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25-475: 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 . 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. The settlement developed even as officials in Faro discouraged concentration along this coast. Yet, after

50-440: A climate typically Mediterranean, characterized by warm summers 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. In a general way, the municipality presents a temperate humid Mediterranean climate, with warm, dry summers and mild winters. The precipitation is distributed in an irregular fashion throughout

75-469: A humid zone of world interest. 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. 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

100-443: A new municipality, with local autonomy, beginning in 1826. In this year, the municipal council hall was erected and a juiz de fora was instituted to preside over the councilmen. 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. A judicial division of Portugal in 1874, resulted in

125-706: A result, from the rest of the Algarve. It was during this period, that a month later, a small group of 17 men embarked to Brazil , a Portuguese territory in South America where the king was living due to the French invasion, on a caique (a small sailing vessel) named Bom Sucesso , in the hope of promoting the Algarvean success to the Portuguese Court. The crew brought an ex-official statement describing

150-599: A sub-zone of more recent materials, Quaternary or Neogenic in age. These deposits came to rest over sand-stones and marls that comprise the coastal Mesocenozoic, a young relief, that is little accented, aided by a platform that includes superficial lavas. 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

175-598: A wide range of other products such as fish and seafood pastes. The city is also an important tourist destination of coastal Algarve and plays a role as a tourist accommodation, logistics and transportation hub for the Ria Formosa islands located in front of the city, namely the Armona Island and the Culatra Island . The annual seafood festival of Olhão is a major attraction in the city every year. Olhão

200-495: 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. [REDACTED] Fort of S%C3%A3o Louren%C3%A7o do Bugio The Fort of São Lourenço do Bugio , also known as the fort of São Lourenço da Cabeça Seca (Saint Lawrence of the dry head) or simply Torre do Bugio (Bugio Tower),

225-572: Is located in the middle of the estuary of the river Tagus , near Lisbon in Portugal . With no further need for its military functions, it is presently a lighthouse . The fort's location is on a sandbank formed by the silting of the river mouth, the result of the meeting of the river's waters with those of the Atlantic Ocean. Being the only sandbar of the Tagus river with its surface above

250-742: The Peninsular War , the fort was occupied by Napoleonic troops in 1807 and during the Liberal Wars it was the target of artillery fire from the French fleet under the command of Admiral Albin Roussin . The fort was garrisoned until at least 1911. In the 1930s and 1940s dredging work was carried out in its surroundings. At the end of World War II, it was transferred to the Directorate of Lighthouse Services. Severely damaged by weather and water erosion, it has undergone various repairs since

275-490: The 1950s but damage remains visible. The structure, considered a model of Renaissance fortification, and believed to have been modelled by the architect on Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, is perfectly circular, in stone masonry. It consists of an external sloping wall 62 meters in diameter and 6 meters high; an internal wall 33 meters in diameter by 7 meters in height, and a central tower, 3 meters in diameter and 16 meters high, at

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300-531: 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 . During the French occupation of the Algarve, during the Peninsular Wars , Olhão was notable for one of the few public uprisings against the occupiers, occurring on 16 June 1808. This revolt culminated in the expulsion of the French from Olhão and, as

325-468: The area near the Fort of São Julião da Barra out to the sandbank. Work began in 1590 but progress was slow and the foundations were not finished until 1601. The fort was only finally completed during the reign of King John IV . He appointed a Portuguese engineer to complete the work in 1643 but it was not finally finished until 1657. The fort was significantly damaged by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake . During

350-535: The audacious attitude of the Olhanese revolt. A replica of the boat is moored at Olhão's waterfront. 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 . The transformation, resulted in the creation of

375-473: 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 ( freguesias ): Olhão is a fishing port and a center for industrial fish and seafood processing, home to the Bela brand of canned sardines and Conserveira do Sul's Manná range of processed fish and seafood products which also include canned sardines and

400-483: 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. 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. The Algarve is an area that presents

425-431: The definitive demarcation of the municipality of Olhão, constituted by the five parishes of Olhão, Moncarapacho, Quelfes, Pechão and Fuseta. Over time the small town of fishermen grew into an economic, social and urban centre, resulting in its elevation in city in 1985. In recent years, it has also developed a growing tourist industry. The municipality is confronted on the east and north by the municipality of Tavira , to

450-453: 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. The incremental growth of the fishery along the coast and sea, and commercial enterprises associated their growth, provoked a leap in population. As a result, in 1695, the residents requested from

475-405: The reign of King Sebastian I . The king entrusted Manuel de Almada to erect the structure, with the idea that crossfire would be possible with the then primitive Fort of São Julião da Barra on the north bank of the river, thus protecting the access channels to Lisbon. The initial structure, which was built in 1570, was constructed of wood but due to the shifting sands was not practical. But Lisbon

500-412: The tide throughout the year, it was given the name “dry head”. The derivation of the name “Bugio” (monkey) is uncertain but may be related to the French word for candle, “bougie”, due to the similarity of the fort's structure with a candle on a candlestick. The idea of a fortification on the river Tagus to protect the maritime access to Lisbon was first suggested by the architect Francisco de Holanda in

525-408: The top of which is the modern lighthouse. Inside the internal wall are a command post, barracks, storage, a cistern and a chapel. Armona Island Armona Island is one of many islands of Algarve , Portugal . Armona is 9 kilometres (6 mi) in length, and from 0.1 to 1 km (0.1 to 0.6 mi) wide. It is accessible by regular 20-minute Ferry trips or even quicker water taxi from

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550-583: The waterfront in Olhão . The island is populated with a large number of beach houses and 5 cafe bars. The main beach on the Atlantic side of the island is pristine and uncrowded, making it a popular daytrip destination for tourists staying in Olhão itself. The port is a very popular place in the summer when the locals and holiday makers dive / jump off it into the sea. In Armona Island one can also find Fuseta Island (also known as Fuseta Island Beach), which

575-556: The west by the municipality of Faro and in the south by the Atlantic Ocean. It is located within the morphological sub-regions of the Barrocal and coast. In the Barrocal, the municipality is limited in the north by the old massif and south with the sand-stones of the Mesozoic. These lines, follow an ancient beach and coast, justifying the existence of the sedimentary deposits (sand-stones) over the ancient massif. The coast, constituted by

600-474: The year, while concentrating in the months between autumn and spring. 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. 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

625-546: Was under a constant threat from pirates and a more substantial stone structure was required. During the reign of King Philip I two different design proposals were made by the Italian architect Giovanni Vicenzo Casale; one for a star shape and the other for a circular fort. The latter was considered best able to resist the waves in the estuary and to offer greater ease of mobilization of the artillery. A large number of barges were constructed in order to move blocks of stone from

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