Ria Formosa
24.02.2008 // Natura Algarve
The Ria Formosa lagoon, located in the Algarve, south of Portugal, is a barrier islands system that communicates with the sea through 6 inlets. Five of these inlets are natural and have mobility characteristics and 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 it was only in 1952 that the engineering works were 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 economy. Beyond the tourist use the system also supports other economic activities like seafood farms and the port of Faro.
The Ria Formosa is also a designated Natural Park of over 170 km² and a stop-over point for hundreds of different birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods.
The most important cities in the Ria Formosa are Tavira, Faro and Olhão.
There are also some towns in this area, whose names are: Fuzeta (belongs to municipality of Olhão), Santa Luzia, Cabanas de Tavira (these two to Tavira) and Cacela Velha (belongs to Vila Real de Santo António).
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