It was not until the 13th century that the Portuguese finally secured the region against subsequent Moorish attempts to recapture the area. Its highest point is the mountain range of Monchique, with a maximum altitude of 906m (Peak of the Foia). The region's administrative centre is the city of Faro, which has its own international airport (Faro Airport) and public university (University of the Algarve). Accommodation in the Algarve ranges from high rise resorts in places like Albufeira to traditional guesthouses, located in the small towns and villages surrounding the algarve coast. Praia da Marinha, Lagoa was classified as one of the 100 most beautiful and well preserved beaches of the world.

Being a region of Portugal, and therefore in the European Union, any EU citizen have the right to freely buy property and reside with little formality in the Algarve. The Conii, influenced by Tartessos, were established by the sixth century BC in the region of the Algarve. The Algarve is the home of the Ria Formosa lagoon, a nature reserve of over 170 square kilometres and a stopping place for hundreds of different birds. The coastline is notable for picturesque limestone caves and grottoes, particularly around Lagos, which are accessible by powerboat. Over the past few years many tourists visiting the Algarve have moved away from the resorts, and have chosen the comfort of a traditional Algarve guesthouse, many of these run by ex-pats from England, Holland, and Germany who have escaped to the Algarve for a quieter life.

It has since become a common destination for the Germans and the Dutch. The Algarve is hilly, but traversed with rich valleys. Over the past 50 years the Algarve has seen an increase in development, particularly from non-Portuguese developers. In the 5th century, the Visigoths inhabited the Algarve until the beginning of the Moorish invasion in 711. Faro, which the Christian residents had called Santa Maria, was renamed Faraon, which means "the settlement of the Knights".

The Algarve region is divided into 16 municipalities. The Algarve is a popular destination for tourism, primarily because of its beaches, Mediterranean climate, safety and relatively low costs. Due to the Moorish occupation of Iberia, the region was called "Al-Garb Al-Andalus". When the Moors conquered Lagos in 716 it was called Zawaia. There are Algarve-based English-written publications and newspapers specifically addressed to this community. The Portugal News being the most popular.

The Carthaginians founded Portus Hanibalis which is known today as Portimo in circa 550 BC. The maximum temperatures in the Algarve fluctuate between 15 and 38 C, with the temperature never falling below zero in the winter months. The Algarve became the first part of Portugal to liberate itself from Spanish occupation, in the rebellion of Olhao in 1808. When the Moors conquered Lagos in 716 it was called Zawaia. In 1807, when Junot was leading the first Napoleonic invasion in the north of Portugal, the Algarve was occupied by the Spanish troops of Manuel Godoy.