal and the Algarve" and remained until 1910.
The district had a great importance in the Portuguese discoveries, from the village of Sagres, that in the first half of the fourteenth century, became the nucleus of the Portuguese maritime expansion,receiving students of different nationalities and sailors, under the initiative of the Infant D. Henrique. From Sagres, left in the fifteenth century, the first travels of discovery, also under the guidance of the Infant D. Henrique.
The capital of the district, Faro is the point of arrival and departure of most of its visitors, presenting a dynamic that transcends the seasonal summer or winter.
Faro, offers a whole range of modern infrastructures, divided essentially into two distinct parts: an old town with a fishing tradition and people living from the sea and the most recent, characterized by new urban spaces, which emerged in recent decades.
Besides a great legacy, there are a range of beaches and islands in the surrounding area of Ria Formosa Natural Park, which stretches from just 60 Kms from the city of Vila Real de Santo Antonio to the municipality of Loulé.
The Algarve region, is also known by its beaches and mountains, where it can be done hiking, as well as by they entertainment programs and the golf courses, that extends by the entire region of great tourist projection, developed over the last decades.
Characterized by an extensive gastronomic variety, it stands out in the district, the fish and seafood, having its highest expression in revenues from the region, such as the fish soups, the stews and the cataplanas.
There are also to highlight the cuttlefish and little squids in all the Algarve region, the Portimão grilled sardine, the mackerel, also from Portimão, the Tavira tuna steak, the Santa Luzia octopus, or even the cockles, the ligueirão, the oysters of Baleeira, from Alvor and from Ria Formosa and the clams.
It exists in the region, the Algarve sweets, becoming from fruits as the almond, the orange, fig, and the morgados, the dom rodrigos, and liquors that comes from brandys, as the medronho da serra, and the bitter almond, to taste iced.
