Physical geography The Sintra Mountains, a granite massif ten kilometres long – considered the
Monte da Lua (
Mountain of the Moon), or
Promontorium Lunae by the strong local tradition of astral cults – emerge abruptly between a vast plain to the north and the northern margin of the
Tagus River estuary, winding in a serpentine cordillera towards the Atlantic Ocean and
Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of continental Europe. The São João platform, along the northern flank of the Sintra Mountains, has altitudes between and , while the southern part of the mountains, the Cascais platform, is lower: sloping from to the sea, terminating along the coast, around above sea level. The spectacular relief results from the east–west orientation of the massif's axis, its terminus at the coast, and the nature of igneous rocks, which are resistant to erosion. For different reasons (the climate here has been moderated by the Sintra Mountains; the fertility of the soils; and its relative proximity to the
Tagus estuary) the region attracted considerable early settlement. Due to its micro-climate, a huge park has developed full of dense foliage with a rich botanical diversity. The temperate climate and humidity resulting from proximity to the coast favour the growth of a rich mat of forest including Atlantic and Mediterranean species, marking the transition in Portugal from northern to southern vegetation. The Pyrenean oak (
Quercus pyrenaica) predominates over great expanses of the rocky heights and sheltered slopes. On moist shady slopes, normally facing north, or in sheltered places, the common oak (
Quercus robur) is widespread. In lowland areas and warm places the cork oak (
Quercus suber) is common and in limestone areas the Portuguese oak (
Quercus faginea) is found. Other species scattered throughout the mountains of Sintra include: maple (
Acer pseudoplatanus), common hazel (
Corylus avellana), common hawthorn (
Crataegus monogyna), European holly (
Ilex aquifolium), Portuguese laurel (
Prunus lusitanica), Bay laurel (
Laurus nobilis), strawberry tree (
Arbutus unedo), laurestine (
Viburnum tinus), Kermes oak (
Quercus coccifera), and Italian buckthorn (
Rhamnus alaternus). In the valleys, near watercourses, grow narrow-leaf ash (
Fraxinus angustifolia), Grey willow (
Salix atrocinerea), European alder (
Alnus glutinosa), alder buckthorn (
Frangula alnus) and black elderberry (
Sambucus nigra). Since 1966, the Sintra Mountains have been affected by fires that have destroyed a major part of the original forest, which has been substituted by acacia and other fast-growing exotic species. The forested area of the Sintra mountains is about , of which 26% () is maintained by the State through the
Direcção Geral de Florestas – Núcleo Florestal de Sintra (
General Directorate of Forests – Sintra Forestry Service). {{Weather box
Human geography The municipality is administered by 11 civil parish () councils, with local authority to administer services and provide local governance, which are: • Agualva e Mira-Sintra •
Algueirão–Mem Martins • Almargem do Bispo, Pêro Pinheiro e Montelavar • Cacém e São Marcos • Casal de Cambra •
Colares •
Massamá e Monte Abraão •
Queluz e Belas •
Rio de Mouro •
São João das Lampas e Terrugem •
Sintra (Santa Maria e São Miguel, São Martinho e São Pedro de Penaferrim) Sintra also has numerous
hamlets and villages, including the affluent village of
Linhó, Sintra. Sintra's population grew considerably in the late 20th century, rising from about 14% of the Lisbon region to 19%, with the main concentration of resident population found in the important Queluz-Portela corridor, along the southeast corner of the municipality. In this area were concentrated approximately 82% of the municipality's population, the most attractive parishes to live in being São Pedro de Penaferrim, Rio de Mouro, Belas and Algueirão-Mem Martins. With the decrease in mortality rates, the region has undergone a general increase in infant births, primarily associated with late births, but also an increase in seniors in the community (56.5% in 2001). Yet Sintra is still considered to have a structurally young population, the youngest in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon. Young adults (30- to 39-year-olds) dominate Sintra's communities, with the parishes of Pêro Pinheiro, Terrugem, São Martinho, São João das Lampas, Santa Maria e São Miguel, Montelavar, Colares, Queluz and Almargem do Bispo all having higher rates of seniors in the population. Approximately 80% of the population are born outside the town, 21% of these being foreign born residents. While the resident population in Lisbon has seen a gentle decrease since the mid-1960s, Sintra has grown comparably. Urban areas represent of the municipality, or approximately 17.4% of Sintra's territory; 35% of the population reside in places of between 50,000 and 100,000 inhabitants. Many of these areas are anchored to lines of access, in particular, the
Sintra Line and the IC19 motorway which connects the principal towns of Queluz, Agualva-Cacém, Algueirão/Mem Martins, Rio de Mouro and Belas). Many of these urban areas are composed of a fabric of building projects that have historically resulted in dense buildings of concrete, normally seven or more floors in height. The greatest growth in residential homes has occurred in the south of the municipality, in the triangle of São Pedro de Penaferrim, Santa Maria e São Miguel and Casal de Cambra. In addition, there is a major concentration and growth in family dwellings of a seasonal nature, or second homes, in this region, and a proliferation of illegal construction in the parishes of São João das Lampas, São Pedro de Penaferrim, Belas, Agualva-Cacém and Casal de Cambra. == Politics ==