Relva
| Relva | |
| Civil Parish (Freguesia) | |
 The parish of Relva, at the end of the International Airport, with the church of Nossa Senhora dos Neves
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| Official name: Freguesia da Relva | |
| Name origin: relva Portuguese for grass | |
| Country |  Portugal |
|---|---|
| Autonomous Region |  Azores |
| Group | Eastern |
| Island | São Miguel |
| Municipality | Ponta Delgada |
| Localities | Nordela, Relva |
| Center | Relva |
| - elevation | 101 m (331 ft) |
| - coordinates | 37°45′14″N 25°43′14″W / 37.75389°N 25.72056°W |
| Highest point | Uveiras |
| - elevation | 824.08 m (2,704 ft) |
| - coordinates | 37°49′9″N 25°44′58″W / 37.81917°N 25.74944°W |
| Lowest point | Sea Level |
| - location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Length | 5.95 km (4 mi), Southwest-Northeast |
| Width | 6.78 km (4 mi), Northwest-Southeast |
| Area | 10.98 km2 (4 sq mi) |
| - land | 11.33 km2 (4 sq mi) |
| - water | .00 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| - urban | .77 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| Population | 3,005 (2011) |
| Density | 223.39 / km2 (579 / sq mi) |
| LAU | Freguesia/Junta Freguesia |
| - location | Avenida 5 de Agosto, Relva, Ponta Delgada |
| President Junta | José da Costa Melo |
| President Assembleia | João Manuel Almeida Soares |
| Timezone | Azores (UTC-1) |
| - summer (DST) | Azores (UTC0) |
| ISO 3166-2 code | PT- |
| Postal Zone | 9500-651 Relva |
| Area Code & Prefix | (+351) 296 672 XXX |
| Demonym | Micalense |
| Patron Saint | Nossa Senhora dos Neves |
| Parish Address | Avenida 5 de Agosto, nº 3 9500-651 Relva |
| Wikimedia Commons: Relva (Ponta Delgada) | |
| Website: http://www.jfrelva.com | |
| Statistics from INE (2001); geographic detail from Instituto Geográfico Português (2010) | |
Relva is a parish in the district of Ponta Delgada in the Azores. The population in 2001 is 2703, its density is 223.39/km² and the area is 12.1 km². Relva are surrounded by mountains near the area including an escarpment slightly east of Relva. It is located in the southwestern part of the island of São Miguel and is connected by roads linking Mosteiros and Ponta Delgada. The mountains which are covered with lovely trees are to the north while the Atlantic Ocean lies to the south. The main industry are agriculture. Farmlands dominate within the coastline and while the mountainous areas cover the rest of Feteiras. Relva is accessed with a bus transport to Ponta Delgada. Relva means grass in Portuguese and this parish is very green with beautiful views of the ocean. Relva is characterized by cliffs down to the coast not beaches. It is a small area where dairy farmers go through the streets being pulled by horses on their way to the market.
[edit] History
The area of Relva was prestine forest and unoccupied grasslands, virgin fields, where the first explorers discovered forest of laurel, azevinhos, gingeiras and cedros, interespered by uveiras da serra. The region, which extends to the border with Santa Clara and Feteiras, became a place where the pigs sent ashore by the first settlers congregated, and where many of nobles of Vila Franca do Campo hunted.[1] Travelling by boat to the shore Santa Clara, these hunters would disembark and spend several days hunting for the semi-feral pigs, then returned to the settlements with their prizes. Slowly, the region began to be occupied by the first families, houses, fields and estates, developing the community of Ponta Delgada, and encroaching on the unspoiled lands to the west. Eventually, farmers began to graze their herds in the region where they encountered lands with thick grasses: relva, the Portuguese word for grass, as the region became known, was used to describe this place, because this settlers found plenty of this boa erva (Portuguese: good weed).[1] The first settlers, where likely farmers and shepards, integrally linked to the land, although no records identify the peoples.
The locality of Relva became more of a reality as settlers concentrated around the estates of Martim Vaz, a celebrated nobleman and local receiver (who collected the rents from the local serfs). Vaz was relatively important, since his name was attached to improvements made to the local fountain (which was near the sea), an important landowner and for his construction of the first temple in the parish, dedicated to Nossa Senhora das Neves.[1] His role in the parish is reflected in the local toponymy: the church was once referred to as the Igreja do Contador da Relva (Portuguese: Church of the Receiver of Relva), the fountain that he repaired the Fonte do Contador and a local grotto, the Grota do Contador, who were named for Martim Vaz.[1]
[edit] Geography
Relva has a school, a lyceum, a small harbor carrying tens of boats, a church and a square (English: praça).
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ a b c d Melo, Pedro (2011). "A Relva de outros tempos [The Relva of Other Times]" (in Portuguese). Ponta Delgada (Azores), Portugal: Junta de Freguesia da Relva. http://www.jfrelva.com/index-1a.html. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
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