Prainha (São Roque do Pico)
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Prainha is a
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of
São Roque do Pico São Roque do Pico () is a municipality in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, occupying most of the northern side of the island of Pico. As of 2021, it has 3,221 inhabitants spread through five freguesias (civil parishes) in an area of 142. ...
on the island of
Pico Pico may refer to: Places The Moon * Mons Pico, a lunar mountain in the northern part of the Mare Imbrium basin Portugal * Pico, a civil parish in the municipality of Vila Verde * Pico da Pedra, a civil parish in the municipality of Ribeir ...
, in the
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
archipelago of the
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
. It has 530 inhabitants in an area of 26.10 km².Eurostat
/ref>


History

“Prainha” was the second settlement to be formed on the north coast of Pico Island, whose settlement began with natives from
Northern Portugal The North Region ( pt, Região do Norte ) or Northern Portugal is the most populous region in Portugal, ahead of Lisbon, and the third most extensive by area. The region has 3,576,205 inhabitants according to the 2017 census, and its area is with ...
, after stopping at Terceira and Graciosa. According to
Gaspar Frutuoso Gaspar Frutuoso (c.1522 in Ponta Delgada – 1591 in Ribeira Grande) was a Portuguese priest, historian and humanist from the island of São Miguel, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. His major contribution to Portuguese history was hi ...
, in ''
Saudades da Terra Saudades da Terra is a manuscript that was published by father Gaspar Frutuoso. It forms a reference work on the knowledge of Macaronesia in the late 16th century. The manuscript was written between 1586 and 1590, divided into two volumes, bas ...
'', this village already existed in 1522, as well as its parish church. The oldest known record of this temple dates from 1599, although the administrative and ecclesiastical institution of Prainha came much earlier. In 1572, an enormous volcanic eruption took place on a peak near the Caiado Lake, next to the parish. The extraordinary torrent of lava reached the sea and formed a great “ mistério” (Azorean expression to designate a terrain of spongy lava, covered with moss and herbs), known as ''Prainha'' (
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
for "little beach"). This ''mistério'' located between this parish and São Roque is classified as a nature reserve. For centuries, there were no other means of communication between the various islands of the archipelago, except by sea, until in 1858, the first telephone connection was made between
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
and
Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada (; ) is the largest municipality (''concelho'') and economic capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal. It is located on São Miguel Island, the largest and most populous in the archipelago. As of 2021, it has 67,28 ...
, which also helped to connect other islands. The first connections on Pico were made in the parish of Prainha, specifically on the place of Canto da Areia, which was connected to São Jorge by a cable. The small house which served as a terminal for the submarine cable is still known today as ''Casa do Fio'' (House of the Wire), and was used as a shelter for a military detachment during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.


Geography

Prainha is located on the northern coast of the municipality of São Roque do Pico, buttressed by the parishes of Santo Amaro in the east, São Roque to the west, Lajes and
Ribeiras Ribeiras is a civil parish in the municipality of Lajes do Pico in the Azores. The population in 2011 was 925, in an area of 34.17 km2.
to the south and the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
to the north. It has an almost perfect rectangular shape, with , which corresponds to 18.3% of the municipality's total area, and is approximately from its seat. The parish has very rough topography with slopes oriented NW-SE which connect the low, coastal plain lands with the high, inland
Achada Plateau The Achada Plateau ( Portuguese: ) is an extensive volcanic mountain range located on Pico Island, Azores. It is a protected area with many valuable features that characterize the Azorean landscape. It is included in two Natura 2000 sites, one of ...
reaching on Cabeço do Mistério. The territory is part of the Volcanic Complex of São Roque-Piedade. The Mistério da Prainha, a formation made up of lava flows emitted by a historic eruption above the parish (1562-1564), occupies the extreme west of it. This latter area, extends from the coast to the interior, and is characterized by its high
fajã () is a Portuguese term of obscure origin used to describe supratidal talus at the foot of coastal cliffs, caused by landslides or lava flows.G. Lameiras et al. (2009), p.827 Although relatively common world-wide, they are distinctive features ...
and massive
lava delta Lava deltas, similar to river deltas, form wherever sufficient sub-aerial flows of lava enter standing bodies of water. The lava cools and breaks up as it encounters the water, with the resulting fragments filling in the adjacent seabed topography ...
along the northern coast (equally divided between Prainha and São Roque). This zone also pertains to the Recreational Forest Reserve of Prainha. The coastline, with about , is generally low and very jagged, with islets and points that alternate with sheltered
cove A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are o ...
s, especially the Areia Bay (Baía da Areia) and the Canas Bay (Baía de Canas). The small port and above all the “natural pools” attract many holidaymakers, especially Poça Branca, where there are excellent conditions for bathing. The beach of Canto da Areia, with black volcanic sands, is the only beach on Pico Island. The small watercourses, with shallow valleys, originate in the Achada Plateau and flow in a torrential regime. South of the parish, numerous lagoons (
Lagoa do Caiado Lagoa do Caiado is the largest lake on Pico Island, Azores. The high-altitude lake is located on the Achada Plateau, an extensive volcanic mountain range covering most of the central area of the island. The waters are clear and are used for publi ...
, Lagoa Seca) are home to various bird and plant species and have a significant environmental interest.


Climate

Prainha has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
, with some
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
influences. The parish is located on an extremely precipitous area on the island of Pico and the Azores. Areas close to the coast receive on average around of precipitation per year, making it among the rainiest coastal areas on the
middle latitudes The middle latitudes (also called the mid-latitudes, sometimes midlatitudes, or moderate latitudes) are a spatial region on Earth located between the Tropic of Cancer (latitudes 23°26'22") to the Arctic Circle (66°33'39"), and Tropic of Caprico ...
. At higher altitudes, precipitation is even higher, with the
Lagoa do Caiado Lagoa do Caiado is the largest lake on Pico Island, Azores. The high-altitude lake is located on the Achada Plateau, an extensive volcanic mountain range covering most of the central area of the island. The waters are clear and are used for publi ...
receiving over per year. Temperatures experienced in the winter (January through March) hover between at daytime and at night and in the summer (July through September) temperatures vary from during the day and during the night. Humidity is around 80% year-round.


Human geography

In terms of human occupation, the pattern of settlement is linear, extending along the regional road. The main agglomerates are the places of Prainha de Cima, Prainha de Baixo and Canto da Areia. The secondary streets, which run perpendicular to the coastline, accommodate some scattered houses. In the last century, the population evolved in a similar way to the other parishes of the archipelago, registering a decrease in the period from 1900 to 1930, a slight increase until 1960 and again a gradual decrease until today.


Economy

Farming, viticulture and fishing are the economic base of the parish, along with livestock, carpentry, sawmilling, baking, dairy products, small businesses and
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
cutting. More recently, tourism has also played a role in the local economy, several typical houses made of volcanic stone, characteristic of the island have been the focus of restoration works.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prainha (Sao Roque do Pico) Freguesias of São Roque do Pico