Faro (/ˈfɑːroʊ/ FAR-oh, Portuguese: [ˈfaɾu] ⓘ) is a municipality, the southernmost city and capital of the district of the same name, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.

[4] The municipalities of Faro-Olhão-Loulé due to its adjacency, sharing of infrastructures and regular commute can be considered an intermunicipal community with a population of 184,578 inhabitants (2021).

[5] Roman Empire 206 a.C.–411 Alans 411–560 Byzantine Empire 560–624 Visigothic Kingdom 624-711 Umayyad Caliphate 711-756 Emirate of Córdoba 756-929 Caliphate of Córdoba 929-1018 Taifa of Santa Maria do Algarve 1018-1051 Taifa of Seville 1051-1091 Almoravid dynasty 1091-1145 Taifa of Badajoz 1145-1155 Almohad Caliphate 1155-1249 Kingdom of Portugal 1249-1580 Iberian Union 1580-1640 Kingdom of Portugal 1640-1910 Portugal 1910-present The Ria Formosa lagoon attracted humans from the Palaeolithic age until the end of prehistory.

[6] At the time, the area was known as Ossonoba, and was the most important urban centre of southern Portugal and commercial port for agricultural products, fish, and minerals.

With the advent of Moorish rule in the eighth century, Ossonoba retained its status as the most important town in the southwest corner of the Iberian Peninsula.

[6] During the Second Crusade soon after the Anglo-Norman forces took Lisbon in 1147 a detachment of this group sacked Faro, which was still by then under Muslim rule, on their way to the Holy Land.

After Portuguese independence in 1143, Afonso Henriques and his successors began an expansion and Christian repopulation into the southern Iberian territory which had previously been occupied by the Moors.

[6] The Jewish community of Faro had long been a dominant force in the region, with many artisans and merchants contributing heavily to the economy and city development,[6] but this level of prosperity was interrupted in December 1496 by an edict of Manuel I of Portugal, expelling those who did not convert to Christianity.

[6] In the place of the Jewish village of Vila Adentro, the convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunção was founded and patronised by Queen Leonor, wife of the king.

[6] Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the city was expanded, with a series of walls during the period of the Restoration Wars (1640–1668), encompassing the semicircular front to the Ria Formosa.

Almost all the coastal towns and villages of the Algarve were heavily damaged by the tsunami, except Faro, protected by the sandy banks of the Ria Formosa lagoon.

[9] It includes the river and a lagoon system, interspersed with dunes, forming a small islands and peninsulas, that protect a large area of marshes, channels, and islets.

[10] The park is a rich and complex aquatic ecosystem, consisting of barrier islands, marshes, and channels, comprising sandy shorelines that separate the waters of the Ria Formosa and Atlantic Ocean.

Given this region is highly susceptible to the difference of precipitation throughout the seasons of the year, in the future scarcity of water could appear in conjunction with the increase of temperature and less incidence of rains.

The weather in the winter is generally mild by European standards, managing around 6 hours of sunshine each day, with temperatures averaging around 8–16 °C (46–61 °F) in the coldest month.

[28] In recent years, the number of visitors travelling through the airport has increased as more and more low-cost airlines compete to offer cheap flights to the Algarve.

[30] The town is served by a public transport network that include minibuses, local bus lines, and regional services across the Algarve.

[31] The Algarve Metrobus is a transport project under development which will connect the areas of Faro, Olhão and Loulé together through bus rapid transit.