Mafra

Mafra is both a concelho and a town within the district of Lisbon on the Portuguese west coast:

• The concelho comprises 17 freguesias, with a total population in 2002 of 53,069. It is mainly rural with some touristic activity centred in the town 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.

• The town (2002 pop. 11080) is 40km to the northwest of Lisbon. It 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.