Presently the main inlet of the system is the Faro-Olhão inlet, which was artificially opened. The process started in 1927 but only in 1952 were the engineering works completed and it assumed the present configuration.

Part of the system is a Natural Park but Ria Formosa also plays an important role in the region's economy. Beyond the tourist use the system also supports other economic activities like seafood farms and the port of Faro.

The Ria Formosa is also a designated Natural Park of over 170 km² and a stopping place for hundreds of different birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods.

The most important cities near the Ria Formosa are Tavira, Faro and Olhão.

There are also some towns in this area, whose names are: Fuzeta (which belongs to the municipality of Olhão), Santa Luzia, Cabanas de Tavira (these last two belonging to Tavira) and Cacela Velha (which belongs to Vila Real de Santo António).

Little villages and towns in the area, like Cabanas de Tavira, have a large number of bars, cafés and restaurants which run along the riverfront and are also dotted around a couple of blocks inland.

The coast of east Algarve has a remarkably mild climate, with sunny days all year round. Winters are usually mild and summers are not very hot. Because of these features, beaches in the Ria Formosa area are well known, like Vale do Lobo, Faro Island, Culatra, Barril, Tavira Island, Cabanas de Tavira, Cacela-Velha and Manta Rota. Tavira Island Beach has a camping park.