 Like us on Facebook
PLACE NAMES




|
Figueira da Foz
|
|
|
Figueira da Foz, also known as Figueira for short, is a city and a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. Practically at the midpoint of the Iberian Peninsula's Atlantic coast, it is located at the mouth of the Mondego River, 40 km (25 mi) west of Coimbra and sheltered by hills (Serra da Boa Viagem), sharing about the same latitude with Philadelphia, Baku and Beijing. The population in 2011 was 62,125, in an area of 379.05 km² (146.35 sq mi). The city of Figueira da Foz proper has a population of 46,600. It is the second largest city in the district of Coimbra.
It is a coastal city with several beaches, summer and seaport facilities on the Atlantic Ocean coast. As a tourism city, it plays an important part in the centre of the country. A zone of legal gambling, one can find in Figueira one of the biggest casinos of the Iberian Peninsula – the Casino Figueira.
The city is an important industrial centre, producing wood pulp and paper (Soporcel - a Portucel Soporcel company; CELBI - an Altri company) and glass (Saint-Gobain Mondego - a Saint-Gobain company). It also has notable naval construction and fish industries, as well as a factory of the CIMPOR Group installed in the Mondego Cape (Cabo Mondego). The seaport and the fishing harbour are also important for its economy.
With its old and renowned casino (Casino da Figueira), the marina, several hotels, restaurants and other tourist facilities, Figueira is actually a very important Atlantic beach resort, in the center of Portugal's Silver Coast/Costa de Prata tourism region. A generaly windy coastal area, its relatively cold seawaters are particularilly renowned as a surf and kitesurf hotspot in the same fashion as other places throughout the west coast of Portugal. Places like Nazaré, Peniche or Ericeira. In July and August its main beaches are usually packed with beachgoers too.
Feel free to Email me any additions or corrections
LINKS AVAILABLE TO YOUR SITE
| | |