Vila do Porto
Encyclopedia
Vila do Porto (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
.
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 marekd 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.
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.
Hudson
, Massachusetts
, USA
http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/MA
Vila do Porto (parish)
Vila do Porto is a civil parish in the municipality of Vila do Porto, located in the island of Santa Maria, in the Portuguese autonomous region of Azores. The parish has a population of 2997 in 2001, its density is 116 inhabitants/km² and a total area of 25.63 km²...
on the island of Santa Maria
Santa Maria Island
Santa Maria , Portuguese for Saint Mary, is an island located in the eastern group of the Azores archipelago and the southernmost island in the Azores...
, in the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Autonomous Region of 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...
. Its nearest neighbour, administratively, is the municipality of Povoação
Povoação
Povoação is a municipality located in the southern part of São Miguel Island in the Azores. It has a population of 6,696 inhabitants and a total area of 108 km².-Geography:...
on the southern coast of São Miguel
São Miguel Island
São Miguel Island , nicknamed "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of these people located in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.-History:In 1427, São Miguel...
(to the northwest), and it is physically southwest of the Formigas Islets
Formigas Islets
The Formigas Islet and Dollabarat Reef, sometimes referred to as the Formigas Bank, are a remote group of rock outcroppings in the eastern group of the Azores archipelago, an autonomous region of Portugal. The bank is located 43 km northeast of Santa Maria Island and southeast of São Miguel...
.
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 marekd 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:- AlmagreiraAlmagreira (Vila do Porto)Almagreira is a parish in the municipality of Vila do Porto in the Portuguese autonomous region of Azores. The parish population in 2001 was 537 inhabitants, its population density, 50.8 inhabitants/km², and its total area is 10.58 km². It is located northwest of the town of Vila do Porto...
- Santa BárbaraSanta Bárbara (Vila do Porto)Santa Bárbara is a civil parish in the municipality of Vila do Porto in the Portuguese autonomous region of Azores. The parish population in 2001 was 480, its population density, approximately 31 inhabitants/km², and its total area is 15.34 km².-Geography:It is connected with a road linking...
- Santo EspíritoSanto EspíritoSanto Espírito is a Portuguese civil parish, located in the municipality of Vila do Porto, in the autonomous region of Azores. It has a population of 723 inhabitants and a total area of 26.65 km². The economy of the parish is based on agriculture...
- São PedroSão Pedro (Vila do Porto)São Pedro is a Portuguese civil parish, located in the municipality of Vila do Porto, in the autonomous region of Azores. It has a population of 841 inhabitants and a total area of 18.18 km². The economy of the parish is based on agriculture and some fishing....
- Vila do PortoVila do Porto (parish)Vila do Porto is a civil parish in the municipality of Vila do Porto, located in the island of Santa Maria, in the Portuguese autonomous region of Azores. The parish has a population of 2997 in 2001, its density is 116 inhabitants/km² and a total area of 25.63 km²...
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: HudsonHudson, Massachusetts
Hudson is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,063 at the 2010 census. The town is located in central Massachusetts, about a 40-minute drive, or about , west of Boston, and about a 20-minute drive, or about , northeast of Worcester.Before its...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/MA