Almeida, Portugal the current name was first used, in the form of the Arabic "al-Ma'ida" ('the plateau'). The village of Almeida was captured from the Moors by the second king of Portugal, Sancho I in the 12th century because of its strategic position on the new country of Portugal's border with Spain. So important to the security of the country, Sancho had the village heavily fortified. The castle was refortified on three further occasions by King Dinis, King Manuel I and by King João VI. The present 12 pointed star fortification was constructed in 1641 to a Vaubanesque plan on which the
Costa Verde (Portugal) Costa Verde (Portugal) Costa Verde () is a tourist and coastal region of northwest Portugal. The name of the region comes from the dominant colour of the dense vegetation of the land, the green ("Verde" in Portuguese), supported by abundant precipitation. Climate is classified as Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb). As a result, its climate shares many characteristics with coastal southwestern Portugal: warm, dry summers and mild rainy winters. In the coast, along with Porto there are cities and towns with a strong tradition on beach tourism, and in fisheries, most notably Espinho and Póvoa de Varzim, both cities