Faro, Portugal

Faro
Municipality
A view of the skyline of the Algarvian capital of Faro
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 37°02′N 7°55′W / 37.033°N 7.917°W / 37.033; -7.917Coordinates: 37°02′N 7°55′W / 37.033°N 7.917°W / 37.033; -7.917
Country	Portugal
Region	Algarve
Subregion	Algarve
Intermunic. comm.	Algarve
District	Faro
Parishes	4
Government
• President	Rogério Bacalhau (PSD)
Area
• Total	202.57 km2 (78.21 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	64,560
• Density	320/km2 (830/sq mi)
Time zone	WET/WEST (UTC+0/+1)
Postal code	8000
Website	Official website

Faro (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈfaɾu]) is a municipality, southernmost city and seat of the district of the same name, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. With a population of 64,560 inhabitants in 2011 (with 50,000 inhabitants in the city proper), the municipality covers an area of approximately 202.57 square kilometres (78.21 square miles).

The Ria Formosa lagoon attracted human occupants from the Palaeolithic age until the end of pre-history. The first settlements date from the 4th century BC, during the period of Phoenician colonization of the western Mediterranean. At the time, the area was known as Ossonoba, and was the most important urban centre of southern Portugal and commercial entrepot for agricultural products, fish and minerals.

Between the 2nd and 8th century, the city was under the domain of the Romans, than the Byzantine and later Visigoths, before being conquered by the Moors in 713. From the 3rd century onwards and during the Visigothic period, it was the site of an Episcopal see of the Christian church. The Byzantine presence perdured in the city walls towers that were built during the Byzantine presence. byzantine towers

With the advent of Moorish rule in the 8th century, Ossonoba retained its status as the most important town in the southwest corner of the Iberian Peninsula. In the 9th century it became the capital of a short-lived princedom and was fortified with a ring of defensive walls. At this time, in the 10th century, the name Santa Maria (Shantamariyyat al-Gharb in Arabic) began to be used instead of Ossonoba. By the 11th century the town was known as Santa Maria Ibn Harun.

During the 500 years of Moorish rule, some Jewish residents of Faro made written copies of the Old Testament. One of Faro's historical names in Arabic is أخشونبة (ʼUḫšūnubaḧ). The Moors were defeated and expelled in 1249 by the forces of the Portuguese King Afonso III. With the decline of the importance of the city of Silves, Faro took over the role of administration of the Algarve area.