CinX's Travels 2014

[CinX]

Parque Natural da Ria Formosa

The Ria Formosa lagoon, located in the Algarve, in southern Portugal, is a system of barrier islands that communicates with the sea through six inlets. Five of these inlets are natural and have mobility characteristics. The sixth is an artificial inlet that was opened with the purpose of allowing easier access to the port of Faro.

Presently the main inlet of the system is the Faro-Olhão inlet, which was artificially opened. The process started in 1927 but only in 1952 were the engineering works completed and it assumed the present configuration.

Within the Ria Formosa system, different and sometimes antagonistic uses may be found. Part of the system is a Natural Park but Ria Formosa also plays an important role in the region's economy. Beyond the tourist use the system also supports other economic activities like seafood farms (including grooved carpet shell harvesting) and the port of Faro.

The Ria Formosa is also a designated Natural Park of over 170 km² and a stopping place for hundreds of different birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods.

The most important cities near the Ria Formosa are Tavira, Faro and Olhão.

[CinX]

Faro - Boat Trip by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Boat Trip by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Boat Trip by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Faro - Boat Trip by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Boat Trip by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Boat Trip by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Faro - Ilhas Desertas by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilhas Desertas by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilhas Desertas by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Faro - Ilhas Desertas by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilhas Desertas by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilhas Desertas by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Faro - Ilhas Desertas - View towards Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Ilha Do Farol by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Faro - Boat Trip by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Boat Trip by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Boat Trip by cinxxx, on Flickr

Faro - Boat Trip by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Lisbon (Portuguese: Lisboa) is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 547,631 within its administrative limits on a land area of 84.8 km2 (33 sq mi). The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of 958 km2 (370 sq mi), making it the 9th most populous urban area in the European Union. About 2,831,000 people live in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (which represents approximately 27% of the population of the country). Lisbon is the westernmost large city located in Europe, as well as its westernmost capital city and the only one along the Atlantic coast. It lies in the western Iberian Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and the Tagus River.



Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by hundreds of years. Julius Caesar made it a municipium called Felicitas Julia, adding to the name Olissipo. Ruled by a series of Germanic tribes from the fifth century, it was captured by the Moors in the eighth century. In 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriques reconquered the city and since then it has been a major political, economic, and cultural centre of Portugal. Unlike most capital cities, Lisbon's status as the capital of Portugal has never been granted or confirmed officially – by statute or in written form. Its position as the capital has formed through constitutional convention, making its position as de facto capital a part of the Constitution of Portugal.

Lisbon enjoys a Mediterranean climate. Among all the metropolises in Europe, it has the warmest winters, with average temperatures 15 °C (59 °F) during the day and 8 °C (46 °F) at night from December to February. The typical summer's season lasts about six months, from May to October, although also in November, March and April temperatures sometimes reach around 20 °C (68.0 °F).

[CinX]

Lisabona by cinxxx, on Flickr

Lisabona by cinxxx, on Flickr

Lisabona by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Lisabona - Bairro Alto by cinxxx, on Flickr

Lisabona - View from Bairro Alto by cinxxx, on Flickr

Lisabona - View from Bairro Alto by cinxxx, on Flickr