Calheta () is a municipality on the southwest coast of Madeira,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. The population in 2011 was 11,521, in an area of 111.50 km².Eurostat

History

The origin of the areas name, are both related to the toponymy of ''Calheta'' (which means "small bay" in

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 ...

): 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 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 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 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The word ''foral'' ({{IPA-pt, fuˈɾaɫ, eu, plural: ''forais'') is a noun derived from the Portuguese word ''foro'', ultimately from Latin ''forum'', equivalent to Spanish ''fuero'', Galician '' foro'', ...

(charter) was granted by King

Manuel I Manuel I may refer to: * Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (1143–1180) *Manuel I of Trebizond, Emperor of Trebizond (1228–1263) *Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), wa ...

. The region was primarily settled by noblemen and knights, influencing the toponymic 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 ( en, 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 Estreito da Calheta (Portuguese for ''strait of Calheta'') is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese island of Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , ...

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 ( Portuguese for ''garden of the sea'') is a civil parish in the western part of the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese island of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 204, in an area of 0.74 km².Carlos I of Portugal ''Dom'' Carlos I (; English: King Charles of Portugal; 28 September 1863 – 1 February 1908), known as the Diplomat ( pt, o Diplomata), the Martyr ( pt, o Martirizado), and the Oceanographer ( pt, o Oceanógrafo), among many other names, was ...

and Queen

Amélie of Orléans Dona Maria Amélia (french: Marie Amélie Louise Hélène; 28 September 1865 – 25 October 1951) was the last Queen consort of Portugal as the wife of Carlos I of Portugal. She was regent of Portugal during the absence of her spouse in 1895. E ...

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 is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese island of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 909, in an area of 24.71 km2. It is located west of the municipal seat of Calheta, and southwest of the municipal ...

was inaugurated to protect the western coast of the island. The Bairro Piscatório do

Paul do Mar Paul do Mar is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 871, in an area of 1.40 km2. History The origin of the toponymy ''paul do mar'' is linked to its geographic p ...

(a block of homes destined for peoples involved in the fishery) were inaugurated in July 1944.

Geography

Physical geography

Calheta is located west of Santana,

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

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 ...

, along the southern roadway. Even from its position Saharan Desert sands are able to occasionally 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 Calheta in 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 ...

. The municipality includes eight administrative parishes that handle local affairs, representing individual communities along the roadways of the municipality: *

Arco da Calheta Arco da Calheta is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese island of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 3,168, in an area of 14.70 km².Calheta *

Fajã da Ovelha Fajã da Ovelha is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese island of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 895, in an area of 22.16 km².Jardim do Mar Jardim do Mar ( Portuguese for ''garden of the sea'') is a civil parish in the western part of the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese island of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 204, in an area of 0.74 km².Paúl do Mar Paul do Mar is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 871, in an area of 1.40 km2. History The origin of the toponymy ''paul do mar'' is linked to its geographic p ...

* Prazeres Calheta, the parish, had a population of 3,163 (2011), within an administrative area of 23.45 km².

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 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, fireworks, 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 (Spanish), or (Portuguese) ( eu, pattar; ca, aiguardent; gl, augardente), is a generic term for alcoholic beverages that contain between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It originates in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and in I ...

'', 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). 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. 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.

Notable people

José Vicente de Freitas José Vicente de Freitas, 2nd Baron of Freitas GCTE (; 22 January 1869 – 6 September 1952) was a Portuguese military officer and politician. De Freitas was born in Calheta, Madeira. He fought in Flanders during Portuguese participation ...

(1869 in Calheta – 1952), 2nd Baron of Freitas, a Portuguese military officer and politician. * Vasco da Gama Rodrigues (1909 in Paul do Mar - 1991) a Portuguese poet.

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in Portugal Municipalities of Madeira Madeira Island