Albufeira

Albufeira (, ), officially the City of Albufeira (), is a city and municipality of Faro District in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2021 was 44,158, in an area of . The city proper had a population of 28,645 in 2021. It is from Lisbon, close to Paderne Castle. Lagoa is to the west, and Faro to the southeast. A tourist destination due to its coastal conditions, Albufeira's population expands to around 300,000 in the summer and at Christmas and New Year owing to the number of hotels that includes marina facilities, golf courses, restaurants and bars.

==History== thumb|200px|left|The medieval Bridge of Paderne (Albufeira)|Paderne, rebuilt in 1771 thumb|200px|left|The massive walls of the remains of the Castle of Paderne, a Moorish castle constructed in the period before the Portuguese Reconquista It is unclear when the first settlements specifically formed in the region of Albufeira, although scientific research suggests origins during the pre-historic epoch, and that the town of Albufeira formed as an out-port of the maritime fishery. The primitive settlement was occupied by the Romans, who named it Baltum, introducing a centralized administrative structure and developing intense agricultural activities along with commerce. The Romans constructed aqueducts, roads and bridges, of which parts still remain.