Portimão is a town (Portuguese:
cidade) and a municipality in the district of
Faro, in the
Algarve region of southern
Portugal. The population in 2011 was 55,614, in an area of 182.06 km². It was formerly known as
Vila Nova de Portimão . In 1924, it was incorporated as a
cidade and became known merely as Portimão. Historically a fishing and shipbuilding centre, it has nonetheless developed into a strong tourist centre oriented along its beaches and southern coast. The two most populous towns in the Algarve are Portimão and
Faro.