Fertile Crescent :
151-619: Póvoa de Varzim ( European Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɔvu.ɐ ðɨ vɐɾˈzĩ] ) is a Portuguese city in Northern Portugal and sub-region of Greater Porto , 30 km (18.6 mi) from its city centre. It sits in a sandy coastal plain, a cuspate foreland , halfway between the Minho and Douro rivers. In 2001, there were 63,470 inhabitants, with 42,396 living in the city proper. The city expanded southwards, to Vila do Conde , and there are about 100,000 inhabitants in
302-424: A birth rate of 13.665 and mortality rate of 8.330. Unlike other urban areas of greater Porto, it is not a satellite city. Significant commuting occurs only with Vila do Conde, an urban expansion area of Póvoa since the 18th century. For centuries a fishing community of mostly Norman origin, where ethnic isolationism was a common practice, Póvoa de Varzim is today a cosmopolitan town, with people originating from
453-688: A nobility , which played a key social and political role during the Middle Ages . It was under the Visigoths that the Church began to play an important part within the state. As the Visigoths did not learn Latin from the local people, they had to rely on bishops to continue the Roman system of governance. The laws were made by councils of bishops, and the clergy emerged as a high-ranking class. Today's continental Portugal, along with most of modern Spain,
604-631: A transcontinental nation and not a colonial empire. Pro-Indian residents of Dadra and Nagar Haveli , separated those territories from Portuguese rule in 1954. In 1961, Fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá 's annexation by the Republic of Dahomey was the start of a process that led to the dissolution of the centuries-old Portuguese Empire. Another forcible retreat occurred in 1961 when Portugal refused to relinquish Goa . The Portuguese were involved in armed conflict in Portuguese India against
755-591: A "race" in the Portuguese coast; entirely different from the Mediterranean type of Ovar and Olhão, Poveiro is of "Saxon" type. On the other hand, the man from the interior was a farmer with Galician character (Paleo and Nordid-Atlantid). In a 1908 research, anthropologist Fonseca Cardoso considered that Poveiros were the result of a mixture of Teutons, Jews and mostly, Normans . In the book The Races of Europe (1938), Poveiros were distinguished by having
906-686: A British geologist and palaeontologist , discovered 1.5 million-year-old prehistoric human teeth and part of a jaw indicating that ancient people , intelligent hominins dating as far back as 1,500,000 ybp Acheulean period, lived in the Pinjore region near Chandigarh . Quartzite tools of the lower Paleolithic period were excavated in this region extending from Pinjore in Haryana to Nalagarh ( Solan district in Himachal Pradesh). The lands of Gujarat has been continuously inhabited from
1057-795: A career as the Portuguese Ambassador in London, later in Vienna. King Joseph I was crowned in 1750 and made him his Minister of Foreign Affairs. As the King's confidence in Carvalho e Melo increased, he entrusted him with more control of the state. By 1755, Carvalho e Melo was made prime minister. Impressed by British economic success witnessed as Ambassador, he successfully implemented similar economic policies in Portugal. In 1761, during
1208-737: A company headquartered in Póvoa de Varzim, developed a thermodynamic solar system combining solar energy and a heat pump to generate energy. The manufacturing industry is an important employer, mostly in the textile industry. One of its traditional and high-end products are the Tapetes Beiriz, a handmade rug produced since 1918, which currently also produces contemporary rugs. The clothing industry balanced back from European Union's expansion to Eastern Europe and Globalization , by shifting to luxury clothing for high fashion brands or reinventing uniforms, with specific needs or complexity, as seen in
1359-467: A density of 355.5/km (921/sq mi). The rural areas away from the city tend to be scarcely populated, becoming denser near it. During the summer the resident population in the city triples; this seasonal movement from neighbouring cities is due to the draw of the beach and 29.9% of homes had seasonal use in 2001, the highest in Greater Porto. Póvoa de Varzim is the youngest city in the region with
1510-490: A distinct capital and governor. The main cities were in the southern half of the country: Beja , Silves , Alcácer do Sal , Santarém and Lisbon . The Muslim population consisted mainly of native Iberian converts to Islam and Berbers . The Arabs (mainly noblemen from Syria ) although a minority, constituted the elite. The Berbers who joined them, were nomads from the Rif Mountains of North Africa. Invasions from
1661-683: A federation contract with Emperor Honorius , many of these people settled in Hispania . An important group was made up of the Suebi and Vandals in Gallaecia , who founded a Suebi Kingdom with its capital in Braga . They came to dominate Aeminium ( Coimbra ) as well, and there were Visigoths to the south. The Suebi and the Visigoths were the Germanic tribes who had the most lasting presence in
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#17327837146381812-648: A greater than usual degree of blondism , broad faces of unknown origin, and broad jaws. Poveiros have migrated to other places and this attenuated the population growth. One should notice that the Poveiros tended to create their own associations abroad, there are Casa dos Poveiros (Poveiros House) in Brazil ( Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo ), Germiston in South Africa and Toronto in Canada. In Rio de Janeiro,
1963-541: A line west of the Cape Verde islands, off the west coast of Africa. In 1498 Vasco da Gama became the first European to reach India by sea, bringing economic prosperity to Portugal and helping to start the Portuguese Renaissance . In 1500, the Portuguese explorer Gaspar Corte-Real reached what is now Canada and founded the town of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's , one of many Portuguese colonies of
2114-561: A municipality known as Póvoa around Praça Velha , siding Varzim Old Town , controlled by the knights. In 1312, King Denis donated Póvoa to his bastard son, Afonso Sanches, Lord of Albuquerque, who included it in the patrimony of the Monastery of Santa Clara , which he had just founded in Vila do Conde . In 1367, King Ferdinand I confirmed the charters, privileges and uses of Póvoa de Varzim. These were again confirmed by John I in 1387. But
2265-417: A new business — sea baths . Since 1725, the iodine-rich seawaters of Póvoa, due to the peculiar high quantities of seaweed that ends up in Póvoa beaches from the sheltered bay to Cape Santo André , brought by ocean currents, lead that Benedictine monks choose to take sea-baths in there, searching cures for skin and bone problems. Still in the 18th century, other people went to Póvoa with the same concerns. In
2416-464: A new home by foreign nationals, mostly French and Swiss. Due to the practice of endogamy and the caste system, Póvoa's fishing community maintained local ethnic characteristics. Anthropological and cultural data indicate Nordic fishermen settling during the period of the coast's resettlement. In As Praias de Portugal (Beaches of Portugal, 1876), Ramalho ortigão wrote that the Povoan fishermen were
2567-799: A number of other new varieties, such as Homo rhodesiensis and Homo cepranensis about 400,000 years ago. Homo heidelbergensis is a candidate for first developing an early form of symbolic language . Whether control of fire and earliest burials date to this period or only appear during the Middle Paleolithic is an open question. Also, in Europe, a type of human appeared that was intermediate between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens , sometimes summarized under archaic Homo sapiens , typified by such fossils as those found at Swanscombe , Steinheim , Tautavel , and Vertesszollos ( Homo palaeohungaricus ). The hand-axe tradition originates in
2718-453: A polycentric agglomeration of about 3 million people, ranging from Braga to Porto. According to the EOCD methology, Póvoa de Varzim was the 13th largest Functional urban area of Portugal, hence a small urban area with 63,428 inhabitants, by including only its municipality. The urban area has a population density of 3,035 people/km (7,860 people/sq mi), while the rural and suburban areas have
