Santa Cruz (; "Holy Cross") is a municipality, a parish and a city in the eastern part of 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 ...

. It is the second most populous municipality, behind

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 hig ...

. The population in 2011 was 43,005, in an area of 81.50 km².

History

''"...passing a turn in the land, they entered a cover in the beach, in which they saw a deliteful valley covered in the trees in order, where they found on land a few older fallen columns, from whom the captain ordered the construction a cross, which they raised to the heights of a tree, giving the place the name of Santa Cruz, where later that founded the noble village."''Gaspar Frutuoso, 1817 To commemorate the construction of this cross, a second cross was raised, of marble, but was later destroyed, around 1889.

Geography

It is located southeast of Santana, southwest of

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 northeast of the regional capital (

); it is linked by an expressway to Funchal and Machico, as well as an ancillary road linking it to Santana.

Urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

from Funchal extends along Santa Cruz's western frontier, while the eastern part of municipality is the base for Madeira's

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer r ...

. Five parishes comprise the municipality of Santa Cruz: * Camacha * Caniço (city) * Gaula * Santa Cruz (city) (includes the offshore

Desertas Islands The Desertas Islands ( pt, Ilhas Desertas, , "Deserted Islands") are a small archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the larger Portuguese Madeira Archipelago. The archipelago is located off the coast of Morocco. Deserta Grande Island is loca ...

) * Santo António da Serra

Economy

Agriculture and fishing are still considered the primary industries in this region, although widespread expansion of tourism in the south, and the development of the international airport has increased the number of commercial and tourist-related activities (primarily in the city of Santa Cruz).

Notable people

* Joseph Costa (1909 in Caniço – 1998) a Portuguese American aviator * Bishop

José Alfredo Caires de Nobrega Bishop José Alfredo Caires de Nobrega (born 12 April 1951 in Caniço (Santa Cruz)) is the bishop of the Diocese of Mananjary in Mananjary, Madagascar. He was ordained priest on 28 December 1980 by the Priests of the Sacred Heart congregation A ...

(born 1951 in Caniço) the bishop of the

Diocese of Mananjary The Diocese of Mananjary is a Roman Catholic Diocese under the Archdiocese of Fianarantsoa The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fianaranintsoa is one of the five Catholic Metropolitan Latin Archdioceses in Madagascar, yet depends on the missionary ...

in Mananjary, Madagascar *

José Manuel Coelho José Manuel da Mata Vieira Coelho (born 22 July 1952, in Gaula, Santa Cruz) is a Portuguese politician. He was a member of the Portuguese Communist Party until 1999, and still calls himself a communist "who evolved". He was a substitute dep ...

(born 1952 in Gaula) a Portuguese politician. * João Rodrigues (born 1971 in Santa Cruz) a windsurfer; competed in every Summer Olympic Games from 1992 to 2016 *

Vânia Jesus Vânia Jesus (born 1979) is a Portuguese politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), she represented the Autonomous Region of Madeira in the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal between 2009 and 2011. Early life Vânia Andrea d ...

(born 1979 in Santa Cruz) a Portuguese politician.

References

;Notes ;Sources *Fructuoso, Gaspar, ''Saudades da Terra'' (Vol.2), originally published 1873, various reprints since 1966, Instituto Cultural de Ponta Delgada, Ponta Delgada, São Miguel. .

External links

Official site
{{authority control Cities in Portugal Madeira Island Municipalities of Madeira People from Santa Cruz, Madeira