Faro, Portugal

Faro () is a municipality, soothmaist ceety an seat o the destrict o the same name, in the Algarve region o soothren Portugal. Wi a population o 64,560 inhabitants in 2011 (wi 50,000 inhabitants in the ceety proper), the municipality covers a aurie o approximately .

 History 
The Ria Formosa lagoon attractit human occupants frae the Palaeolithic age till the end o pre-history. Durin that time a settlement grew up – Ossonoba – which wis an important toun durin the hert period o Roman occupation an, accordin tae historians, the forerunner o present-day Faro. From the 3rd century onwards and during the Visigothic period it wis the steid o an Episcopal see.

Wi the advent o Moorish rule in the 8t century Ossonoba retained its status as the maist important toun in the soothwast corner o the Iberian Peninsula. In the 9t century it became the caipital o a short-lived principality an wis fortifee'd wi a ring o defensive waws. At this time the name Santa Maria began tae be uised insteid o Ossonoba. Later on the toun wis kent as Harun (frae a local Muslim chieftain), hence its current name, Faro. Durin the 500 years o Moorish rule there wur some Jewish inhabitants in Faro who wrote copies o the Old Testament. Ane o Faro's historical names in Arabic is أخشونبة. The Moors wur defeatit bi the forces o the Portuguese Keeng Afonso III in 1249. Wi the decline o the importance o the ceety o Silves, Faro teuk ower the role o admeenistration o the Algarve aurie.

The Earl o Essex sacked the toun in 1596 an seized the leebrar o the Bishop o Faro. These beuks wur later donatit tae the University o Oxford, becomin pairt of the Bodleian Library.

Lagos haed become the caipital o the historical province o Algarve in 1577 an remained so till 1756, the year follaein the destruction o muckle o the toun bi the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The earthquake damaged several auries in the Algarve, whaur a tsunami dismantled some coastal fortresses an, in the lawer levels, razed hooses. Amaist aw the coastal touns an veelages o the Algarve wur hivily damaged, except Faro, which wis protectit bi the sandy banks o Ria Formosa lagoon. Syne then Faro haes been the admeenistrative seat o the region.

 Facilities 
The ceety haes a public university (the University o the Algarve), an internaitional airport (Faro airport), a seaport, a marina, a railwey station an complete inter-regional bus services.

Its 30,000-seater stadium Estádio Algarve, shared bi the neighborin ceeties o Faro an Loulé, wis ane o the venues o the Euro 2004. Its tennants are Louletano Desportos Clube (a club frae the ceety o Loulé) an Sporting Clube Farense (frae Faro). The stadium is an aa uised tae host concerts, festivals an ither events.

Faro airport is no too far away frae the ceety itsel. In recent years the numbers o visitors travelin through the airport haes increased as mair an mair law-cost airlines compete tae affer cheap flichts tae the Algarve. The transport facilities tae an frae Faro airport wi the centre o Faro include taxicabs an a bus line.

 Climate 
Faro haes a Subtropical-Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). Simmers are warm tae hot an sunny wi average daytime temperatures o 27–35 °C (81–95 °F). The Algarve weather  in the hairst an winter months is generally mild wi temperatures aroond 8–17 °C (46–63 °F). Faro gets maist o its rainfaw ower the winter months; rain is vera rare atween Juin an September. The annual average temperature is aroond 17 °C (63 °F) - 18 °C (64 °F) an the annual rainfaw is aroond 500 mm (19.69 in). The average sea surface temperature is 15–16 °C (59–61 °F) in Januar risin tae 22–23 °C (72–73 °F) in August.

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 Nature 
Faro is locatit next tae the Ria Formosa lagoon, a nature reserve o ower 170 square kilometers an a stoppin place for hunders o different species o birds durin the ware an hairst migratory periods. The beach is roughly seiven kilometers frae the ceety, an consists o a lang sandy spit reached through a brig.

 Events 
The Faro International Motorcycle Rally is a famous festival, renouned in Europe for being ane o the biggest o its kynd.

The ceety holiday is on 7 September.

The students' festival (Semana Académica da Universidade do Algarve), organized ivery year bi students frae the University of the Algarve, is an' a' an important event in Faro.

 Gallery 

 Toun twinnin 
 Huelva, Spain
 Málaga, Spain
 Tripoli, Lebanon
 Tangier, Morocco (syne 1954)
 Bolama, Guinea-Bissau

 References 

 Freemit airtins 

Category:Municipalities o the Algarve

Category:Touns o the Algarve
Category:Ceeties in Portugal
Category:Populatit places in Faro Destrict
Category:Port ceeties an touns in Portugal
Category:Seaside resorts in Portugal
Category:Municipalities o Faro Destrict