Algarve

The province, the Alto Algarve (Upper Algarve), is a hilly region of schists and sandstones, overlaid in the west by the intrusive rocks of the Serra de Monchique. Apart from one or two features there is little here to interest the holidaymaker.

The coastal strip, the Baixo Algarve (Lower Algarve), a Mesozoic tableland of limestone and sandstone, has two parts. The western half, from Cabo Sao Vicente to Vale do Lobo (just west of Faro), is the better known and scenically more striking Rocky Algarve, world-famous for its picturesque golden-yellow cliffs, slashed by crevices and caves, its sheltered beaches of fine sand, its emerald-green water and its deep blue sky. To the east, from Faro to the Spanish frontier, is the Sandy Algarve, with endless expanses of sandy beach, dunes and pine-groves but without any outstanding scenic beauties. This area has seen less tourism development.

Climate

The Algarve has one of the most settled climates in the world, with 3,000 hours of sunshine in the year. The climate on the coast is similar to that of North Africa. Sheltered on the north and northwest by the hills of the Alto Algarve and exposed to the moderating influence of the Atlantic, the Algarve escapes climatic extremes.

Winter temperatures rarely fall below 10°C/50°F; the summers are dry and hot, but there is always a light sea breeze to bring a pleasant coolness. Temperatures fall rapidly in the evening, and visitors are advised to take some warm clothing. Rainfall is low (an annual 350-600mm/14-24in.) and mostly concentrated in November; but there are abundant resources of groundwater which is used for irrigation, making it possible to get three or four crops a year off the land.

In choosing where to go for a holiday visitors should consider wind conditions. The farther west they go the less protection there is from the winds blowing off the Atlantic and the more bracing the climate. The bathing resorts in the most westerly quarter of the Algarve are for the hardy, or for diving enthusiasts and anglers, since in this area there is usually a brisk, cool wind and the sea tends to be rough.

Vegetation

The purplish-red soil of the Algarve supports flourishing plantations of almond-trees, olives, figs and carob-trees. The carob-tree grows to heights of 15-20m/50-65ft, with a short trunk and dense foliage; the carob beans are edible. In the irrigated valleys are orange-groves, cotton plantations and fields of rice and sugar-cane. Most of the gardens and orchards are enclosed by hedges of agaves. Camellias and oleanders make an attractive show, and the almond-trees, which flourish in the mild Mediterranean climate, come into blossom as early as January or February.

History

Shut off by a barrier of hills in the north, the Algarve developed on its own. The fertility of the soil and the pleasant climate attracted human settlement from an early period. It is known that the Phoenicians and later the Greeks established colonies here, though only scanty remains have survived. In the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. Celts settled in this region, followed soon afterwards by Carthaginians: it is said that Portimao was founded by Hannibal. In Roman times the Algarve, then known as Cyneticum, was a prosperous and flourishing region, and evidence of the busy trade carried on here has been recovered by excavation.

After the Romans came the Visigoths, who controlled the region for almost 300 years. The Visigoths in turn gave way to the Moors, who remained for 500 years and left an enduring mark on the population and way of life of the Algarve. The physical type of the inhabitants - swarthy, short and stocky - bears witness to a Moorish ancestry, the local style of building and the traditional costumes show clear Moorish features, and the language and place- names, not least the Algarve itself, include many elements of Arab origin.

The capture of Faro by King Afonso III of Portugal in 1249 marked the first stage in the recovery of the territory from the Moors. The Algarve then became the last element to be incorporated in Portugal, an independent kingdom subject to the Portuguese crown in a personal union.

In the 15th century the Algarve attracted worldwide interest when Henry the Navigator founded his famous school of seamanship at Sagres and with his systematic technical research laid the foundations for the great voyages of discovery of the following century.

Economy

Tourism is now the major factor in the economy of the Algarve. 50% of all visitors to Portugal spend their holidays here; the rest of the country does not experience anything like the degree of mass tourism that has developed in the Algarve during recent years. Until the late 1960s fishing and agriculture were the major sources of income in the Algarve, but their importance has since been drastically reduced, and its industry forms only a minor part of that of the country as a whole.