SETUBAL

city, capital, and concelho (municipality), Setbal district, southwestern Portugal, southeast of Lisbon, on the northern shore of the deep estuary formed by the Sado, Marateca, and So Martinho rivers. The city served as a royal residence during the reign of King John II (148195). With the exception of the Igreja (church) de Jesus (begun 1490) and the 17th-century Castelo de So Filipe, the older buildings of Setbal were almost totally destroyed in the catastrophic earthquake of 1755. In the sand hills of the left bank of the estuary are the ruins of the Roman town of Cetobriga, which was destroyed by tidal wave in AD 412. The city is Portugal's third most important port. It exports salt, oranges, and muscatel wine and grapes and has boat-building establishments and canneries. Industries produce glassware, chemicals, electrical equipment, and pharmaceuticals. Setbal district (area 1,955 sq mi [5,064 sq km]) occupies the peninsula between the Tagus and Sado estuaries, as well as more arid stretches south of the Sado estuary in which wheat, rye, and corn (maize) are grown along with considerable quantities of olives and fruits. The peninsula is remarkable for the profuse vegetation on the southern slope of the Serra de Arrbida along the southern coast. A magnificent Moorish castle in Palmela and the 15th- and 16th-century Quinta da Bacalhoa at Vila Fresca de Azeito are notable landmarks. A highway between Lisbon and Setbal opened in 1979. Other highways extend east to Spain and south to Faro district. A thermal electric station on the Mitrena Peninsula is located about 27 mi from Setbal town. Pop. (1981) city, 77,230; concelho, 97,762; district, 654,312.