Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Portugal's warm and dry south coast, stretching for some 100 miles, has beach resorts
along the water's edge and rolling green hills dotted with orchards farther inland. The
coastline varies from lagoon estuaries in the east (Tavira), to sandy beach resorts in the
center (from Faro to Lagos), to rugged cliffs in the west (Sagres).
The Moors (Muslims from North Africa who ruled Portugal for five centuries) chose
not to live in the rainy north, but rather along the warm, dry south coast, in the land they
dubbed Al-Gharb Al-Andalus (“to the west of Andalucía”—the westernmost edge of the
huge Islamic world at the time). Today, the Algarve still holds elements introduced by the
Muslims—groves of almond and orange trees, and white-domed buildings with pointy
chimneys, blue trim, and traditional
azulejos.
