The municipality of Lagos is divided into 4 civil parishes: Bensafrim e Barão de São João, Lagos (São Sebastião e Santa Maria), Luz which includes the separate villages of Almádena and Espiche & Odiáxere.
The name Lagos comes from a Celtic settlement, derived from the Latin Lacobriga, the name of the settlement was established during the pre-Punic civilizations.
The Moors arrived in the 8th century from North Africa, renaming the settlement Zawaia (meaning lago, or lake). It became part of the much larger coastal region of al-Gharb, which eventually became known as the Algarve.
Lagos is an ancient maritime town with more than 2000 years of history.
Lagos is a municipality at the mouth of Bensafrim River and along the Atlantic Ocean
Lagos is twinned with: Torres Vedras, district of Lisbon, Portugal; Ribeira Grande, island of São Miguel, Azores; Ribeira Grande de Santiago, the island of Santiago, Cape Verde; Palos de la Frontera, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain & Ksar El Kebir, city in the province of Larache, Morocco.
The population of Lagos is 22,000.
In 2012 Lagos received the QualityCoast Gold Award for its efforts to become a sustainable tourism destination.
In the Battle of Lagos (1693) a French flotilla defeated a combined Anglo-Dutch force, while in the Battle of Lagos (1759) a British force defeated a French force.
Notable people of Lagos: José Reis, Júlio Dantas, Júlia Barroso, Diogo Rodrigues, Lançarote de Freitas, Gil Eanes, Soeiro da Costa & São Gonçalo de Lago.