Porto Santo Island
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Porto Santo Island (Portuguese pronunciation:
The municipality of Porto Santo occupies the entire island and small neighboring islands. It was elevated to city status on 6 August 1996. The sole
History
It appears that some knowledge of Atlantic islands, such as Madeira, existed before the discovery and settlement of these lands, as the islands appear on maps as early as 1339. From a
However, humans never recorded the discovery of Porto Santo Island or the other Madeira islands until 1418, when Porto Santo was accidentally discovered after captains were storm blown into its sheltered harbor. They were in the service of
During the first centuries of settlement, life on Porto Santo was harsh, owing to the scarcity of potable water and the depredations of feral rabbits;
The
Geography
Physical geography
The island is characterized by two areas: the accidented northeast (mountainous, with rocky ledges and cliffs), and a coastal plain in the southwest (that includes a nine-kilometer long white sand beach, giving the island an advantage over neighboring Madeira). The mountainous northeast part of the island, consists of two geomorphological structures that includes:[13] an area of peaks, Pico do Castelo (437 meters), Pico da Juliana (447 meters), Pico da Gandaia (499 meters) and Pico do Facho (517 meters); and between the eastern coast and this area, a series of minor peaks, Pico do Maçarico (285 meters), Pico do Concelho (324 meters) and Pico Branco (450 meters).
The southwest part of the island, although relatively flat, includes a series of elevations 100 meters in height or greater, such as Pico Ana Fereira (283 meters), Pico do Espigão (270 meters) and the Cabeço do Zimbralinho (183 meters). The slope of the western part of the island slopes from 150 meters to the south coast reaching the sandy beaches of Porto Santo. A third system, in the west-northwest, that includes Cabeço da Bárbara Gomes (227 meters) and Cabeço das Canelinhas (176 meters) is distinct from the areas identified. The island is encircled by an oceanic platform between 20 and 37 km2, with a minimum depth of 8 meters (Baixa do Noroeste), and limited by the flanks of a large submarine volcano.[14]
The island's submarine activity occurred during the Miocene epoch, producing basaltic eruptions that persisted to the Quaternary period. There were three phases of distinct volcanism, followed by periods of calm associated with sedimentation:[14]
1st Phase - associated with basaltic lava, pyroclastic flows, trachyte domes that were to form Pico do Concelho, Pico do Facho, Pico do Juliana and the Ponta da Calheta. This period was followed by a period of marine fossil accumulation, concentrated in the northeast of the island to about 300 meters altitude (around Pico do Juliana, Pico de Ana Ferreira and Ribeira do Moledo);
2nd Phase - this was a period of fissural volcanism that cut across and metamorphosed the older formations, occurring in the early Pliocene period;
3rd Phase - was an intrusive phase, resulting in a number of faults and dikes that cut across the Calcareous fossils. Likely occurring in the Pliocene, it was followed by deposits of layers of detritic and calcareous sediments, that included brownish-red alluvial layers, along the island's flanks and beach.
Climate
Porto Santo has a
Unlike mountainous Madeira, which effectively traps rain clouds and the moisture of oceanic currents due to its high orography, the comparatively low profile of Porto Santo results in a dry climate. Despite this lack of precipitation, humidity remains high, averaging 77% year-round. The sunniest months are August and September.