2869-580: A single railway. The government of Portugal quietly accepted the ultimatum and withdrew their forces from the disputed area, leading to a widespread backlash among the Portuguese public, who viewed acceptance of the British demands as a humiliation. On 5 October 1910, a coup d'état overthrew the near 800 year-old Monarchy and the Republic was proclaimed. During World War I, Portugal helped the Allies fight
3020-400: A sizable number of fishermen, ships and high sea fishing. The result was a very considerable quantity of caught fish. The community became wealthier and, following a royal provision by Queen Mary I in 1791, the inspector general Almada reorganized the town's layout, a new civic centre with a monumental city hall, streets and infrastructure were built, all of which provided the potential for
3171-401: A slower but steady growth in the 21st century, and in the 2021 Census it was one of the few urban areas to expand in the whole of Portugal. The quality of living, the infrastructure development and a 15 minutes distance from Porto and Braga, prompted new residents originating from near-by cities such as Guimarães , Famalicão, Braga and Porto. The beach areas of Póvoa de Varzim is also popular for
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#17327837146383322-503: A storm and 105 fishermen were killed, just metres off the shore. Over-fishing by steamboats created severe social problems and fishermen emigration. The fishing industry lost much of its importance. Meanwhile, Póvoa developed into the most popular holiday destination in northern Portugal, The textile and food industries thrived. Streetcars appeared in 1874 and endured until September 1934. The rail connection to Porto opened in 1875 and to inland Minho region in 1878. National highways linking
3473-498: A well-known beach resort for over three centuries, the most popular in Northern Portugal, which unfolded an influential literary culture and historical-artistic patronage in music and theater. Casino da Póvoa is one of the few and prominent gambling venues in Portugal. Leisure and health benefits provided in large sandy beaches attracts national and international visitors. Póvoa de Varzim holds other landmarks, especially
3624-672: Is Spain, with which it shares the longest uninterrupted border in the European Union ; to the south and the west is the North Atlantic Ocean ; and to the west and southwest lie the Macaronesian archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira , which are two autonomous regions of Portugal . Lisbon is the capital and largest city , followed by Porto , which is the only other metropolitan area . The western part of
3775-753: Is a member of the United Nations , the European Union, the Schengen Area , and the Council of Europe , as well as a founding members of NATO , the eurozone , the OECD , and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries . The word Portugal derives from the combined Roman - Celtic place name Portus Cale (present-day's conurbation of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia ). Porto stems from
3926-477: Is a traditional Povoan canning factory and most of its production, 80 to 85%, is exported and deals with high-end brands in canned fish, for MDC markets. Export market brands include: Poveira, D'Henry IV, Ala-Arriba, Minerva, and Alva. Marine fish farming started in 1994 by SafiEstela, an aquafarming firm established in 1968. It uses the latest knowledge on the breeding and production of high-valued seafood species, including soles , with intricate fish husbandry. It
4077-570: Is classified as a Warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csb in the Köppen climate classification system), with gentle summers and mild winters, influenced by the Atlantic Ocean . Temperature extremes recorded at Sá Carneiro Airport , records started in 1967, range from −3.8 to 38.3 °C (25.2 to 100.9 °F). In Póvoa de Varzim proper, average temperatures oscillate between 9 °C (48.2 °F) in winter and 19 °C (66.2 °F) in
4228-530: Is considered the region least subject to frosts in all northern Portugal. Cold waves are absent and snowfall is firmly uncommon, the last occurred in January 1986. More recently, snowfall occurred inland. This is due to the winter maritime winds that normally blow from the south and southwest. Most of the rain is concentrated in the winter months, due to the Azores High which influences the subsidence of
4379-448: Is high in the city's beaches, and lower inland and on the northwestern coast. A native of Póvoa de Varzim is called a Poveiro which can be rendered into English as Povoan. According to the 2001 Census, there were 63,470 inhabitants that year, 38 848 (61.2%) of whom lived in the city. The number goes up to 100,000 if adjacent satellite areas are taken into account, ranking it as the seventh largest independent urban area in Portugal, within
4530-446: Is increasing and Povoa de Varzim was considered a 2022 hotspot for family vacations in Portugal by Yahoo! UK and Prima magazine, along with Lisbon, Albufeira, Porto, Carvoeiro and Viana do Castelo, highlighting the seven miles of soft golden sands and the historical side of the city, namely the important fishing and shipbuilding legacy. National and foreign visitors search the town for the numerous sandy beaches, sunbathing, sunsets over
4681-525: Is more clearly linked to the flake tradition, which spread across southern Europe through the Balkans to appear relatively densely in southeast Asia . Many Mousterian finds in the Middle Paleolithic have been knapped using a Levallois technique, suggesting that Neanderthals evolved from Homo erectus (or, perhaps, Homo heidelbergensis ; see below). Monte Poggiolo , near Forlì , Italy,
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4832-567: Is roughly 700,000 years old. In Europe, the Olduwan tradition (known in Europe as Abbevillian ) split into two parallel traditions, the Clactonian , a flake tradition, and the Acheulean , a hand-axe tradition. The Levallois technique for knapping flint developed during this time. The carrier species from Africa to Europe was undoubtedly Homo erectus . This type of human
4983-565: Is the 400,000-year-old Aroeira 3 H. Heidelbergensis skull discovered in the Cave of Aroeira in 2014. Later Neanderthals roamed the northern Iberian peninsula and a tooth has been found at Nova da Columbeira cave in Estremadura . Homo sapiens sapiens arrived in Portugal around 35,000 years ago and spread rapidly. Pre-Celtic tribes inhabited Portugal. The Cynetes developed a written language, leaving stelae , which are mainly found in
5134-595: Is the location of an Acheulian littoral handaxe industry dating from 1.8 to 1.1 million years ago. The advent of technology and both verbal and non-verbal communication due to transition to group hunting and gathering resulted in the expansion of the parts of the brain associated with these, as well as greater cognition due to it being interlinked with the two. Later, behavioral adaptations to further social life, uncertain food distribution (resulting in need to find and secure food and remember where it could be found) and ecological changes brought about by Homo led to
5285-407: Is used by inland Minho Province residents seeking to escape the summer heat in the valleys. The so-called tropical nights with minimum temperature above 20 °C (68 °F) occur three days per year. There are no full-days below freezing, yet temperatures below 0 °C (32.0 °F) can occur at the height of winter during the night and early morning. The city possesses a microclimate and
5436-828: The Age of Discovery under the sponsorship of Prince Henry the Navigator . Portugal explored the Atlantic, encountering the Azores , Madeira , and Portuguese Cape Verde , which led to the first colonization movements. The Portuguese explored the Indian Ocean , established trade routes in most of southern Asia, and sent the first direct European maritime trade and diplomatic missions to China ( Jorge Álvares ) and Japan ( Nanban trade ). In 1415, Portugal acquired its first colonies by conquering Ceuta , in North Africa. Throughout
5587-617: The Age of Discovery , the Kingdom of Portugal established itself as a major economic and political power, largely through its maritime empire, which extended mostly along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts. Portuguese explorers and merchants were instrumental in establishing trading posts and colonies that enabled control over spices and slave trades. While Portugal expanded its influence globally, its political and military power faced internal and external challenges towards
