Praia da Luz (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɾajɐdɐˈluʃ], changing to [ˈpɾajɐdɐˈluz] before a following vowel), officially Luz, is a civil parish located about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the municipality of Lagos in the Algarve, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 3,545, in an area of 21.78 km². Also known as Luz de Lagos or Vila da Luz (a contraction of its former official name, Vila da Nossa Senhora da Luz), "Praia da Luz" (which means Beach of the Light) is used to refer to both the urbanized village and the beach.