The city has a land area of 127 square kilometers or about 49 square miles. Moreover, this city has 4 parishes namely Cacem, Aqualva, San Marcos and Mira-Sintra. Aqualva Cacem is situated within the “Greater Lisbon Area”. Furthermore, the city is a residential suburb surrounded by various industries and companies.

The parish of Aqualva had more than 50, 000 inhabitants as of the year 2006 while Cacem had about 30,000 inhabitants as of the same year. On the other hand, there were approximately 14,945 inhabitants in San Marcos as of the year 2001 while the inhabitants in Mira-Sintra totaled around 6,106 as of the year 2006.

Historical Sites

The city of Aqualva-Cacem has been encountering some problems about the environment due to its urbanization. This is why the government has taken appropriate measures in preserving the city’s historical sites. An example of the preserved and historical site is the so-called yards of pond in Ribeira. The High Colaride Archeological Park , Quinta da Bela Vista where a famous Portuguese lived for a long time, Quinta da Fidalgo and Ribeiro de Carvalho which is also a popular figure within Portugal’s first republic, are among the protected historical sites in the city.

Aqualva- Cacem has a bustling economic life. This is the reason why there are numerous industrial parks engaged in the manufacture and distribution of various products in the suburbs of the city and its neighboring areas. The county of Aqualva- Cacem is a small town in Sintra that also provides services for tourists and immigrants.

History

Cacem was only a small village in the early 1940s. It is situated about 20 kilometers away from the district of Lisbon. The city had no historical importance during those times aside from its main railway station that is situated midway between Sintra’s prestigious banlieu. After a few decades, rural exodus and industrialization came to Portugal wherein numerous small villages near the district of Lisbon boomed into unplanned and affordable housing for hundreds if not thousands of inhabitants. Nearly 15 years after the industrialization and real estate boom, the small village of Cacem became the most populated community in Europe.

The name Aqualva-Cacem once belonged to a “freguesia”. It originally covers only 4.1 square miles or 10.51 square kilometers. This freguesia lasted until 2001 with its 2001 Census reporting a population of 81,845. Despite the fact that the official name of this Portuguese city is “Aqualva-Cacem”, the whole population in the area generally refers to it as “Cacem”. It is, however, quite confusing to the locals for the term “Cacem” alone refers to the city’s four parishes such as Mira-Sintra, Cacem, San Marcos, and Aqualva. This city was officially proclaimed as a member of a certain parish in Portugal on the twelfth of July, 2001. Exactly three months after the proclamation, Aqualva-Cacem was elevated to city status and the old parish was separated into administrative parishes namely Cacem, San Marco, Aqualva and Mira-Sintra.

After Aqualva Cacem became a city, it underwent numerous improvement projects involving the entire municipality of Sintra. The Polish were responsible for the improvements due to its reconstruction projects of all the European cities.

Education

Below is a list of all the schools within the city of Aqualva Cacem:

• Gama Barros School
• Sun of Ferreira School
• Matias Aires Secondary School
• Ji Aqualva School of Paragraph 2 (Formerly Ji EB1 Paragraph 4 of Cacem)
• Basic School of D.23 Linggo Jard
• School No. 1, EB Aqualva
• School EB1 or J1 Aqualva 2 (EB 1 is formerly known as No.4 of Cacem)
• Escola EB 23 Antonio Sergio
• EB1 or J1 Aqualva School No. 1 (formerly Pragraph 4 of Aqualva)
• EB1 or J1 of Colaride School
• EB1 or J1 of Mira-Sintra School
• EB1 or J1 of Lopas School
• Escola EB1 N degrees 2 of Mira-Sintra
• EB1 or J1 School of San Marcos
• ECDC Mira-Sintra (education center that caters to differently abled citizens)

Public Facilities in Aqualva Cacem

Below is a list of the city’s public facilities:

• Aqualva Cacem Municipal Library
• Lopas Entertainment Center
• Cacem Market
• Aqualva Market
• Mira-Sintra Market
• Aqualva Health Center
• Mira-Sintra Health Center
• San Marcos Health Center
• Olival Cacem Health Center
• Conservatoria Predayal Registration
• Aqualva Social Security Services
• SMAS in Aqualva (Municipal Services of Water and Saneameento de Sintra)
• Auditorio Municipal of Antonio Silva
• ABVAC Pool of Aqualva
• Volunteer Firemen of Aqualva Cacem
• Paysina Municipal of Mira-Sintra
• Sintra 3 Division of Finance
• PSP Group of Aqualva
• Post office in Aqualva
• Post office in Cacem
• Aqualva Cacem Railway Station
• Mira-Sintra to Melecas Train Station
• Mira-Sintra Urban Park
• Aqualva Cacem Urban Park

Sports

Sports organizations in Aqualva include the following:

• Social and Cultural Group of New Talents
• Health Club 1
• Lilies de Monte
• Super Radical
• Theater Group of “The Law”
• Excursionistas Recreational Group
• Continental Lopas

Sports organization in Cacem:

• Athletic Club of Cacem

Popular Sites in Aqualva Cacem

• Gruta do Colaride
• Anta de Aqualva
• Football clubs of Atletico Clube do Cacem and Ginasio Clube 1 de Maio de Aqualva – These two football clubs are CUC or “Clube Unidos do Cacem” as well as Novos Talentos.

Aqualva Cacem Flag

The flag of this city is a quartered yellow over the color blue. It is also charged at the center with a pointed and round shield that has the colors gold and blue. The flag also has two wheels of a windmill as well as a sailed argent and a chief along with a bishop tiara that is lined with the color red.