Serra de Água (

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 ...

meaning literally ''mountain range of water'') 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 of Ribeira Brava on the

island of

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

. The population in 2011 was 1,049, in an area of 24.16 km².Eurostat
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History

Serra de Água's name is derived from the historical construction of a watermill used for sawmilling, that was named ''serra de água'', and later became applied to the entire parish. Wood was the first of livelihood and income for the early settlers to Madeira, and due to the abundance of vegetation in Serra de Água the sawmills, commercial exportation of wood was very profitable. The parish was created on 28 December 1676 (but never became a functioning ecclesiastical parish until 1680), from a portion of the municipality of

Ponta do Sol Ponta do Sol (; en, "Cape of the Sun") is a municipality in the southwestern coast of the island of Madeira, in the archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 8,862, in an area of . History The settlement of Ponta do Sol began shortly af ...

. Administratively, it was an annex of Ribeira Brava after 18 October 1881. Later, it functioned as part of Ponta do Sol, after the creation of Ponta do Sol (in 1835), returning to the redefined municipality of Ribeira Brava in 1914, as an autonomous civil parish. In 1953, the parish was the first site of a central hydroelectric station on the island.

Geography

The parish is situated in the southwest part of the island, encircled by dense vegetation and high mountains, including specifically the Picoda Cruz, Pico do Cedro and Pico Grande. The lands are irrigated by numerous ravines, such as the ''Ribeira da Fajã das Éguas'', ''Ribeira do Poço'' and ''Ribeira da Serra de Água'' (which are affluentes of the ''Ribeira da Ribeira Brava'', the main waterway in the municipality). Serra de Água is situated from the municipal seat of Ribeira Brava, connected by a regional road. It is bordered on the west by

Tabua A tabua is a polished tooth of a sperm whale that is an important cultural item in Fijian society. They were traditionally given as gifts for atonement or esteem (called ''sevusevu''), and were important in negotiations between rival chiefs. The ...

, São Vicente to the northwest and northeast;

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 ...

in the northeast;

Curral das Freiras Curral das Freiras ("Pen of the Nuns") is a civil parish in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 2,001, in an area of 25.03 km².Campanário to the east, while Ribeira Brava is to the south.

Economy

Encircled by tall mountains, the parish is located in a valley and supported by diverse ravines, making agriculture difficult to sustain. Saw-milling was one of the first industries to establish itself, owing to the availability of wood and forest. Yet, agriculture is the predominant economic activity in the civil parish, a function that has persisted on a subsistence basis since the settlement of Madeira. Around 60% of the population is involved in cultivation, with 80% of these lands taken by small parcels, usually for self-consumption. Secondary industries are primarily hotelery and civil construction, which occupy a considerable portion of work placements.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Serra de Agua Freguesias of Ribeira Brava, Madeira