5738-744: The Alans from the fifth to eighth centuries CE. Muslims conquered most of the Iberian Peninsula in the eighth century CE, but were gradually expelled by the Christian Reconquista over the next several centuries. Modern Portugal began taking shape during this period, initially as a county of the Christian Kingdom of León in 868, and ultimately as an independent Kingdom with the Treaty of Zamora in 1143. During
5889-452: The Battle of São Mamede , in the outskirts of Guimarães , in 1128, Afonso Henriques , Count of Portugal, defeated his mother Countess Teresa and her lover Fernão Peres de Trava , establishing himself as sole leader of the county . Afonso continued his father Henry of Burgundy's Reconquista wars. His campaigns were successful and in 1139, he obtained a victory in the Battle of Ourique , so
6040-485: The British government delivered an ultimatum to Portugal, demanding the withdrawal of Portuguese forces from the area between Portugal's colonies of Mozambique and Angola . The area had been claimed by Portugal as part of its colonialist Pink Map project, but Britain disputed these claims, mostly due to Cecil Rhodes ' aspirations to create a Cape to Cairo Railway , which was intended to link all British colonies via
6191-560: The Carnation Revolution of 1974 , and brought an end to the Portuguese Colonial War, allowing the last of Portugal’s African territories to achieve independence. Portugal's imperial history has left a cultural legacy , with around 300 million Portuguese speakers around the world. Today, it is a developed country with an advanced economy relying chiefly upon services, industry, and tourism. Portugal
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6342-905: The Central Powers ; however the war hurt its weak economy. Political instability and economic weaknesses were fertile ground for chaos and unrest during the First Portuguese Republic . These conditions led to the failed Monarchy of the North , 28 May 1926 coup d'état , and creation of the National Dictatorship ( Ditadura Nacional ). This in turn led to the right-wing dictatorship of the Estado Novo (New State), under António de Oliveira Salazar in 1933. Portugal remained neutral in World War II . From
6493-473: The Companhia Geral de Pernambuco e Paraíba - whose main activity was the trafficking of slaves, mostly Africans, to Brazilian lands. He reorganized the army and navy and ended legal discrimination against different Christian sects. He created companies and guilds to regulate commercial activity and one of the first appellation systems by demarcating the region for production of Port to ensure
6644-660: The Continental System of embargo against the United Kingdom; a French invasion under General Junot followed, and Lisbon was captured in 1807. British intervention in the Peninsular War helped maintain Portuguese independence; the last French troops were expelled in 1812. Rio de Janeiro in Brazil was the Portuguese capital between 1808 and 1821. In 1820, constitutionalist insurrections took place at Porto and Lisbon. Lisbon regained its status as
6795-600: The Cávado and Ave rivers, or, from a wider perspective, halfway between the Minho and Douro rivers on the northern coast of Portugal — the Costa Verde . It is bordered to the north by the municipality of Esposende , to the northeast by Barcelos , to the east by Vila Nova de Famalicão , and to the south by Vila do Conde. To the west, it has a shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean . The rocky cliffs , common features downstream of
6946-740: The Indian Armed Forces . The operations resulted in the defeat and loss of the remaining Portuguese territories in the Indian subcontinent . The Portuguese regime refused to recognize Indian sovereignty over the annexed territories, which continued to be represented in the National Assembly until the coup of 1974. Also in the early 1960s the independence movements in the Portuguese provinces of Portuguese Angola , Portuguese Mozambique , and Portuguese Guinea in Africa, resulted in
7097-459: The Jesuits were suppressed and expelled . This crushed opposition by publicly demonstrating even the aristocracy was powerless before Pombal. Further titled "Marquês de Pombal" in 1770, he ruled Portugal until Joseph I's death in 1777. The new ruler, Queen Maria I of Portugal , disliked Pombal because of his excesses, and upon her accession to the throne, withdrew all his political offices. Pombal
7248-481: The Lower Palaeolithic , around 200,000 BC. The first groups of shepherds settled on the coast where Póvoa de Varzim is now located between the 4th millennium and early 2nd millennium BC. A Neolithic - Calcolithic necropolis, with seven known burial mounds , can still be seen around São Félix Hill and Cividade Hill . Widespread pillaging by rival and migrant tribes led the resident populations of
7399-406: The Moluccas . Although it was believed the Dutch were the first Europeans to arrive in Australia, there is evidence the Portuguese may have discovered it in 1521. Between 1519 and 1522 Ferdinand Magellan organized a Spanish expedition to the East Indies which resulted in the first circumnavigation of the globe. The Treaty of Zaragoza , signed in 1529 between Portugal and Spain, divided
7550-451: The Oldowan ("mode 1") and Acheulean ("mode 2") lithics industries. In African archaeology, the time period roughly corresponds to the Early Stone Age , the earliest finds dating back to 3.3 million years ago, with Lomekwian stone tool technology, spanning Mode 1 stone tool technology, which begins roughly 2.6 million years ago and ends between 400,000 and 250,000 years ago, with Mode 2 technology. The Middle Paleolithic followed
7701-471: The Portuguese Colonial War (lasting from 1961 till 1974). The war mobilized around 1.4 million men for military or for civilian support service, and led to large casualties. Throughout the colonial war period Portugal dealt with increasing dissent, arms embargoes and other punitive sanctions imposed by the international community. The authoritarian and conservative Estado Novo regime, first governed by Salazar and from 1968 by Marcelo Caetano , tried to preserve
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#17327837146387852-405: The United Kingdom and Cape Verde. Most of the growth in foreign population arrived from China, other Asian countries, France and other European countries. In 2017, 231 migrants moved to Póvoa de Varzim from Brazil, Ukraine and Venezuela ; but also from Uzbekistan , Angola, and Georgia . Indonesian fishermen have been contracted to work in Póvoa de Varzim to redress labour shortages. Their arrival
8003-540: The Western World living in Póvoa de Varzim increased, triggering fears of renewed gentrification, the city hall responded with the planned construction of apartments with controlled prices for young Povoans in Penalves area. Reducing seasonality in tourism demand has been a city's goal, throw the development of sports and cultural tourism , this helped to decline the seasonality from 48.4% in 2001 to 44.9% in 2013. There are some industrial areas, including Zona Industrial de Amorim and Parque Industrial de Laundos , in
8154-502: The marrow . The move from the mostly frugivorous or omnivorous diet of hominin Australopithecus to the carnivorous scavenging lifestyle of early Homo has been explained by the climate changes in East Africa associated with the Quaternary glaciation . Decreasing oceanic evaporation produced a drier climate and the expansion of the savannah at the expense of forests. Reduced availability of fruits stimulated some proto- australopithecines to search out new food sources found in
8305-422: The port of Varzim amongst several other possessions. Varzim overlords gained significant power and, when Portugal was already a stable kingdom, Sancho I of Portugal attacked the fief and seized the port, destroyed most of the properties and expelled the farmers. The northern area became known as Varzim dos Cavaleiros (Knights' Varzim) and belonged to the military order of the Knights Hospitaller , who inherited
8456-402: The "absolutist" faction of landowners and the church to proclaim Miguel king in February 1828. This led to the Liberal Wars , also known as the War of the Two Brothers or the Portuguese Civil War , in which Pedro forced Miguel to abdicate and go into exile in 1834 and place his daughter on the throne as Queen Maria II of Portugal . After 1815 the Portuguese expanded their trading ports along
8607-442: The 15th century, Portuguese explorers sailed the coast of Africa, establishing trading posts for commodities , ranging from gold to slavery . Portugal sailed the Portuguese India Armadas to Goa via the Cape of Good Hope . The Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494 was intended to resolve a dispute created following the return of Christopher Columbus and divided the newly located lands outside Europe between Portugal and Spain along
