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Monte de Caparica and Outskirts Monte de Caparica is a town situated south of Lisbon in the left bank of the Tagus estuary, between Almada and Trafaria, a few kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean. Almada was taken from the moors in 1147 and its name means ‘gold or silver mine’ recalling the mining of these metals in the banks of the river Tagus and in the Adiça mine. Costa de Caparica, due to the extensive coastal strip of fine white sand (20 km) extending up to Albufeira lagoon, is one of the most crowded summer resorts of the country. Inland, one finds national forests. For centuries, the area was chosen by the rich inhabitants of Lisbon to build summer aristocratic estates and palaces due to the clear waters and magnificent views. This was essentially a rural area and the population lived, until recently, from agriculture and fishing. In the last decades there was intensive building and nowadays it is densely populated especially during Summer. The climate is mild with Mediterranean characteristics and the temperature ranges from 5 to 15ºC (40 to 60ºF) during Winter, and 20 to 35ºC (70 to 95ºF) during Summer.
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