Calheta, Madeira
Encyclopedia
Calheta is a municipality on the southwest coast of Madeira
, with a population of 11946 (2001), spanning an area of 115.65 km².
(the island's discoverer) as a grant to his son and his wife, João Gonçalves da Câmara and Beatriz Gonçalves.
The village became a town 72 years after its foundation, on 1 July 1502, after a royal foral
(charter) was granted by King Manuel I
. The region was primairly settled by noblemen and knights, influencing the toponomic names that appeared in many of its localities: such as Lombo do Doutor and Lombo do Atouguia. In 1502, João de França constructed the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Graça (Our Lady of Grace), which was to be the basis for the new parish of Calheta, founding the first and oldest institutions of the parish. Similarly, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia was established in 1535, to serve the elderly and provide healthcare for the local residents.
The parish of Prazeres
, which was an ecclesiastical component of Estreito da Calheta
was dismembered in 1733, becoming an autonomous clergy on 12 November (which was later followed by the first cornerstone of the Church of Prazeres, in 1751). The Liberal revolution resulted in the incorporation of Calheta as municipality in 1835. Similarly, the parish of Ponta do Pargo, after several years being part of the municipality of Porto Moniz (between 1835 and 1849), began to function as an administrative unit of the municipality of Calheta after the latter municipal seat was disincorporated. The restoration of Porto Moniz in 1855, resulted in the parishes reincorporation within the borders of Porto Moniz. By law, on 26 June 1871, was reintegrated into Ponta do Pargo.
Tristão Vaz Teixeira Bettencourt da Câmara, was granted the title of Baron of Jardim do Mar
: his was a proprietor and later the director of the Diário de Notícias in Funchal. In one of the last events of the monarchy of Portugal affecting Calheta, King Carlos I of Portugal
and Queen Amélie of Orléans visited the village of Calheta, travelling to Rabaçal, during their trip to Madeira.
On 5 June 1922, the lighthouse in Ponta da Vigia, Ponta do Pargo
was inaugurated to protect the western coast of the island.
The Bairro Piscatório do Paul do Mar
(a block of homes destined for peoples involved in the fishery) were inaugurated in July 1944.
In the parish of Ponta do Pargo, Maria Amélia de Sousa, provided educational instruction, at the primary level, for many of the children of the western coast of Calheta, lasting 70 years. This formalized education was unique for including children of both sexes.
and Funchal
, along the southern roadway.
Even from its position Sahara
n Desert sands are able to occaisionally affect the area, producing minor dust clouds.
in the Azores
.
The municipality includes eight administrative parishes that handle local affairs, representing individual communities along the roadways of the municipality:
The largest parish by population and area is Arco da Calheta; the second largest parish is Calheta; the smallest parish in population and area, but the most populated is Paúl do Mar
, while the least populated in density is Fajã da Ovelha.
Calheta, the parish, had a population of 1700 (2001), within an administrative area of 21 km² (a density of 81 inhabitants per km²). It has its own schools, a few lyceums, a gymnasium, banks, a post office, a small port, beaches and squares or plazas .
Industrial activity has changed throughout the region, and has developed through cycles, including the dairy industry, firworks, salt, beekeeping and sugar cane refinement, which have all undergone peaks and troughs. Of these, for example, the factory/ironworks used for conversion of honey into aguardente, a distilled spirit common in the village of Calheta and the fireworks buildings in the Lombo do Doutor were integral businesses in the municipalities development.
The municipal council has also been active in providing ancillary services to support the community, through the remodelling of many playgrounds (two of which include official football fields, in Prazeres and Paul do Mar) and a swimming pool by the EBSC.
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, with a population of 11946 (2001), spanning an area of 115.65 km².
