Porto Santo Island is a
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
island 50 km northeast of Madeira Island in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is the northernmost and the easternmost island of the Madeira Archipelago. The municipality has no land boundaries and is encircled by the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
. Administratively, it is part of the
Autonomous Region of MadeiraMadeira is a Portuguese archipelago in the mid Atlantic Ocean that lies between and . It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands...
. The length of the island is about 9 km. The population in 2001 was 4,474 with a density of 106.1/km².
The main urban area - which is one of only five Portuguese municipalities that have only one
parishFreguesia is the Portuguese term for civil parish, a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal and in the former Portuguese Empire, and a former secondary local administrative unit in Macau. A "freguesia" is a subdivision of a "concelho" or "município", the Portuguese synonym terms for...
- is the city of
Vila BaleiraVila Baleira is a city on the island and municipality of Porto Santo, Portugal. It is the only city on the island and one of the seven cities of the Madeira Autonomous Region. It has been a city since August 1996....
, also known as the city of Porto Santo.
Porto Santo Island is a
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
island 50 km northeast of Madeira Island in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is the northernmost and the easternmost island of the Madeira Archipelago. The municipality has no land boundaries and is encircled by the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
. Administratively, it is part of the
Autonomous Region of MadeiraMadeira is a Portuguese archipelago in the mid Atlantic Ocean that lies between and . It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands...
. The length of the island is about 9 km. The population in 2001 was 4,474 with a density of 106.1/km².
The main urban area - which is one of only five Portuguese municipalities that have only one
parishFreguesia is the Portuguese term for civil parish, a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal and in the former Portuguese Empire, and a former secondary local administrative unit in Macau. A "freguesia" is a subdivision of a "concelho" or "município", the Portuguese synonym terms for...
- is the city of
Vila BaleiraVila Baleira is a city on the island and municipality of Porto Santo, Portugal. It is the only city on the island and one of the seven cities of the Madeira Autonomous Region. It has been a city since August 1996....
, also known as the city of Porto Santo. The island has an airport which serves flights to
FunchalFunchal , population 100,526, is the chief city of Madeira Island and the capital and largest city of the Madeira Autonomous Region, Portugal....
, which is only a 15-minute flight away. The nearest place is
MachicoMachico is a city and a municipality located in the northeastern part of the Madeira Islands. The city was founded in 1451. Machico is the easternmost municipality on the island and is the third most populous city after the capital Funchal and Câmara de Lobos. The population of the municipality...
on the island of
MadeiraMadeira is a Portuguese archipelago in the mid Atlantic Ocean that lies between and . It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands...
to the southwest, which serves as its port to Funchal. The main industry of Porto Santo Island is
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other...
.
Geography
The island's geography includes farmlands in the southern and central parts and further to the south a long shoreline with a few beaches, forests and grasslands to the west, rocky ledges and cliffs with a longer coastline to its north, forests to the northeast, drylands with grasses to the northern part and mountains along the northeastern part with about five to six main mountaintops with a few grasslands.
Much of the coastline is to the west, the north and the east. There are islets to the north east and a small peninsula with a mountaintop in the eastern end of the main island. What makes Porto Santo distinct in the Madeira Archipelago is that it has about 9 km of sandy beaches, while nearby Madeira island has virtually none, with tiny exceptions such as
CalhetaCalheta is a common name to several locations in the two Portuguese autonomous regions of Azores and Madeira, and in Cape Verde:-Places in Madeira:*Calheta , a parish and a municipality in Madeira...
.
- Location of Vila Baleira:
- Latitude: 33.0667 (33°4') N
- Longitude: 16.33 (16°20') W
- Altitude:
- Lowest: Atlantic Ocean
- Centre: 175 m (577 feet)
History
The official discovery of Porto Santo occurred in 1418, with the trip of the knights of Prince
HenryHenry the Navigator was an infante of the Kingdom of Portugal and an important figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire, being responsible for the beginning of the European worldwide explorations.Henry the Navigator was the third child of King John I of Portugal, the founder of the Aviz...
,
João Gonçalves ZarcoJoão Gonçalves Zarco was a Portuguese explorer who established settlements and recognition of the Madeira Islands, and was appointed first captain of Funchal by Henry the Navigator....
and
Tristão Vaz TeixeiraTristão Vaz Teixeira was a Portuguese navigator and explorer who, together with João Gonçalves Zarco and Bartolomeu Perestrelo, discovered the Madeira Islands...
, in accordance with the orders of king D.
John IJohn I , called the Good or of Happy Memory, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
.