8758-421: The 1940s to 1960s, Portugal was a founding member of NATO , OECD , the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and joined the United Nations in 1955. New economic development projects and relocation of mainland Portuguese citizens into the overseas provinces in Africa were initiated, with Angola and Mozambique being the main targets of those initiatives. These actions were used to affirm Portugal's status as
8909-459: The 19th century, the town became popular as a summer destination for the wealthy of Entre-Douro-e-Minho province and Portuguese Brazilians, due to its large sandy beaches and the development of theaters, hotels and casinos. It then became renowned for its refined literary culture, artistic patronage in music and theater, and intellectual tertulia . On 27 February 1892, a shipwreck had critical impact in community. Seven lanchas poveiras wrecked in
9060-414: The 7th and 8th centuries, and by the 9th century, it was used to refer to the region between the rivers Douro and Minho . By the 11th and 12th centuries, Portugale , Portugallia , Portvgallo or Portvgalliae was already referred to as Portugal . The region has been inhabited by humans since circa 400,000 years ago, when Homo heidelbergensis entered the area. The oldest human fossil found in Portugal
9211-440: The African coast, moving inland to take control of Angola and Mozambique. The slave trade was abolished in 1836. In Portuguese India , trade flourished in the colony of Goa , with its subsidiary colonies of Macau , near Hong Kong, and Timor , north of Australia. The Portuguese successfully introduced Catholicism and the Portuguese language into their colonies, while most settlers continued to head to Brazil. On 11 January 1890,
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#17327837146389362-440: The Americas . In 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral landed on Brazil and claimed it for Portugal. Ten years later, Afonso de Albuquerque conquered Goa in India, Muscat and Ormuz in the Persian Strait , and Malacca , now in Malaysia. Thus, the Portuguese empire held dominion over commerce in the Indian Ocean and South Atlantic. Portuguese sailors set out to reach Eastern Asia, landing in Taiwan , Japan, Timor , Flores , and
9513-579: The Ave Valley who settled in the coastal Northern districts during the 20th century, the ancient immigration from Galicia, Portuguese-Africans (who arrived in significant numbers after the independence of Angola and Mozambique ) in the late 1970s. In 2017, Póvoa de Varzim had a legal foreign resident population of 1.5%, up from 1.4% in 2008, mostly including economic migrants and expatriates, it excludes those who obtained Portuguese citizenship and illegal migrants. Most of these were from Brazil , China , Ukraine , France , Spain , Mozambique, Angola, Romania ,
9664-601: The Ave. The source of the Esteiro Stream is located at the base of Cividade Hill and empties at the beach of Aver-o-Mar, while the Alto River 's source is at the base of São Félix and reaches the Atlantic at Rio Alto Beach . The land is well-irrigated, springs and wells are very common since underground water is often close to the surface. The forest areas suffer from strong demographic pressure and intensive agriculture. Some forests locally known as bouças are defined areas with maritime pines , oaks and eucalyptus plantations. Forests are still important in parishes surrounded by
9815-422: The Christian kingdoms of the north. Most of present-day Portugal fell into the hands of the Taifa of Badajoz of the Aftasid Dynasty , and in 1022 the Taifa of Seville of the Abbadids poets. The Taifa period ended with the conquest of the Almoravids in 1086, then by the Almohads in 1147. Al-Andaluz was divided into districts called Kura . Gharb Al-Andalus at its largest consisted of ten kuras, each with
9966-411: The Far East, resulting in the loss of Portugal's Indian sea trade monopoly. In 1640 John IV of Portugal spearheaded an uprising backed by disgruntled nobles and was proclaimed king. The Portuguese Restoration War ended the 60-year period of the Iberian Union under the House of Habsburg . This was the beginning of the House of Braganza , which reigned until 1910. John V saw a reign characterized by
10117-416: The Iberian Peninsula has been continuously inhabited since prehistoric times , with the earliest signs of settlement dating to 5500 BCE . Celtic and Iberian peoples arrived in the first millennium BCE , with Phoenician and later Punic influence reaching the south during the same period. The region came under Roman control in the second century BCE, followed by a succession of Germanic peoples and
10268-434: The Iberian Peninsula, is located in Espaço Agros and has several departments such as exhibition park and laboratories. In agriculture, the masseira farm fields were developed. This technique increases agricultural yields by using large, rectangular depressions dug into sand dunes, with the spoil piled up into banks surrounding the depression. Grapes are cultivated on the banks to the south, east and west, and trees and reeds on
10419-437: The Latin for port , portus ; Cale ' s meaning and origin is unclear. The mainstream explanation is an ethnonym derived from the Callaeci, also known as the Gallaeci peoples, who occupied the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula . One theory proposes Cale is a derivation of the Celtic word for 'port'. Another is that Cala was a Celtic goddess. Some French scholars believe it may have come from Portus Gallus ,
10570-499: The Lower Paleolithic and recorded the appearance of the more advanced prepared-core tool-making technologies such as the Mousterian . Whether the earliest control of fire by hominins dates to the Lower or to the Middle Paleolithic remains an open question. The Lower Paleolithic began with the appearance of the first stone tools in the world. Formerly associated with the emergence of Homo habilis , some 2.8 million years ago, this date has been pushed back significantly by finds of
10721-410: The Madre Deus Chapel, the area of the old town where the Main church was located and the fishermen neighborhood of Junqueira was starting its affirmation as a new urban center. In the beginning of the 18th century, there was a decline in the Ribeira shipyard activities, due to the aggradation of the Portuguese coast and the Povoan shipyard started to work in the construction of fishing vessels. There
10872-750: The Mediterranean civilizations, especially noticeable during the Carthaginian dominion of the southern Iberian Peninsula . During the Punic Wars , the Romans became aware of the Castro region's rich deposits of gold and tin. Viriathus , leading Lusitanian troops, hindered the expansion of the Roman Republic north of the river Douro. His murder in 138 BC opened the way for the Roman legions . Over
11023-600: The Minho's estuary , disappear in Póvoa de Varzim, giving way to a coastal plain. The plain is located in a cuspate foreland, an old marine plateau from the Plio-Pleistocene , conferring a sandy soil to the coastal lands. The sand dunes in the Northwestern coast formed during the Little Ice Age and started piling up in the 15th or 16th century. Wandering along the coast one discerns Cape Santo André ,
11174-593: The Moors. In 1249, the Reconquista ended with the capture of the Algarve and expulsion of the last Moorish settlements. With minor readjustments, Portugal's territorial borders have remained the same, making it one of the oldest established nations in Europe. After a conflict with the kingdom of Castile , Denis of Portugal signed the Treaty of Alcañices in 1297 with Ferdinand IV of Castile. This treaty established
11325-416: The North also occurred in this period, with Viking incursions raiding the coast between the 9th and 11th centuries, including Lisbon. This resulted in the establishment of small Norse settlements in the coastline between Douro and Minho . The Reconquista was a period when Christians reconquered the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish domination. An Asturian Visigothic noble named Pelagius of Asturias
11476-657: The Northeast and vernacular architecture of the rural areas highlight the local geological diversity. Oldest rocks, from the Pre- Ordovician epoch, are found in the Schist-greywacke Complex between Rates, Laundos, and Estela. Wandering even further Northeast, there is shale of micaceous clay nature, occasionally quartzite, dating to the Devonian period, that may contain fossils. Póvoa's climate
