Algarve in the context of "Treaty of Alcañices"

Portuguese participation in the Reconquista occurred from when the County of Portugal was founded in 868 and continued for 381 years until the last cities still in Muslim control in the Algarve were captured in 1249. Portugal was created during this prolonged process and largely owes its geographic form to it.

The Portuguese Reconquista involved the participation of north European crusaders passing through Portuguese coasts en route to the Holy Land, such as Englishmen, French, Flemings, Normans and Germans, most notably at the conquest of Lisbon in 1147, but also in 1142, 1154, 1189, 1191 and 1217. Many settled in Portugal at the invitation of king Afonso I or his son and successor Sancho I.

Gharb al-Andalus (Arabic: غرب الأندلس, romanized: gharb al-ʼandalus, lit. 'west of al-Andalus'), or just al-Gharb (Arabic: الغرب, romanized: al-gharb, lit. 'the west'), was the name given by the Muslims of Iberia to the region of southern modern-day Portugal and part of West-central modern day Spain during their rule of the territory, from 711 to 1249. This period started with the fall of the Visigothic kingdom after Tariq ibn-Ziyad's invasion of Iberia and the establishment of the Umayyad control in the territory. The present day Algarve derives its name from this Arabic name. The region had a population of about 500,000 people.

The term "provinces" (Portuguese: províncias) has been used throughout history to identify regions of continental Portugal. Current legal subdivisions of Portugal do not coincide with the provinces, but several provinces, in their 19th- and 20th-century versions, still correspond to culturally relevant, strongly self-identifying categories. They include:

• Alentejo (Alto Alentejo, Baixo Alentejo)
• Algarve
• Beira (Beira Alta, Beira Baixa, Beira Litoral)
• Douro Litoral
• Estremadura
• Minho
• Ribatejo
• Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro

The islands of Azores and Madeira were never called "provinces".

Faro (/ˈfɑːroʊ/ FAR-oh, Portuguese: [ˈfaɾu] ), officially the City of Faro (Portuguese: Cidade de Faro), is a city and a municipality in southern Portugal. It is the capital of both the Algarve region and the Faro District, as well as the southernmost city on the Portuguese mainland. Faro municipality covers an area of 202.57 km (78.21 sq mi) and, as of 2024, had 70,347 inhabitants, making it the second most populous municipality in the Algarve after Loulé. The city proper had 46,299 inhabitants in 2021, the largest urban population in the region. Faro lies on the shore of the Ria Formosa lagoon, a protected nature reserve and hosts the region’s international airport and university.

Founded as Ossonoba in antiquity, Faro was a settlement during the Phoenician and Roman periods and later served as a Moorish port known as Santa Maria Ibn Harun. It became part of the Kingdom of Portugal in 1249 and was elevated to city status in 1540. Since 1756, following the devastation of the Lisbon earthquake, Faro has been the administrative capital of the Algarve.

Faro International Airport (Portuguese: Aeroporto de Faro, IATA: FAO, ICAO: LPFR), officially Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (Aeroporto Internacional de Faro - Gago Coutinho), is located four kilometres (two nautical miles) west of the city of Faro in Portugal. The airport opened in July 1965 being the main gateway to Faro District (the year-round resort region of the Algarve) and southwestern Spain, with nearly 10 million passengers using the facility in 2024. Since 2022, it is named after Gago Coutinho, Portuguese geographer, cartographer, naval officer, historian and aviation pioneer.

The University of Algarve (UAlg; Portuguese: Universidade do Algarve), founded in 1979, is a Portuguese public higher education institution located in the southernmost region of mainland Portugal, the Algarve, having its headquarters and two out of its three campuses in Faro (namely the Gambelas and Penha) and another campus in Portimão. It has around 10,000 students, 20 per cent of whom are international, from more than 90 nationalities, with Brazil being the most representative country of origin for those foreign students.

Faro is the southernmost district of Portugal. The area is the same as that of the Algarve region. The administrative centre, or district capital, is the city of Faro. It borders Spain.
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