Its captain-donee was
Bartolomeu PerestreloBartolomeu Perestrello , 1st Capitão Donatário, Lord and Governor of the Island of Porto Santo was a Portuguese navigator and explorer that, together with João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, discovered...
, that received letter of donation in November of 1445. The name of Porto Santo (Holy Port) was given, originally to the bay that, in the south coast, served of shelter when the navigators had been gathered by a storm.
In the first centuries of settling, the development of this place knew some difficulties due to scarcity of water and to the assaults of Algerian and French
piratesPiracy is a war-like act committed by private parties that engaged in acts of robbery and/or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the...
.
- The discoveries of Porto Santo and Madeira were first described by Gomes Eannes de Azurara in Chronica da Descoberta e Conquista da Guiné. (Eng. version by Edgar Prestage in 2 vols. issued by the Hakluyt Society, London, 1896-1899: The Chronicle of Discovery and Conquest of Guinea.)
- Arkan Simaan
Arkan Simaan is a French historian of science and a novelist.He was born in Lebanon in 1945. When he was two years old, his family immigrated to Brazil and settled in the city of Anápolis near to Brasilia. In 1964 a military coup d’etat overthrew the government of João Goulart just as Simaan had...
relates in French these discoveries in his novel: L’Écuyer d’Henri le Navigateur, published by Éditions l’Harmattan.
Tourism
The 9 km long sandy beach is the main attraction for tourists.
Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus was a navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere...
married and lived there for some time. Columbus' house is now a museum that presents a permanent exhibition about his life and family ties with Porto Santo, as well as temporary art exhibitions.
The island has a
golf courseA golf course consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
that was designed by Spanish golfing champion
Severiano BallesterosSeveriano "Seve" Ballesteros Sota is a Spanish professional golfer and former World No. 1, who was one of the sport's leading figures from the mid 1970s to the mid 1990s. He announced himself to the golfing world in 1976, when at age 19 he finished second at The Open Championship...
.
Porto Santo GolfePorto Santo Golfe is a 27-hole golf club on the scenic island of Porto Santo in Madeira, Portugal. It opened on 1 October 2004 and was designed by the Spanish 5-time major winner, Severiano Ballesteros....
will host the Madeira Islands Open from 2009 on the European Tour, and will be the largest course in the whole of the Madeira Archipelago once the planned second course is completed. There is currently one 18-hole golf course and one nine-hole course. Porto Santo golf complex, includes eight tennis courts and an equestrian center, circles Pico Ana Ferreira.
Many quality hotels and resorts were built in recent decades taking advantage of the sun and beach.
Although a small island, Porto Santo has today all the facilities such as schools, a
lyceumA Lyceum can be*an educational institution , or*a public hall used for cultural events like concerts.*Mount Lyceum...
, health center, police, a gymnasium, churches, a square (
praça), a Congress Centre, a museum, shopping centres, bars, hotels and restaurants.
Porto Santo Airport
The
Porto Santo AirportPorto Santo Airport is an airport located 1 km from Vila Baleira on Porto Santo Island, Madeira.-Airlines and destinations:*Jet4you *SATA Air Açores...
(PXO) has many connections with both domestic and occasional international flights.
The most frequent flights are to:
- Madeira Island /
FunchalFunchal , population 100,526, is the chief city of Madeira Island and the capital and largest city of the Madeira Autonomous Region, Portugal....
(FNC);
- Azores Islands /
Ponta DelgadaPonta Delgada is a city and municipality on São Miguel Island in the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. The city proper has a population of 46,102 and the municipality has a population of 64,516 for a total area of 233.0 km²...
(PDL).
And Portugal mainland:
-
LisbonLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
(LIS);
- Oporto (OPO);
-
FaroFaro is a city in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the district of Faro and capital of the Algarve region. The Algarve and Faro district cover the same territory.-History:The Ria Formosa...
(FAO).
There are also several charter services to the UK,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
.
Settlements and geographic areas
| Name | Latitude | Longitude | Elevation |
|---|
| Camacha |
33.0833 (32°5') N |
16.33 (16°210') W |
172 m (567 ft) |
| Campo de Baixo |
33.05 (32°3') N |
16.35 (16°21') W |
176 m (580 ft) |
| Campo de Cima |
33.05 (32°3') N |
16.35 (16°21') W |
176 m (580 ft) |
| Pontinhas |
33.05 (32°3') N |
16.35 (16°21') W |
176 m (580 ft) |
| Portas Novas |
33.0667 (33°4') N |
16.33 (16°20') W |
175 m (577 ft) |