11627-575: The Pacific Ocean between Spain and Portugal. Portugal voluntarily entered a dynastic union (1580–1640) because the last two kings of the House of Aviz died without heirs, resulting in the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 . Philip II of Spain claimed the throne and was accepted as Philip I of Portugal. Portugal did not lose its formal independence, forming a union of kingdoms. But
11778-649: The Pleistocene (the Gelasian), and fall into the late Pliocene (the Piacenzian ). The early members of the genus Homo produced primitive tools, summarized under the Oldowan industry, which remained dominant for nearly a million years, from about 2.5 to 1.7 million years ago. Homo habilis is assumed to have lived primarily on scavenging , using tools to cleave meat off carrion or to break bones to extract
11929-519: The Roman conquest. In southern Portugal, some small, semi-permanent commercial coastal settlements were also founded by Phoenician-Carthaginians. Romans first invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 219 BC. The Carthaginians, Rome's adversary in the Punic Wars , were expelled from their coastal colonies. During Julius Caesar 's rule, almost the entire peninsula was annexed to Rome. The conquest took two hundred years and many died, including those sentenced to work in slave mines or sold as slaves to other parts of
12080-545: The Serra de Rates, whose flora is distinguished by the pedunculate oak or the european holly . In the 18th century, the monks of Tibães planted pines , which characterized the civil parish of Estela. In the past the Atlantic forest predominated, with trees such as oaks , ash trees , hazels , strawberry trees , holm oak , and alders . The granitic gneiss rocks throughout the entire coastline are home to large populations of invertebrates, fish and seaweed. These gneiss and
12231-411: The air resulting in dry air during the summer. Topography and distance from the sea influence precipitation even at short distances. The urban core receives over 900 millimetres (35 in), the outskirts can get up to 1,200 millimetres (47 in) of rain per year, while the city's countryside can get up to 1,500 millimetres (59 in). The prevailing northern winds , known as Nortadas , arise in
12382-488: The border between the kingdoms of Portugal and Leon. The reigns of Denis, Afonso IV , and Peter I mostly saw peace with the other kingdoms of Iberia. In 1348-49 Portugal, as with the rest of Europe, was devastated by the Black Death . In 1373, Portugal made an alliance with England , the oldest standing alliance in the world. In 1383 John I of Castile , Beatrice of Portugal , and Ferdinand I of Portugal claimed
12533-531: The capital of Portugal when Brazil declared its independence in 1822. The death of King John VI in 1826 led to a crisis of royal succession. His eldest son, Pedro I of Brazil , briefly became Pedro IV of Portugal , but neither the Portuguese nor Brazilians wanted a unified monarchy; consequently, Pedro abdicated the Portuguese crown in favor of his 7-year-old daughter, Maria da Glória , on the condition that when she came of age she would marry his brother, Miguel . Dissatisfaction at Pedro's constitutional reforms led
12684-682: The case of Damel. In construction and civil engineering, Monte Adriano is a large Portuguese company. Portugal – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the European Union (green) Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country in the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe . Featuring the westernmost point in continental Europe , to its north and east
12835-517: The city to Barcelos , Famalicão and Viana do Castelo opened. The first urbanization project for the waterfront was drafted in 1891. All these events led to a major growth between the 1930s and 1960s. Póvoa de Varzim developed a cosmopolitan style and became a service-sector city. It is one of northern Portugal's main urban centres. Póvoa is the focal point of a larger area, which includes Vila do Conde and Esposende . Occupying an area of 82.1 km (31.7 sq mi), Póvoa de Varzim lies between
12986-574: The city's outskirts, next to the A28 Motorway. Póvoa de Varzim has been noted internationally for its Renewable energy industry . The world's first commercial wave farm was located in its coast, at the Aguçadora Wave Park. The wave farm used Pelamis P-750 machines . The project failed and was replaced by the windfloat project , a new prototype on offshore wind farms, from a distinct company, that attained successful testing. Energie,
13137-604: The city's waters. The OMARE Marine Observatory also identified the Risso's dolphin and the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin in local waters. Stranded whales and dolphins and found dead occur with some frequency, natural causes, rough seas events, incidents with ships or fishing boats can explain these events. The city core is situated in a region dominated by old Hercynian granites, including Póvoa de Varzim Granite and Santo André Granite. A continuous area dominated by schist exists to
13288-469: The coastal plain and hills where the forests become more abundant and the soils have less sea influence. In this landscape dominated by the plains and low hills, only the hillside of Corga da Soalheira (150 m or 490 ft) in the interior, is dissimilar. There are no large rivers, but abundant small water streams exist. Some of these streams are permanent, such as the Este River , which feeds into
13439-406: The coastal plain of Póvoa de Varzim to raise a town atop the hill that stood next to the sea. The acropolis protection was reinforced by successive rings of walls and a trench at the base of the hill. Established by the 9th or 8th century B.C., the city area covered 12,000 m (3.0 acres) and had several hundred inhabitants. Its location near waterways helped it to maintain commercial relations with
13590-572: The community was known for not wanting other peoples of other origins, including Portuguese born in other regions, within their community. In 1920, many Poveiros emigrated in Brazil returned, as many refused to lose Portuguese nationality. The governor of Angola, with an ambition to develop fisheries, suggested the creation of a Povoan colony in Porto Alexandre . Due to fisher classes affairs, the fisher areas of Vila do Conde, Esposende and Matosinhos have strong Povoan cultural influence and half of
13741-410: The conquest by the Roman Republic of the city by 138 BC; fishing and fish processing units soon developed, which became the foundations of the local economy. By the 11th century, the fishing industry and fertile farmlands were the economic base of a feudal lordship and Varzim was fiercely disputed between the local overlords and the early Portuguese kings , which resulted in the establishment of
13892-586: The contemporary period, the construction of motorways negatively affected overnight stays in local hotels. This has been leveled by a noticeable attraction of Portuguese living abroad and foreign tourists and the number of hotel rooms in 2014 increased to 1.774. Most of those tourists are French or from diverse countries in Northern Europe . International tourists sleeping in the city's hotels represented 35.1% of guests in 2013, up from 30.3% in 2001. In 2017, international tourists represented 55% of guests in
14043-599: The crew of the Portuguese ships, due to their high nautical knowledge. The fishermen of the region are known to fish in Newfoundland since at least 1506. During the reign of John III the Povoan shipmaking art was already renowned, and Povoan carpenters were sought after by Lisbon 's Ribeira das Naus shipyard due to their high technical skills. The single-floored houses dominated the town's landscape, but there are indications of multiple floored habitations with rich architecture. The seafarers' social class, well-off gentlemen,
14194-466: The domain of the monastery over the town grew stronger and the people asked King Manuel I to end the situation. In 1514, during the era of charter reform, the King granted a new charter to Póvoa de Varzim. Besides the town hall and square , the town gained a pillory , granted significant self-government, and involved itself in the Portuguese discoveries . In the 16th century, the fishermen started to work in maritime activities, as pilots or seafarers in
