 With an area of the population of 2347 inhabitants (based on the 2001 census) is dispersed throughout the territory (there are 120 inhabitants per kilometre square of territory).The territory of Silves has been occupied since the Paleolithic, and testaments of human presence in Alcantarilha can be traced back to the fossil beaches in Torre and Morgado das Relvas, along the coast.The first settlement in Alcantarilha, developed during the pre-Roman era.