Vila do Porto (Azores)

Vila do Porto
Municipality (Concelho)
From Pico Alto, the view of the main settlement of the island of Santa Maria, the community of Vila do Porto
Flag Coat of arms
Official name: Concelho da Vila do Porto
Name origin: porto, Portuguese for village of the port
Country	Portugal
Autonomous Region	Azores
Group	Central
Island	Santa Maria
Municipality	Vila do Porto
Civil Parishes	Almagreira, Santa Bárbara, Santo Espírito, São Pedro, Vila do Porto
Center	Bom Despacho Velho
- elevation	242 m (794 ft)
- coordinates	36°58′19″N 25°5′54″W
Highest point	Pico Alto
- elevation	586.64 m (1,925 ft)
- coordinates	36°58′58″N 25°5′27″W
Lowest point	Sea level
- location	Atlantic Ocean
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	16.76 km (10 mi), Northwest-Southeast
Width	10.29 km (6 mi), Southwest-Northeast
Area	96.89 km2 (37 sq mi)
- land	93.17 km2 (36 sq mi)
- urban	3.72 km2 (1 sq mi)
Population	5,511 (2001)
Density	56.88 / km2 (147 / sq mi)
Settlement	c. 1460
LAU	Concelho/Câmara Municipal
- elevation	89 m (292 ft)
- coordinates	36°57′11″N 25°8′36″W
President	Nélia Maria Coutinho Figueiredo
Municipal Chair	António José Tavares de Loura
Timezone	Azores (UTC-1)
- summer (DST)	Azores (UTC0)
ISO 3166-2 code	PT-
Postal Zone	9580-539 Vila do Porto
Area Code & Prefix	(+351) 292 XXX-XXXX
Demonym	Mariense
Patron Saint	Nossa Senhora da Assunção
Municipal Address	Largo Nossa Senhora da Conceição 9580-539 Vila do Porto
Municipal Holidays	15 August
Location of the municipality of Vila do Porto in the archipelago of the Azores
Wikimedia Commons: Vila do Porto
Website: http://www.cm-viladoporto.pt www.cm-viladoporto.pt
Statistics from INE (2001); geographic detail from Instituto Geográfico Português (2010)

Vila do Porto (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvilɐ ðu ˈpoɾtu], "Port Town") is the single municipality, the name of the main town and one of the civil parishes on the island of Santa Maria, in the Portuguese Autonomous Region of Azores. Its nearest neighbour, administratively, is the municipality of Povoação on the southern coast of São Miguel (to the northwest), and it is physically southwest of the Formigas Islets.

History

Gonçalo Velho Cabral, nobleman in the House of Infante D. Henrique (Henry the Navigator) and commander in the Order of Christ, arrived on the island of Santa Maria in 1432. In the cartography of the 14th Century, the island was referred to as Ilha dos Lobos ("Island of Wolves"). It became the seat of the first Captaincy of the Azores, which initially included both Santa Maria and São Miguel.

Its first settlement began in 1439, with the occupation of Praia dos Lobos (in the northern coast around Anjos). Fernão de Quental would later (around 1450) establish a colony in the south along an escarpment overlooking a small bay that aforded protection for ships: what would become known as the Vila do Porto ("town of the port"). This town would become incorporated in 1470, with the establishment of the first lighthouse in the Azores. Although never experiencing earthquakes since its initial settlement (in comparison to the other islands in the Azores, the community was always marked by isolation, inaccessibility and weak defensive position.

In 1901, it received an official visit from King D. Carlos and Queen D. Amélia, and later that year elected the first Republican municipal government.

Geography

The municipality incorporates the island of Santa Maria in its entirety, and is divide into five parishes:

• Almagreira
• Santa Bárbara
• Santo Espírito
• São Pedro
• Vila do Porto

The largest parish in population and density is Vila do Porto. The smallest parish in population is Santa Bárbara. The largest parish in area and the smallest in density is Santo Espírito and the smallest is Almagreira.

Sister city

Vila do Porto's sister city is:

• Hudson, Massachusetts, USA [1]

Economy

The main source of industry are agriculture and fishing while a small number of businesses are in the downtown area.