14345-452: The drier savannah ecology. Derek Bickerton (2009) has designated to this period the move from simple animal communication systems found in all great apes to the earliest form of symbolic communication systems capable of displacement (referring to items not currently within sensory perception) and motivated by the need to "recruit" group members for scavenging large carcasses. Homo erectus appeared by about 1.8 million years ago, via
14496-451: The dunes form rich ecosystems, but are threatened by waterfront construction, holiday-makers and dune sports. Short-beaked common dolphins occur in large numbers in Northern Portugal. Dolphins show themselves by porpoising and bowriding along with boats just off the city of Póvoa de Varzim, where fishing activities occur. Alive or dead discarded fish while fishing can be easily caught by dolphins, which could help explain this relationship in
14647-621: The early 2000s, the Oldowan or Mode 1 horizon, long considered the oldest type of lithic industry, is now considered to have developed from about 2.6 million years ago, with the beginning Gelasian ( Lower Pleistocene ), possibly first used by australopithecine forebears of the genus Homo (such as Australopithecus garhi ). However, even older tools were later discovered at the single site of Lomekwi 3 in Kenya , in 2015, dated to as early as 3.3 million years ago. As such, they would predate
14798-460: The earthquake, Joseph I gave his prime minister more power, and Carvalho de Melo became an enlightened despot . In 1758 Joseph I was wounded in an attempted assassination. The Marquis of Távora , several members of his family and even servants were tortured and executed in public with extreme brutality (even by the standards of the time), as alleged part of the Távora affair . The following year,
14949-475: The empire. Lower Palaeolithic Europe : Africa : Siberia : The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic ) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age . It spans the time from around 3.3 million years ago when the first evidence for stone tool production and use by hominins appears in the current archaeological record , until around 300,000 years ago, spanning
15100-408: The empire. Roman occupation suffered a setback in 155 BC, when a rebellion began in the north. The Lusitanians and other native tribes, under the leadership of Viriathus , wrested control of all of western Iberia. Rome sent legions to quell the rebellion but were unsuccessful. Roman leaders bribed Viriathus's allies to kill him in 139 BC; he was replaced by Tautalus . In 27 BC, Lusitania gained
15251-489: The end of the 16th century. The dynastic crisis marked the beginning of the country's political decline that led to the Iberian Union (1580-1640), a period in which Portugal was united under Spanish rule. While maintaining a degree of self-governance, the union strained Portugal’s autonomy and drew it into conflicts with European powers which targeted Portuguese territories and trade routes. Portugal's prior opulence
15402-645: The fall of the Roman Empire , Suebi populations established themselves in the countryside. It was first mentioned on 26 March 953 during the rule of Mumadona Dias , Countess of Portugal . The region was attacked by the Vikings in the 960s, by the Moors in 997 and again by Norman pirates in 1015–1016. Hints indicate a Norse settlement in Villa Euracini after those invasions. During the Middle Ages ,
15553-466: The fifth most active out of seventeen municipalities of Metropolitan Porto in 2015, when considering new homes. Reconstruction was mostly stagnant, and Póvoa de Varzim was eighth in overall activity. The fact that it is a seaside city has shaped Póvoa de Varzim's economy: the fishing industry, from the fishing vessels that put in each day to the canning industry and to the city's fish market, beach agriculture, and seaweed-gathering for fertilizing fields are
15704-603: The first cities he founded is Vimaranes, known today as Guimarães – "birthplace of the Portuguese nation" or the "cradle city". After annexing the County of Portugal into one of the counties that made up the Kingdom of Asturias , King Alfonso III of Asturias knighted Vímara Peres, in 868, as the First Count of Portus Cale (Portugal). The region became known as Portucale , Portugale , and simultaneously Portugália . With
15855-672: The following two years, Decimus Junius Brutus advanced into the Castro region from south of the Douro , crushed the Castro armies, and left Cividade de Terroso, in ruins. The region was pacified during the reign of Caesar Augustus and the Castro people returned to the coastal plain, where Villa Euracini and Roman fish factories were built. With the annexation by the Roman Republic, trading supported regional economic development, with Roman merchants organized in true commercial companies who looked for monopoly in commercial relations. With
16006-403: The forced abdication of Alfonso III in 910, the Kingdom of Asturias split into three separate kingdoms; they were reunited in 924 under the crown of León . In 1093 Alfonso VI of León bestowed the county to Henry of Burgundy and married him to his daughter, Teresa of León . Henry thus became Henry, Count of Portugal and based his newly formed county from Bracara Augusta (modern Braga ). At
16157-580: The further expansion of the brain in the areas of problem-solving, memory etc., ultimately leading to the great behavioral flexibility, highly efficient communication, and ecological dominance of humanity. The biological pre-adaptations of the great apes and earlier primates allowed the brain to expand threefold within just 2 to 2.3 million years of the Pleistocene , in response to increasingly complex societies and changing habitats. The appearance of Homo heidelbergensis about 600,000 years ago heralds
16308-633: The hospitality industry, which registed 250 thousand overnight stays almost the double of the 2012 statistics. Informal local accommodation, especially typical homes in rua Latino Coelho, is a popular alternative. In the summer of 2017, Póvoa de Varzim was the second location with the largest growth in the Portuguese AirBNB hospitality service. Póvoa de Varzim has the longest overnight stays for foreign tourists in Metropolitan Porto who stay, on average, 3 days. International awareness
16459-503: The influx of gold into the royal treasury, supplied largely by the royal fifth (tax on precious metals) from the Portuguese colonies of Brazil and Maranhão . Most estimates place the number of Portuguese migrants to Colonial Brazil during the gold rush of the 18th century at 600,000. This represented one of the largest movements of European populations to their colonies, during colonial times. In 1738 Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo , later ennobled as 1st Marquis of Pombal , began
16610-694: The joining of the two crowns deprived Portugal of an independent foreign policy, and led to its involvement in the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Netherlands. War led to a deterioration of relations with Portugal's oldest ally, England , and the loss of Hormuz , a strategic trading post located between Iran and Oman . From 1595 to 1663 the Dutch-Portuguese War primarily involved Dutch companies invading Portuguese colonies and commercial interests in Brazil, Africa, India and
16761-550: The king's lands, destroyed it significantly, in such a way that no bread could be sowed, nor a car could cross that place as it often used to do. Sancho II was overthrown, Afonso became king and ordered the resettlement of the royal land and the king's chronicler explicitly stated that all the port was the property of the king. Gomes Lourenço, of the Honour of Varzim, was a very influential knight and godfather of King Denis . He took advantage of his relationship with important people in
16912-560: The kingdom in order to get the recognition of the seaport, located in Lower Varzim, as his honour . He tried to convince King Denis, that the king's father, Afonso, took it from him unfairly. Justifying the attitude with the Honour of Varzim, Gomes and his descendants went to the port to get the tribute from the fishermen. In 1308, King Denis granted a charter, the Foral , giving the royal land to 54 families of Varzim; these had to found
17063-572: The liberation during the Peninsular War , Portugal endured a period marked by a civil war between liberals and absolutists from 1828 to 1834. The monarchy was overthrown in the 1910 revolution, which led to the establishment of the Portuguese First Republic . A phase of unrest ultimately led to the rise of authoritarian regimes of the Ditadura Nacional and the Estado Novo . Democracy was finally restored following
