Porto Moniz () is a municipality in the northwest corner of the island of
Madeira. It is located west of
Santana
Santana may refer to:
Transportation
* Volkswagen Santana, an automobile
* Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles
* Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer
Boats
* Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...
and
Machico
Machico () is a municipality, parish and city in the southeast 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 with a population of 21,828 in ...
, and northwest of
Funchal
Funchal () is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a population of 105,795, making it the sixth largest city in Portugal. Because of its high ...
. The population in 2011 was 2,711, in an area of 82.93 km².
The municipality features a natural complex of lava pools that are popular with locals and tourists.
History
It is unclear when the area of Porto Moniz was first colonized, although it is likely that it occurred at the beginning of the last quarter of the 15th century. Francisco Moniz ''O Velho'', is referred to as one of these first settlers, who had uncultivated lands in this area and was responsible for establishing a farm and chapel. Francisco Moniz was a nobleman from the
Algarve
The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese).
The region has it ...
, who married Filipa da Câmara (daughter of Garcia Rodrigues da Câmara). He was one of the sons of
João Gonçalves Zarco
João Gonçalves Zarco ( 1390 – 21 November 1471) 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
Zarco was born in Portugal ...
, the discoverer of
Porto Santo (1418) with
Tristão Vaz Teixeira
Tristão Vaz Teixeira (c. 1395–1480) was a Portuguese navigator and explorer who, together with João Gonçalves Zarco and Bartolomeu Perestrelo, was the official discoverer and one of the first settlers of the archipelago of Madeira (1419–14 ...
and later the island of Madeira with
Bartolomeu Perestrelo
Bartolomeu Perestrello (, in Italian ''Bartolomeo Perestrello''), 1st Capitão Donatário, Lord and Governor of the Island of Porto Santo ( 1395 – 1457) was a Portuguese navigator and explorer that is claimed to have discovered and populated P ...
(1419).
The municipality was created on 31 October 1835, but was quickly abolished and reestablished successively in 1849-1855, 1867-1871 and again in 1895-1898.
Geography
Administratively, the four parishes of Porto Moniz include:
*
Achadas da Cruz - the smallest parish in population and area, sharing the highest parish definition with Ribeira da Janela;
* Porto Moniz - the largest parish by population (1668 inhabitants), it includes the settlement of
Santa Maria Madalena and main settlement of Porto Moniz, which is located southeast of
Ponta do Tristão, which is the northernmost point on the island (at 332 m above sea level)
*
Ribeira da Janela
Ribeira da Janela is a civil parish ( pt, freguesia) in the municipality of Porto Moniz in the Portuguese islands of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 228, in an area of 18.48 km2.Seixal
Seixal () is a Portuguese city and municipality, located in the district of Setúbal, in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. Its population includes 184,269 inhabitants (2011), in an area of that includes six parishes. It is situated across the T ...
- the largest parish by area.
References
External links
Photos of Porto Moniz
{{authority control
Towns in Portugal
Madeira Island
Municipalities of Madeira