Zambujeira do Mar

Zambujeira do Mar is a former civil parish in the municipality of Odemira, Alentejo region, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the parish São Teotónio. Odemira Municipality in the Portuguese. It has a population of 911 inhabitants, dispersed over an area of 40.975km2.HistoryThe most recent civil parish established in Odemira, Zambujeira do Mar was deannexed from the neighbouring civil parish of São Teotónio on 30 June 1989. It merged back into São Teotónio in 2013.GeographyAs its name implies, Zambujeira do Mar is located along the western coast of the Alentejo, south of Cabo Sardão, an area cut by various valleys, cliffs and faults, interspersed by small beaches consisting of clear fine sands, such as Zambujeira, Alteirinhos, Nossa Senhora e Tonel. The coast of Zambujeira is included within the Nature Park of the Southwest Alentejo and St. Vincent Coast (Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina), covering the various folding clifftops and small beaches/coves of the coast. In addition to the central coastal beach of Zambujeira, the beaches of Alteirinhos, Nossa Senhora, Arquinha and Tonel are geologically significant, as well as attracting summer tourists and vacationers.EconomyThe principal activity in the parish is tourism, although agriculture, cattle breeding and fishing are common activities for the industrial sectors of the economy. There are four ports along the coast that shelter the fishery ships in the area called Entradas da Barca. By the last half of the 20th century, rural tourism began to punctuate some of the areas of the parish, concentrated on providing quality leisure services associated with rural/farm activities.