17214-647: The local inhabitants. St. Martin of Braga was a particularly influential evangelist. In 429, the Visigoths moved south to expel the Alans and Vandals and founded a kingdom with its capital in Toledo . From 470, conflict between the Suebi and Visigoths increased. In 585, the Visigothic King Liuvigild conquered Braga and annexed Gallaecia; the Iberian Peninsula was unified under a Visigothic Kingdom . A new class emerged, unknown in Roman times:
17365-494: The main breakwater of the Port of Póvoa de Varzim , Carvalhido and São Félix Hill are preferred for sightseeing. The city has significant textile and food industries. The town has retained a distinct cultural identity and ancient Norse customs such as the writing system of siglas poveiras , the masseira farming technique and festivals. Discoveries of Acheulean stone tools suggest Póvoa de Varzim has been inhabited since
17516-595: The name Euracini evolved to Uracini , Vracini , Veracini , Verazini , Verazim , Varazim and, eventually, Varzim. In 1033, Guterre Pelayo, a leading captain of the Reconquista for the County of Portugal, was recognized by Bermudo , Emperor in Gallaecia , as the Lord of Varzim, during the chaotic epoch following Almanzor 's attack on the Christian realms. Henry , the Portuguese count, recognized his rule over
17667-400: The northern slope act as a windbreak against the prevailing northern wind. Garden crops are grown in the central depression. Tourism industry is subdivided into gambling , hospitality , restaurants, beach bars and cafés . National visitors are prevalent and from diverse localities. In 1876, Ramalho Ortigão noticed that Póvoa was very popular in all social ranks in Northern Portugal. In
17818-543: The ocean, relaxation and city trips. Walking from the beach promenades to the old town shopping street, the Junqueira , is particularly enjoyed, as is local food, most especially seafood. Since 1970, Póvoa de Varzim became widely popular in Northern Portugal for restaurants specialized in Portuguese Piri Piri Chicken, Cabidela chicken blood rice or codfish. Due to tourism, affluent pensioners from
17969-413: The population of Vila do Conde and Matosinhos are of Povoan descent. The economy of Póvoa de Varzim is driven by sales, manufacturing, construction, healthcare, agribusiness , fishing, and tourism. In the 2021 census, the unemployment rate, at 8.3%, compared to Porto Metropolitan Area at 9.6%, Northern Portugal at 8.4% and the national average at 8.1%. Póvoa de Varzim's purchasing power represented 0.6% of
18120-658: The port of the Gauls. Around 200 BC, the Romans took Iberia from the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War . In the process they conquered Cale, renaming it Portus Cale ('Port of Cale') and incorporating it into the province of Gallaecia . During the Middle Ages , the region around Portus Cale became known by the Suebi and Visigoths as Portucale . The name Portucale changed into Portugale during
18271-454: The present day's municipality in 1308 and being subjugated to monastic power some years later. Póvoa de Varzim's importance reemerged with the Age of Discovery due to its shipbuilders and merchants proficiency and wealth, who traded around the globe in complex trade routes. By the 17th century, the fish processing industry rebounded and, sometime later, Póvoa became the dominant fishing port in northern Portugal. Póvoa de Varzim has been
18422-454: The production is exported to other Western European markets. Póvoa de Varzim is part of the ancient Vinho Verde winemaking region, and there is commercial wine production, however, local masseira wines are not commercially produced. The inland valley region is committed to milk production and the Agros corporation headquarters of Lactogal , the largest dairy products and milk producer company in
18573-499: The ranks of omnivorous predators (and possibly became hypercarnivores before Homo sapiens again transformed into hypocarnivores ). As active hunters, they came in opposition to other, quadruped predators and started living in large groups. Homo erectus migrated out of Africa and dispersed throughout Eurasia. Stone tools in Malaysia have been dated to be 1.83 million years old. The Peking Man fossil, discovered in 1929,
18724-552: The reign of King José I, he banned the import of black slaves into mainland Portugal and India, not for humanitarian reasons, but because they were a necessary work force in Brazil. At the same time, he encouraged the trade of black slaves ("the pieces", in the terms of that time) to that colony, and with the support and direct involvement of the Marquis of Pombal, two companies were founded - the Companhia do Grão-Pará e Maranhão and
18875-419: The result of its geography. Tourism and the related industries are more relevant in Póvoa's economy these days, as fisheries have lost importance. Nevertheless, the mean value of fish landed in 2004, in its seaport, was almost three times that of Matosinhos seaport and significantly higher in the average vessels' capacity. Its fishing productivity is also comparatively higher than the national average. A Poveira
19026-913: The same period. The intermediate may have been Homo heidelbergensis , held responsible for the manufacture of improved Mode 2 Acheulean tool types, in Africa, after 600,000 years ago. Flakes and axes coexisted in Europe, sometimes at the same site. The axe tradition, however, spread to a different range in the east. It appears in Arabia and India , but more importantly, it does not appear in southeast Asia. From about 300,000 years ago, technology, social structures and behaviour appear to grow more complex, with prepared-core technique lithics, earliest instances of burial and changes to hunting-gathering patterns of subsistence. Homo sapiens first appeared about 300,000 years ago, as evidenced by fossils found at Jebel Irhoud in Morocco. Guy Ellcock Pilgrim ,
19177-430: The south. Early in the first millennium BC, several waves of Celts invaded Portugal from Central Europe and intermarried with the local populations to form several different ethnic groups. The Celtic presence is patent in archaeological and linguistic evidence. They dominated most of northern and central Portugal, while the south maintained its older character (believed non-Indo-European, likely related to Basque ) until
19328-479: The status of Roman province . Later, a northern province was separated from the province of Tarraconensis , under Emperor Diocletian 's reforms, known as Gallaecia . There are still ruins of castros ( hill forts ) and remains of the Castro culture , like Conímbriga , Mirobriga and Briteiros . In 409, with the decline of the Roman Empire , the Iberian Peninsula was occupied by Germanic tribes . In 411, with
19479-402: The summer after midday. Strongest wind gusts are felt in the city's sands and only reaching inland in municipalities south of Póvoa de Varzim. During the summer, a mass of hot and wet air, brought by the south and western maritime winds, creates Póvoa de Varzim's characteristic fog covering only the coast and with strong ocean scent brought in by the marine layer , which is composed of salt from
19630-531: The summer. The city's beach area averages between 11 and 18 °C (51.8 and 64.4 °F) and diurnal temperature variation there is very low, just 4 °C (39.2 °F). The remaining territory, including the northwestern rural beaches, swings around 8 °C (46.4 °F) daily. Using 1971–2000 data, there are 33 days a year above 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 9 days above 30 °C (86.0 °F). Heat waves can occur for an average of 10 days, yet it tends to be balmier than inland Northwestern Portugal, and it
19781-566: The surf and sea spray , with lesser amounts of iodine from the outlying kelp forests . Southerly winds can sporadically bring the Saharan Air Layer and Saharan dust can form a thick plume blocking the sun. Sunshine duration values are high, between April and September the mean is always over 217 hours, peaking in July with 308 hours. The gloomiest months are December and January with 124 hours each (1961–1990 data). Solar irradiance
19932-669: The territories corresponding to modern Portugal. As elsewhere in Western Europe, there was a sharp decline in urban life during the Dark Ages . Roman institutions disappeared in the wake of the Germanic invasions with the exception of ecclesiastical organizations, which were fostered by the Suebi in the fifth century and adopted by the Visigoths afterwards. Although the Suebi and Visigoths were initially followers of Arianism and Priscillianism , they adopted Catholicism from