History
The origin of the areas name, are both related to the toponymy of Calheta (which mean ): first, that there existed a small bay or cove, which already had this name, but secondly, that the area of the settlement was the off-port for sugar and collection of wood. Calheta was founded in 1430; the parish, of the same name (which is the central part of the municipality) is one of the oldest parishes on the island of Madeira, and one of the first to be explored by the early settlers. It was the area selected by João Gonçalves ZarcoJoão Gonçalves Zarco
João 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.-Life:...
(the island's discoverer) as a grant to his son and his wife, João Gonçalves da Câmara and Beatriz Gonçalves.
The village became a town 72 years after its foundation, on 1 July 1502, after a royal foral
Foral
thumb|left|200px|Foral of Castro Verde - PortugalThe word foral derives from the Portuguese word foro, ultimately from Latin forum, equivalent to Spanish fuero, Galician foro, Catalan furs and Basque foru ....
(charter) was granted by King Manuel I
Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatrice of Portugal...
. The region was primairly settled by noblemen and knights, influencing the toponomic names that appeared in many of its localities: such as Lombo do Doutor and Lombo do Atouguia. In 1502, João de França constructed the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Graça (Our Lady of Grace), which was to be the basis for the new parish of Calheta, founding the first and oldest institutions of the parish. Similarly, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia was established in 1535, to serve the elderly and provide healthcare for the local residents.
The parish of Prazeres
Prazeres, Madeira
Prazeres is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2001 was 672 inhabitants, covering an area of 10 km² that extend into the interior to Paul da Serra from the coastal fajãs of Jardim do Mar and Paul do Mar...
, which was an ecclesiastical component of Estreito da Calheta
Estreito da Calheta
Estreito da Calheta is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2001 was 1,630, in an area 13.4 km² ....
was dismembered in 1733, becoming an autonomous clergy on 12 November (which was later followed by the first cornerstone of the Church of Prazeres, in 1751). The Liberal revolution resulted in the incorporation of Calheta as municipality in 1835. Similarly, the parish of Ponta do Pargo, after several years being part of the municipality of Porto Moniz (between 1835 and 1849), began to function as an administrative unit of the municipality of Calheta after the latter municipal seat was disincorporated. The restoration of Porto Moniz in 1855, resulted in the parishes reincorporation within the borders of Porto Moniz. By law, on 26 June 1871, was reintegrated into Ponta do Pargo.
Tristão Vaz Teixeira Bettencourt da Câmara, was granted the title of Baron of Jardim do Mar
Jardim do Mar
Jardim do Mar is a civil parish in the western part of the municipality of Calheta in the archipelago of Madeira...
: his was a proprietor and later the director of the Diário de Notícias in Funchal. In one of the last events of the monarchy of Portugal affecting Calheta, King Carlos I of Portugal
Carlos I of Portugal
-Assassination:On 1 February 1908 the royal family returned from the palace of Vila Viçosa to Lisbon. They travelled by train to Barreiro and, from there, they took a steamer to cross the Tagus River and disembarked at Cais do Sodré in central Lisbon. On their way to the royal palace, the open...
and Queen Amélie of Orléans visited the village of Calheta, travelling to Rabaçal, during their trip to Madeira.
On 5 June 1922, the lighthouse in Ponta da Vigia, Ponta do Pargo
Ponta do Pargo
Ponta do Pargo is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. In 2001 the permanent population within its borders was 1145, in an area of 46 km² that extended into the interior of this diamond-shape parish on the extreme western tip of Madeira...
was inaugurated to protect the western coast of the island.
The Bairro Piscatório do Paul do Mar
Paul do Mar
Paul do Mar is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2001 was 885 in an coastal area of , with a density of less than 632 inhabitants per kilometre square.-History:...
(a block of homes destined for peoples involved in the fishery) were inaugurated in July 1944.
In the parish of Ponta do Pargo, Maria Amélia de Sousa, provided educational instruction, at the primary level, for many of the children of the western coast of Calheta, lasting 70 years. This formalized education was unique for including children of both sexes.
