Praia Grande, Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal, Europe

Albufeira is a city and a municipality in the Faro District of the Algarve Region, in southernmost Portugal. It is a main tourist destination, due to its coastal location. The municipality population in 2011 was 40,828, in an area of 140.66 km². The city proper had a population of 13,646 in 2001. It is 250 kilometres (160 mi) from Lisbon, and is within close proximity of Paderne Castle. Lagos is located 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the west, and Faro 45 kilometres (28 mi) to the south-east. A tourist destination, Albufeira expands to approximately 300,000 residents during the summer and during New Year celebrations, owing to the number of hotels and lodgings in the district, that includes marina facilities, golf courses, restaurants and bar for the annual flood of visitors. It is unclear when the first settlements specifically formed in the region of Albufeira, although scientific research suggest origins during the pre-historic epoch, and that the town of Albufeira formed as an out-port of the maritime fishery. The primitive settlement was occupied by the Romans, named it Baltum, introducing a centralized administrative structure and developing intense agricultural activities along with commerce. The Romans constructed aqueducts, roads and bridges, of which parts still remain. The name originated from the Arab Al-buhera, which means castle of the sea, owing to its location along the coast, or the alternately al-Buħayra, for the lagoon, in reference to the lagoon that formed in the lowlands. The Arabs constructed strong defensive structures, making the area almost impregnable, allowing this area to remain in the hands of their forces longer than other possessions in Portugal. The development of agriculture during this period was notable, with the introduction of new techniques and plant species. The Moors used the plow and fertilizers, as well as winches for lifting the water from the wells, introducing the irrigation of fields, constructing dams and transforming uncultivated areas into gardens and orchards. The Christian conquest of the region began at the end of the 12th century. When King Afonso III of Portugal occupied the throne, most of the Algarve had already fallen into the hands of the Christians. Templar and Hospitaler Knights, military and religious orders that supported the Reconquista, assaulted many of the lands occupied by the Arabs, but were never successful in taking Albufeira. It was following the capture of Faro that the siege of Albufeira became unsupportable. Encircled by enemy forces on all sides, it fell in 1249 to the forces of Afonso III, who immediately donated the lands to the Order of Aviz. The Moors were persecuted terribly by the victorious army, which chased the remaining forces into a cavern, known today as Cova do Xorino, situated near the southern limits of the old city. The town became part of the kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves. King D. Manuel I awarded a Charter (foral) to the Town of Albufeira on 20 August 1504 and from that day the town was governed according to the legislation in force for the rest of the country. Albufeira was one of the towns of the Algarve most affected by natural calamities, but it was the 1755 Lisbon earthquake which caused the worse damage. The sea invaded the town with 10 metres (33 ft) waves, destroying almost all the buildings along the coast. In the town proper, only 27 residential buildings survived the natural disaster, but in states of ruin. The parochial church, an old mosque adapted by the Christians, where many of the residents sought refuge during the cataclysm, collapsed causing 227 deaths. Albufeira, and many of the regions of Portugal, are subject to the administration of conservation policies, that includes the Blue flag beaches of the coastal areas. Albufeira has two main beaches, Praia dos Pescadores (or the Fishermen's Beach) and Praia do Túnel (or the tunnel beach), which is accessed through a tunnel through the cliffs. The beaches are accessible from the esplanade from via open-air escalators (in the east) and an open-air elevator (in the west). These beaches are interconnected; beginning from the Praia dos Pescadores, beachgoers can travel for several kilometres along the coast between smaller beaches. The western end of Praia dos Pescadores is fronted by the Albufeira Marina, a harbour that provides an entry-point from other ports along the Algarvean coast. The Olheiros de Água Doce are freshwater springs that flow from the beach and only visible sea during low tide. During low-tide unsalted water springs bubble through the sand on the beach.