20083-469: The throne of Portugal. John of Aviz, later John I of Portugal , defeated the Castilians in the Battle of Aljubarrota , and the House of Aviz became the ruling house. The new ruling dynasty led Portugal to the limelight of European politics and culture. They created and sponsored literature, such as a history of Portugal, by Fernão Lopes . Portugal spearheaded European exploration of the world and
20234-471: The tip of the cuspate foreland and the Avarus Promontory , referred to by Ptolemy . São Félix Hill (202 m or 663 ft) and Cividade Hill (155 m or 509 ft) rise above the landscape. Despite their modest rise, the expanse of the plain makes them easy reference points on the horizon. The mountain chain known as Serra de Rates divides the municipality into two distinctive areas:
20385-719: The total national purchasing power in 2019, up from 0.5% in 1993. However, per capita values were just 96.5% of the national average in 2019, up from 90.6% in 1993. Comparing 2009 to 2020, the diversified economy of Póvoa de Varzim drifted away from construction (-70.3%), administrative (-55.6%), Entertainment & leisure (-44.1%), and professional services (-22.9%) towards the growing fields of real estate (+73.5%), industrial sector (+47.3%), sales (+43.4%), Agribusiness & Fisheries (+41%), Healthcare (+31.9%) and Hospitality (+9.2%). quaternary sector (+41%) and Transport (+9.4%) are comparably minor yet growing economic activities. Póvoa de Varzim's real estate development ranked as
20536-636: The traditional Junqueira shopping street, Garrett Theatre , the Ethnography and History Museum , Cividade de Terroso , the Medieval Rates Monastery , Baroque Matriz Church , city Hall and Portuguese vernacular architecture in Praça do Almada , and numerous Portuguese cuisine restaurants that make Póvoa de Varzim popular in all Northern Portugal, which started to attract an international following. Farol da Lapa , Farol de Regufe ,
20687-583: The transitional variety Homo ergaster . Homo erectus moved from scavenging to hunting , developing the hunting-gathering lifestyle that would remain dominant throughout the Paleolithic into the Mesolithic . The unlocking of the new niche of hunting-gathering subsistence drove a number of further behavioral and physiological changes leading to the appearance of Homo heidelbergensis by some 800,000-600,000 years ago. As such, Homo rose to
20838-449: The urban area alone. It is the seventh-largest urban agglomeration in Portugal and the third largest in Northern Portugal. Permanent settlement in Póvoa de Varzim dates back to around four to six thousand years ago. Around 900 BC, unrest in the region led to the establishment of Cividade de Terroso , a fortified city, which developed maritime trade routes with the civilizations of classical antiquity . Modern Póvoa de Varzim emerged after
20989-575: The vast Umayyad Caliphate's empire of Damascus , until its collapse in 750. That year the west of the empire gained its independence under Abd-ar-Rahman I with the establishment of the Emirate of Córdoba . The Emirate became the Caliphate of Córdoba in 929, until its dissolution in 1031, into 23 small kingdoms, called Taifa kingdoms. The governors of the taifas proclaimed themselves Emir of their provinces and established diplomatic relations with
21140-534: The war of Christian reconquest. At the end of the 9th century, the region of Portugal between the rivers Minho and Douro, was reconquered from the Moors by nobleman and knight Vímara Peres on the orders of King Alfonso III of Asturias . Finding many towns deserted, he decided to repopulate and rebuild them. Vímara Peres elevated the region to the status of County , naming it the County of Portugal after its major port city – Portus Cale or modern Porto . One of
21291-417: The wealth of the local overlords. Lower Varzim, the royal southern land, was the location of the port and contiguous farmlands. According to a 1258 chronic, while Sancho II of Portugal was disputing the throne with his brother, Afonso , who was invited by the knights to take over the Portuguese throne, Gavião of Varzim used the opportunity to destroy the king's assets in Lower Varzim. He violently entered in
21442-437: The wine's quality. This was the first attempt to control wine quality and production in Europe. He imposed strict law upon all classes of Portuguese society, along with a widespread review of the tax system. These reforms gained him enemies in the upper classes. Lisbon was struck by a major earthquake on November 1st 1755 , magnitude estimated to have been between 7.7–9.0, with casualties ranging from 12,000 to 50,000. Following
21593-428: Was a significant increase of the fisher community in the middle of the century, becoming the main activity, and during the reign of Joseph I with the country in the middle of an economic crisis, Póvoa started a rapid development. The Royal Academy of Sciences of Lisbon noticed their overwhelming notoriety in the Minho coast and considered Povoans to be the most expert fishermen from Cape St. Vincent to Caminha , with
21744-466: Was associated with this richer architecture around Praça Velha square. In the 17th century, the shipbuilding industry boomed in Ribeira, area around Póvoa Fortress in the sheltered bay, and one third of the population had some relation with this activity, building ships for the merchant navigation. During this period there was a relevant urban expansion: the Praça civic center with the town hall and
21895-441: Was banished to his estate at Pombal , where he died in 1782. Historians argue that Pombal's "enlightenment," while far-reaching, was primarily a mechanism for enhancing autocracy at the expense of individual liberty and especially an apparatus for crushing opposition, suppressing criticism, and furthering colonial exploitation and consolidating personal control, and profit. In 1807 Portugal refused Napoleon 's demand to accede to
22046-586: Was elected leader in 718 by many of the ousted Visigoth nobles. Pelagius called for the remnants of the Christian Visigothic armies to rebel against the Moors and regroup in the unconquered northern Asturian highlands, known today as the Cantabrian Mountains , in north-west Spain. After defeating the Moors in the Battle of Covadonga in 722, Pelagius was proclaimed king, thus founding the Christian Kingdom of Asturias and starting
22197-402: Was further exacerbated by a series of events, such as the Portuguese Restoration War and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake , which destroyed the city and damaged the empire's economy. The Napoleonic Wars motivated the Portuguese royal family to relocate to Brazil in 1807. This event reshaped the relationship between Portugal and Brazil, culminating in Brazilian independence in 1822 . Following
22348-406: Was invaded from the South and became part of al-Andalus between 726 and 1249, following the Umayyad Caliphate conquest of the Iberian Peninsula . This rule lasted decades in the North, up to five centuries in the South. After defeating the Visigoths in a few months, the Umayyad Caliphate started expanding rapidly in the peninsula. Beginning in 726, the land that is now Portugal became part of
22499-454: Was negotiated directly with the Indonesian diplomatic authorities. Their numbers have grown to over 400, though some have moved on to other areas and even other European countries. The population of the entire municipality grew only 1% between 1981 and 1991, then increased by 15.3% between 1991 and 2001. During that period, the urban population had grown 23%, with the number of families increasing considerably — by about 44.5%. The urban area kept
22650-415: Was part of the European Maximus consortium of 8 SME and 6 RTD performers involving states in Atlantic Europe , with innovative scientific processes in a number of interrelated disciplines, including growth physiology, quality, fish welfare and stunning methods. Production is still specialized in horticultural goods, but most of the masseiras were substituted by greenhouses and a significant share of
22801-504: Was proclaimed King of Portugal by his soldiers. This is traditionally taken as the occasion when the County of Portugal became the independent Kingdom of Portugal and, in 1129, the capital city was transferred from Guimarães to Coimbra. Afonso was recognized as the first king of Portugal in 1143 by King Alfonso VII of León , and in 1179 by Pope Alexander III as Afonso I of Portugal. Afonso Henriques and his successors, aided by military monastic orders , continued pushing southwards against
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