Get to Know Setubal - Portugal

Setúbal is a city and a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 172.0 km² and a total population of 118,696 inhabitants. The municipality is composed of 8 parishes, and is located in the district of Setúbal. The municipal holiday is September 15, which marks the date in the year 1860 on which King Pedro V of Portugal signed the regal letter recognizing Setúbal as a city. The seat of the municipality is the city of Setúbal, located on the northern bank of the Sado river estuary, approximately 40 Km south of Portugal's capital, Lisboa (Lisbon). It is also the seat of the district of Setúbal. In the beginning of the 20th century, Setúbal was an important center for Portugal's fishing industry, sardines in particular. None of the many factories then created are operating today. Although its industrial life is in decline, tourism is perceived as the big opportunity for the future since the nearby coast of the Arrábida natural park, offers beautiful beaches and unspoilt nature. A colony of dolphins lives in the Sado River, and across the river from Setúbal lies the peninsula of Tróia, where several high-rise luxury resorts were built and abandoned after the realization they were being constructed on sinking, unstable land. As of 2005, a new luxury resort is planned to replace today's Tróia. You can view Tróia at Albarquel, a beach located in the very beginning of Arrábida.