| MAFRA - PORTUGAL
Mafra is a small city (2002 pop. 11080) on the
Portuguese west coast, 40km to the northwest of Lisbon. The city is mostly
known for the impressive Royal Palace and Convent it houses: the Convento de
Mafra, which also makes it a popular tourist destination in the Lisbon area.
Built in the baroque style and reminescent of the spanish palace-convent El
Escorial, the Convento de Mafra has also inspired Portuguese Nobel Prize
laureate José Saramago to write his novel "Memorial do Convento".
Other points of interest around the city include the Tapada Nacional de
Mafra, an enclosed wildlife and game reserve.
Mafra is also the administrative centre of
the concelho with the same name (2002 pop. 53069) which comprises 17
freguesias. The concelho is mainly rural with some touristic activity
centred in Mafra and especially in the seaside city of Ericeira, which has
become a key destination for national and international surfers. After the
completion of the A8 motorway, linking the eastern part of the municipality
to the centre of Lisbon, commuter population has increased substantially.
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