Olhão
Olhão Olhão da Restauração | |
---|---|
UTC±00:00 (WET) | |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+01:00 (WEST) |
Postal code | 8700 |
Area code | 289 |
Website | http://www.cm-olhao.pt |
Olhão (Portuguese pronunciation:
History
Since pre-history, Olhão has had vestiges of human occupation, although the oldest written record dates only from 1378, referring to a place called Olham.[3] The estuary and abundance of water were decisive factors that influenced fishermen, at the beginning of the 17th century, to congregate along the beach of Olhão.[3] The settlement developed even as officials in Faro discouraged concentration along this coast.[3] Yet, after the middle of the 17th century, growth was driven by the protection offered by the Fort of São Lourenço do Bugio, which guarded the coast and entrance to the estuary, discouraging attacks from corsairs[who?].[3]
The incremental growth of the fishery along the coast and sea, and commercial enterprises associated their growth, provoked a leap in population.[3] As a result, in 1695, the residents requested from the Bishop of Faro, that Olhão should be de-annexed from the parish of Quelfes: resulting in the formation of the parish of Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Olhão.[3]
During the French occupation of the Algarve, during the
In recompense, a regal charter (with the force of law) was signed by the Prince Regent John to distinguish Olhão, and its inhabitants, transforming the location from a locality to town, and ordering that it be referred to as Vila de Olhão da Restauração.[3] The transformation, resulted in the creation of a new municipality, with local autonomy, beginning in 1826.[3] In this year, the municipal council hall was erected and a juiz de fora was instituted to preside over the councilmen.[3]
In 1835, the parish of Moncarapacho began to function as a suburb of Olhão, and in the following year, the municipal council took control of the parishes of Olhão, Quelfes, Pechão and part of Moncarapacho.[3]
A judicial division of Portugal in 1874, resulted in the definitive demarcation of the municipality of Olhão, constituted by the five parishes of Olhão, Moncarapacho, Quelfes, Pechão and Fuseta.[3]
Over time the small town of fishermen grew into an economic, social and urban centre, resulting in its elevation in city in 1985.[3] In recent years, it has also developed a growing tourist industry.
Geography
Physical geography
The municipality is confronted on the east and north by the municipality of
Ecoregions/protected areas
All of the coastal littoral of the municipality belongs to the Nature Park of Ria Formosa, one of the more important humid zones in Europe, considered in 2004, by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a humid zone of world interest.[4]
The Nature Park of Ria Formosa was instituted in 1987, by Decree Law 373/87 (9 September), with the objective of protecting and conserving this river system, and in particular the flora and fauna, including species of migratory bird and their habitats.[4] The Nature Park extends into the municipalities of Loulé, Faro, Olhão, Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António, covering an area of 18400 hectares, for 60 kilometres (37 mi) along the coast, from Ancão until Manta Rota, covering a great variety of habitats: barrier islands, marshes, banks of mud and sand, dunes, salt marshes, freshwater ponds and brackish waterways, forests and agricultural areas.[4]
In the municipality of Olhão, the island of Armona is included in the barrier islands of the Ria Formosa: this includes the beaches of Fuseta Mar and Armona Mar.[4]
Climate
The Algarve is an area that presents a climate typically Mediterranean, characterized by warm and dry seasons during five months of the year, with median daily temperatures around 22.5 °C and gentle winters, with scarce precipitation and daily median temperatures around 12.4 °C.[4]
In a general way, the municipality presents a temperate humid Mediterranean climate, with warm, dry summers and mild winters.[4] The precipitation is distributed in an irregular fashion throughout the year, while concentrating in the months between autumn and spring.[4] The climate is not homogeneously distributed throughout the region; the maritime influence gives way from the littoral area to the interior, turning the climate warmer and drier, and simultaneously more rainy.[4]
Human geography
|
The municipality of Olhão has an area of approximately 130.9 square kilometres (50.5 sq mi), with a resident population that includes 42,272 inhabitants (approximately 31,100 within the city of Olhão). Olhão is divided into an interior territory and the island of Armona.
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes (
Economy
Olhão is a fishing port and a center for industrial fish and seafood processing, home to the Bela brand of
Sports
Olhão is home to Sporting Clube Olhanense whose main football team plays in the Estadio José Arcanjo, a multi-purpose stadium in the city that holds 11,622 spectators and was built in 1984.
Notable people
- Alberto Iria (1909–1992) a Portuguese historian, a specialist in the history of the Algarve
- Mario Soares and First Lady of Portugal1986-1996
- João Arménio Correia Martins (born 1951) scientist in computational mechanics, developed the compliance friction law
- Mário Centeno (born 1966) an economist, university professor, politician and Minister of Finance from 2015
- Júlio Resende (born 1982) a pianist, composer, jazz musician and bandleader
Sport
- João Paulo Brito (born 1974), a retired footballer with 230 club caps
- rally-raid and enduromotorcycle rider
- Vasco Fernandes (born 1986), a footballer of Guinea-Bissauan descent with over 300 club caps
- Gonçalo Ramos (born 2001), a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Primeira Liga club Benfica
See also
References
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatística
- ^ "Áreas das freguesias, concelhos, distritos e país". Archived from the original on 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Câmara Municipal, ed. (2012), História (in Portuguese), Olhão, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Olhão, retrieved 17 January 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Câmara Municipal, ed. (2012), Geografia (in Portuguese), Olhão, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Olhão, retrieved 17 January 2012
- ^ Diário da República. "Law nr. 11-A/2013, page 552 83" (pdf) (in Portuguese). Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ Fugas. "Um grande festival de marisco em Olhão com os olhos na Ria Formosa". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-08-27.