Geography
Physical geography
Calheta is located west of Santana, MachicoMachico
Machico is a city and municipality in the northeastern part of the island of Madeira, in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. The easternmost municipality on the island, it is also the third most populous area; its population was 21,747...
and Funchal
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
, along the southern roadway.
Even from its position Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
n Desert sands are able to occaisionally affect the area, producing minor dust clouds.
Human geography
For statistical and administrative reasons, it is referred to as Vila da Calheta to avoid confusion with other Calhetas in Portugal, such as CalhetaCalheta (Azores)
Calheta is a municipality on the island of São Jorge, in the Portuguese autonomous region of Azores. The municipality includes the eastern portion of the island of São Jorge and borders the municipality of Velas; Calheta has a population of 3,972 inhabitants and an area of...
in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
.
The municipality includes eight administrative parishes that handle local affairs, representing individual communities along the roadways of the municipality:
- Arco da CalhetaArco da CalhetaArco da Calheta is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese islands of Madeira. The population in 2001 was 3,241, in an area that extendes 14.7 km² into the interior of Paúl da Serra...
- Calheta
- Estreito da CalhetaEstreito da CalhetaEstreito da Calheta is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2001 was 1,630, in an area 13.4 km² ....
- Fajã da OvelhaFajã da OvelhaFajã da Ovelha ) is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. In 2001, the population was approximately 1016 inhabitants, dispersed in semi-forested pastureland in an area of 24 km²...
- Jardim do MarJardim do MarJardim do Mar is a civil parish in the western part of the municipality of Calheta in the archipelago of Madeira...
- Paúl do MarPaul do MarPaul do Mar is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2001 was 885 in an coastal area of , with a density of less than 632 inhabitants per kilometre square.-History:...
- Ponta do PargoPonta do PargoPonta do Pargo is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. In 2001 the permanent population within its borders was 1145, in an area of 46 km² that extended into the interior of this diamond-shape parish on the extreme western tip of Madeira...
- Prazeres
The largest parish by population and area is Arco da Calheta; the second largest parish is Calheta; the smallest parish in population and area, but the most populated is Paúl do Mar
Paul do Mar
Paul do Mar is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2001 was 885 in an coastal area of , with a density of less than 632 inhabitants per kilometre square.-History:...
, while the least populated in density is Fajã da Ovelha.
Calheta, the parish, had a population of 1700 (2001), within an administrative area of 21 km² (a density of 81 inhabitants per km²). It has its own schools, a few lyceums, a gymnasium, banks, a post office, a small port, beaches and squares or plazas .
Economy
Agriculture and the fishery provides the primary sources of income in this area, although minor commercial establishments are concentrated in the principal village in the municipality. Agriculture was the first industry to develop in this region; the production/cultivation of banana, wine, horticulture and sugar cane developed as the main export products. The fishery, supported notably the populations of Paúl do Mar and the vila of Calheta, although fishermen existed throughout the municipality.Industrial activity has changed throughout the region, and has developed through cycles, including the dairy industry, firworks, salt, beekeeping and sugar cane refinement, which have all undergone peaks and troughs. Of these, for example, the factory/ironworks used for conversion of honey into aguardente, a distilled spirit common in the village of Calheta and the fireworks buildings in the Lombo do Doutor were integral businesses in the municipalities development.
Education
While the communities of Calheta do have two secondary schools (EBSC and EBSP), higher education facilities are located in Funchal. There are four main primary schools offering instruction for children: EB1 Ladeira e Lamaceiros and EB1 Lombo do Guiné (both in Arco da Calheta), EB1 Lombo do Atouguia and EB1 Calheta, EB1 Estreito da Calheta, as well as the kindergarten, JI Apresentação da Estrela run by catholic nuns (in Calheta).The municipal council has also been active in providing ancillary services to support the community, through the remodelling of many playgrounds (two of which include official football fields, in Prazeres and Paul do Mar) and a swimming pool by the EBSC.