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2 Law/Government 3 Geography 4 Economy 5 Demographics 6 Sites of Interest 7 Colleges/Universities 8 Sports Teams 9 Notable Natives 10 External Links |
More to come
Fernando José da Costa is the president of the Câmara Municipal (the "city council"), equivalent to a mayor in U.S. cities. Luis Manuel Monteiro Ribeiro is the president of the Assembleia Municipal (the "municipal assembly").
Caldas da Rainha is located at 39.40°N latitde 9.13°W longitde. The municipality comprises an area of 256.0 km2. The city is located approximately 82 km north of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. Although the municipality borders the Atlantic Ocean, the city proper is about 10 km from the ocean. Caldas da Rainha is in the district of Leiria, the region of Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, and the province of Estremadura. (Provinces are historical, no longer political or administrative.)
The municipality comprises sixteen freguesias. They are:
History
The Founding
Caldas da Rainha was founded by Queen Leonor, wife of King João II. One day in 1484, while traveling from Óbidos to Batalha, she found a group of peasants bathing in foul-smelling waters by the roadside. She stopped to inquire about this oddity and was told that the waters possessed curative powers. She decided to try it for herself. She was pleased to find that she was quickly relieved of some affliction she had been suffering (exactly what is not known). On that site, the queen ordered a thermal hospital built so that others may enjoy the relief that she felt. Construction began the following year, 1485. Although the first patients were admitted in 1488, construction was not completed until about 1496 or 1497. The name of the settlement that grew up around the site (Caldas da Rainha), reminds us of both its founder and the reason for its existence.Evolution
Caldas da Rainha was officially elevated to the status of vila (town) in 1511. It became a cidade (city) in 1927.Law/Government
Geography
List of Freguesias
| Freguesia | Population | Area (hectares) |
|---|---|---|
| A-dos-Francos | 1,797 | 1,978 |
| Alvorninha | 3,123 | 3,762 |
| Carvalhal Benfeito | 1,339 | 1,408 |
| Coto | 1,135 | 550 |
| Foz do Arelho | 1,223 | 995 |
| Landal | 1,144 | 994 |
| Nadadouro | 1,422 | 922 |
| Nossa Senhora do Pópulo (part of the city proper) | 14,453 | 1,210 |
| Salir de Matos | 2,428 | 2,429 |
| Salir do Porto | 770 | 991 |
| Santa Catarina | 3,282 | 1,994 |
| Santo Onofre (part of the city proper) | 10,775 | 911 |
| São Gregório | 907 | 1,442 |
| Serra do Bouro | 720 | 1,798 |
| Tornada | 3,150 | 1,982 |
| Vidais | 1,178 | 2,221 |
Note: Nossa Senhora do Pópulo and Santo Onofre belong to the city proper; the other fourteen are the "rural freguesias", which are part of the municipality, but not the city.
There are 1,587 business firms in the municipality. 4% are in the primary sector (agriculture), 22.6% are in the secondary sector (manufacturing) and 73.4% are in the tertiary sector (services).
There are 30 banking institutions, with deposits totaling €518,683,400.
49% of the population is employed, while 6.5% are unemployed. (The remainder are too young, are retired or do not otherwise participate in the workforce.)
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística - Portugal
As of the 2001 census, there are 48,846 inhabitants in the municipality. This represents a 13.1% increase over the 1991 population of 43,205.
Of current inhabitants, 23,483 (48.1%) are male and 25,363 (51.9%) are female. Inhabitants aged 14 and under number 7,666 (15.7%), those aged 15 to 24 number 6,509 (13.3%), those aged 25 to 64 number 25,867 (53.0%) and those aged 65 and over number 8,804 (18.0%).
The popluation density is 191.9 inhabitants/km2.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística - Portugal
To come
Economy
Demographics
Sites of Interest
Beaches and Water
Museums
Parks and Plazas
Colleges/Universities
Sports Teams
Notable Natives
External Links
Official Web Site
General Interest
Newspapers
Education
Colleges/Universities
Secondary Schools