In the Algarve, the southernmost region of continental Portugal

 “Oh salty sea, how much of your salt is tears from Portugal?”

– Fernando Pessoa
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(in the southernmost area of continental Portugal and the southwesternmost area of the Iberian Peninsula) The Algarve, covering an area of 1,929 sq mi.),of borders to the north with the Alentejo region (Alentejo Litoral and Baixo Alentejo), to the south and west with the Atlantic Ocean, and to the east the Guadiana River marks the border with Spain. The highest point is northwest in the Monchique mountains, with a maximum altitude on Pico da Fóia. The western part of the Algarve is known as Barlavento and the east as Sotavento. Both have eight municipalities and one main city (Faro in Sotavento and Portimão in Barlavento).

+ Soaring cliffs, sea caves, golden beaches, scalloped bays, and sandy islands draw over four million visitors to the Algarve each year. Surrounded on two sides by the Atlantic, it's a paradise for surfers, especially along the refreshingly undeveloped west coast. The Algarve's sunny shores offer perfect escapes for all types, from those seeking the hot nightlife of flashy, energetic Lagos to those desiring secluded stays in rambling Sagres. Portugal's most southerly region offers historical attractions in former Moorish capital Silves and fascinating Tavira, great golf, fabulous beaches from Praia da Luz to Armacao de Pera, thermal springs at Caldas de Monchique, and miles of limestone caves and grottoes, cliffs and bays along its rugged coastline.

+ The region has its administrative center in the city of Faro, where both the region's international airport and public university, the University of Algarve, are located. Tourism and related activities are extensive and make up the bulk of the Algarve's summer economy. Although Lisbon surpasses the Algarve in terms of tourism revenue, the Algarve is still considered to be the biggest and most important Portuguese tourist region; Its population triples in the peak holiday season due to seasonal residents. The Algarve is becoming increasingly sought after, mostly by central and northern Europeans, as a permanent place to settle.

+ King Afonso III of Portugal started calling himself King of Portugal and the Algarve. The most outstanding fact of his reign was the definitive conquest of the Algarve. Silves was taken from its last Muslim ruler Ibn Afan by Paio Peres Correia, Grand-Master of the Order of Santiago in 1242 and Tavira was also taken in the same year after Alentejo and most of the coast of the Algarve had already fallen in 1238. In March 1249, the city of Faro was conquered. From this date, Afonso III became the first Portuguese king to use the title King of Portugal and the Algarve. In the Treaty of Badajoz, of 16 February 1267, it was defined that the Guadiana river, from the confluence of the Caia until the mouth, would be the Portugal-Castile border. After the destructive effects of an earlier major earthquake in 1722, the 1755 earthquake damaged many areas in the Algarve.