Palmela

Encyclopedia : P : PA : PAL : Palmela

For the Pedro de Sousa Holstein, Count, Marquess and Duke of Palmela, Duke of Faial, see Pedro de Sousa Holstein.

Palmela

Municipal coat of arms

Subdivisions of Portugal>Location
- Region
- Subregion
- District or A.R.

Lisboa
Península de Setúbal
Setúbal

Mayor
- List_of_political_parties_in_Portugal>Party

Ana Vicente
CDU

Area

463.0 km²

Population
- Total
- Density

58,222
126/km²

No. of freguesia>parishes

Coordinates

[38º40'N 8º58'W]

Municipal holiday

June 1

Website: http://www.cm-palmela.pt

Palmela (pron. IPA /paɫ.mɛ.lɐ/) is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 463.0 km² and a total population of 58,222 inhabitants.

The municipality is composed of 5 parishes, and is located in the district of Setúbal, 25km south of Lisbon.

The present Mayor is Ana Teresa Vicente Sá, elected by the Unitarian Democratic Coalition.

The municipal holiday is June 1.

Contents

1 Parishes
2 General info
3 Autoeuropa
4 External links

Parishes

Marateca
Palmela
Pinhal Novo
Poceirão
Quinta do Anjo

General info

The town's name comes from his Roman founder, Cornelius Palma. Palmela, once a fortress, was conquered by the Portuguese in the XII century, from Muslim invaders. It is located up a hill in the Arrábida area, and it's a semi-rural town, right in the middle of Portugal's biggest urban area, though the fact that many people are moving in from big cities like Lisbon represents a problem. Wild fires in the region are another threat to the environment.

The town's ex libris is the castle (Castelo de Palmela), which offers an unique view over the whole region of Setúbal's Peninsula, Lisbon, and the Atlantic Coast. It was a strategic place in past centuries, and today it is still a main knot of Portugal's road and rail networks.

Palmela is home to many multinational industrial plants like Volkswagen or Coca-Cola, and a significant number of foreign families live in the area. The local radio often broadcasts in Ukrainian.

Palmela's traditional products are the wine, which has achieved international awards in several festivals like Bordeaux's, and the queijo de Azeitão (Azeitão's cheese), also very appreciated. There are several festivals dedicated to these products, being the most famous the Festa das Vindimas (Vines' Festival) and the Festival do Queijo, Pão e Vinho (Festival of Cheese, Bread and Wine).

Palmela is the birthplace of the Portuguese explorer Hermenegildo Capelo and, as a curiosity, where some famous individuals such as Hans Christian Andersen were briefly hosted.

Autoeuropa

The Volkswagen Autoeuropa factory in Palmela represents 1% of Portugal's national wealth. It is the biggest employer in town. In 2005, Autoeuropa produced a total of 79,896 vehicles, of the models Volkswagen Sharan, SEAT Alhambra, Ford Galaxy and Volkswagen Eos. Yet a new model will be produced in Autoeuropa from 2008.

External links

[Town Hall official website]

[Photos from Palmela]

Municipalities of the District of Setúbal
Alcácer do Sal \| Alcochete \| Almada \| Barreiro \| Grândola \| Moita \| Montijo \| Palmela \| Santiago do Cacém \| Seixal \| Sesimbra \| Setúbal \| Sines

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