Lagoa de Óbidos
Portugal · Europe
About
The Lagoa de Óbidos is the largest coastal lagoon system on the Portuguese coast. It has a total area of approximately 6.9 square kilometres (2.7 mi2) and an average depth of 2 metres (6.6 ft), with depths ranging from 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) to 5 metres (16 ft). It is located in the Oeste region and it is bordered by the municipality of Caldas da Rainha to the north and by the municipality of Óbidos to the south.
The lagoon has a predominant NW-SW orientation, with a maximum length of 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) and a width that varies between 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) and 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi). It extends inland through two main channels: the Braço do Bom Sucesso to the west and the Braço da Barrosa to the east. It is connected to two small lakes, Poça do Vau to the south and Poça das Ferrarias to the west.
The lagoon is largely responsible for the development of historic sites, such as Castle of Óbidos. It was designated as a protected Ramsar site in 2025.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.