Loulé in the context of Faro (Portuguese district)

The Portuguese conquest of the Algarve, the southern-most region in modern-day Portugal, occurred between 1238, when the castle of Estômbar was captured by the Order of Santiago, and 1249, when king Afonso III of Portugal captured Faro, Loulé, Aljezur, Porches and Albufeira.

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.

Sotavento is the eastern region of the Algarve, comprising the municipalities of Alcoutim, Castro Marim, Faro, Loulé, Olhão, São Brás de Alportel, Tavira, and Vila Real de Santo António.

Olhão, officially the City of Olhão da Restauração, is a city and municipality in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 45,396, in an area of 130.86 km (50.53 sq mi). Located near the regional capital Faro and forming a single urban agglomeration, it is a fishing port and tourist center. Along with Faro, Loulé and Tavira, Olhão forms a conurbation from the eastern and central Algarve.