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Mafra is a small city (2002 pop. 11080) on the Portuguese west coast, 40km to the northwest of Lisbon. The city is mostly known for the impressive Royal Palace and Convent it houses: the Convento de Mafra, which also makes it a popular tourist destination in the Lisbon area. Built in the baroque style and reminescent of the Spanish palace-convent El Escorial, the Convento de Mafra has also inspired Portuguese Nobel Prize laureate José Saramago to write his novel "Memorial do Convento".
Other points of interest around the city include the Tapada Nacional de Mafra, an enclosed wildlife and game reserve.
Mafra is also the administrative centre of the concelho with the same name (2002 pop. 53069) which comprises 17 freguesias. The concelho is mainly rural with some touristic activity centred in Mafra and especially in the seaside city of Ericeira, which has become a key destination for national and international surfers.
After the completion of the A8 motorway, linking the eastern part of the municipality to the centre of Lisbon, commuter population has increased substantially.
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