part of the Ria Formosa natural wetlands park. In recent years the Gran Plaza shopping centre, incorporating a cinema, supermarket shops, and restaurants, was built on the outskirts of the town. House prices have increased sharply in recent years. The development of many golf clubs close to the town has also had an effect. As one of the popular towns in the Algarve, Tavira benefits from tourism which is the primary aspect of the region's economy. Climate Tavira has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Together with Faro, it is among the sunniest cities in Portugal and in Europe, typically averaging around 3,150 hours of sunshine. Due to its location on the Algarvian Sotavento, Tavira is sheltered from frontal systems coming from the west but exposed to the influences of humid air masses coming from the south. The city receives predominantly western winds. Temperatures below are registered, on average, once a year. In contrast to the western coasts of Portugal, fog is very uncommon in Tavira, occurring on average only three times a year. Parishes Administratively, the municipality is divided into 6 civil parishes (freguesias): Conceição e Cabanas de Tavira Cachopo Luz de Tavira e Santo Estêvão Santa Catarina da Fonte do Bispo Santa Luzia Tavira (Santa Maria e Santiago) Transport Tavira has its own railway station on the line from Vila Real de Santo António to Faro and Lagos. Trains are operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP). Connections are available at Faro station for trains to Lisbon and the rest of Portugal. The A22 toll motorway passes near to the town. This offers fast road access along the Algarve coast and eastwards to Seville. The nearest international airports are Faro and Seville. International relations Tavira is twinned with: Kenitra, Morocco Łańcut, Poland Perpignan, France Porto Novo, Cape Verde Punta Umbría, Spain San Bartolomé de la Torre, Spain Notable people The Corte-Real family nobles originated in the 14th century in Tavira Diogo de Mendonça Corte-Real (1658–1736) a diplomat and statesman Józef Karol Konrad Chełmicki (1814-1890) a Polish-born Portuguese general Estácio da Veiga (1828–1891) a Portuguese archeologist António Cabreira (1868–1953) aristocrat, mathematician, polygraph and publicist Álvaro de Campos (1890–1935) heteronym of the poet Fernando Pessoa, known for his powerful and wrathful writing Sport Miguel Cabrita (born 1974) swimmer, competed at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics Fernando Livramento (born 1982) a former footballer