The first
people in the Algarve were traders and Estate stewards that established
their colonies on the coasts. Good examples were the Phoenicians and the
Carthaginians that existed for a long time solely from the resources of
the coast.
One of the most important facts in the Algarve's history: the five
centuries of Arab occupation, visible in the regions architecture
(lattice chimneys and tiles, for example) and in many places' names
beginning with 'Al'.
The Algarve was once part of the Roman province of Lusitânia, later
becoming part of the Visigoths' jurisdiction. The Roman presence left
tracks in Milreu, Faro, Boca do Rio and Vilamoura.
In 711, Tarik ibn Zyad passed the Estreito de Gibraltar and defeated the
king of the Visigoths. In 712 Abd Al-Aziz Ben Mussa conquered the "Gharb
Al Andaluz". Andaluz meant Vandal's Land and Al-Gharb, The West.
After many battles, the Algarve was reclaimed by the Christians. Since
1249, and until the Republic proclamation, the Portuguese monarchs were
entitled "King of Portugal and of the Algarves".
There are about 100 sandy
attractive beaches washed by the Atlantic Ocean and due to the maritime
shelf and water currents the sea temperature can be often be
surprisingly warm even in some of the winter months. Located on the tip
of Europe with the vast ocean of the Atlantic as its southern and
western border, this enviable position gives this region possibly the
most unpolluted climate in the European continent.
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