Climate data for Porto Santo Airport (1971–2000), altitude: 78 m (256 ft) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 23.2 (73.8) |
22.6 (72.7) |
26.0 (78.8) |
26.4 (79.5) |
27.6 (81.7) |
30.5 (86.9) |
31.6 (88.9) |
35.3 (95.5) |
34.4 (93.9) |
28.6 (83.5) |
29.2 (84.6) |
23.3 (73.9) |
35.3 (95.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 18.0 (64.4) |
18.0 (64.4) |
18.5 (65.3) |
19.2 (66.6) |
20.5 (68.9) |
22.1 (71.8) |
23.5 (74.3) |
25.0 (77.0) |
25.0 (77.0) |
23.2 (73.8) |
21.0 (69.8) |
19.2 (66.6) |
21.1 (70.0) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.6 (60.1) |
15.5 (59.9) |
15.9 (60.6) |
16.5 (61.7) |
17.8 (64.0) |
19.6 (67.3) |
21.3 (70.3) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
20.6 (69.1) |
18.6 (65.5) |
16.8 (62.2) |
18.6 (65.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.2 (55.8) |
13.1 (55.6) |
13.3 (55.9) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.1 (59.2) |
17.1 (62.8) |
18.8 (65.8) |
19.9 (67.8) |
19.6 (67.3) |
18.1 (64.6) |
16.2 (61.2) |
14.4 (57.9) |
16.1 (61.0) |
Record low °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) |
6.4 (43.5) |
8.4 (47.1) |
8.8 (47.8) |
10.6 (51.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
14.0 (57.2) |
16.2 (61.2) |
14.6 (58.3) |
12.4 (54.3) |
10.1 (50.2) |
7.5 (45.5) |
6.4 (43.5) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 48.7 (1.92) |
40.2 (1.58) |
37.2 (1.46) |
23.5 (0.93) |
14.0 (0.55) |
7.0 (0.28) |
3.2 (0.13) |
4.0 (0.16) |
23.7 (0.93) |
39.9 (1.57) |
50.0 (1.97) |
69.9 (2.75) |
361.3 (14.22) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 13.7 | 12.2 | 10.9 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 6.7 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 7.4 | 12.0 | 12.5 | 15.1 | 118.8 |
Average relative humidity (%) (at 9:00 UTC )
|
79 | 80 | 78 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 77 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 137.7 | 148.8 | 201.6 | 219.5 | 244.4 | 240.8 | 253.6 | 254.9 | 223.3 | 198.9 | 138.0 | 135.2 | 2,396.7 |
Percent possible sunshine | 43 | 48 | 54 | 56 | 57 | 56 | 58 | 62 | 60 | 57 | 44 | 44 | 53 |
Source 1: Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera[15] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: |
Human geography
The main urban area is the city of Vila Baleira ([ˈvilɐ bɐˈlɐiɾɐ]), also known as Porto Santo.
Although a small island, the Porto Santo community has its own schools, health-care centre, police detachments, a gymnasium, churches, several local squares, a Congress Centre, museum, shopping centres, bars, hotels and restaurants.
Economy
The main industry on the island of Porto Santo is tourism, which has emerged through hotel construction in the 20th century and is based on the attractions of the beaches and temperate climate.
The island has a
The island has an international airport, with daily flights to Madeira Airport (about a 15-minute flight away). The Porto Santo Airport (PXO) has connections with both domestic (Lisbon, Porto) and (occasionally) international flights (including several charters to England, Italy, Germany, Scandinavia, Belgium, France and Spain). The airport regularly serves as a diversion location for aircraft unable to land at Madeira Airport, due to the latter's frequent closures as a result of high winds coupled with its strict meteorological requirements for landing.
Notable people
- Bartolomeu Perestrello (c. 1395–1457) – Portuguese navigator and explorer who is claimed to have discovered and populated Porto Santo Island from 1419
- Filipa Moniz Perestrelo (c. 1455–c. 1480) – Portuguese noblewoman, wife of Christopher Columbus
- Stephen Alencastre (1876–1940) – Roman Catholic bishop, fifth and last Apostolic vicariate of the Hawaiian Islands
Notes
- ^ "Porto Santo". Porto Santo Municipality. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ "O Porto Santo". visitportosanto.pt. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ "INE - Plataforma de divulgação dos Censos 2021 – Resultados Preliminares". censos.ine.pt. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatística
- ^ Eurostat
- ISBN 1408809508.
- ^ It was claimed and recognized by the crown of Portugal. The discoveries of Porto Santo and subsequently Madeira islands were first described by Gomes Eannes de Azurara in Chronica da Descoberta e Conquista da Guiné. Arkan Simaan relates these discoveries in French in his novel L’Écuyer d’Henri le Navigateur.
- ^ Crosby (1986), p. 75, citing Frank Fenner, "The rabbit plague", Scientific American, February 1954:30-35.
- ^ Porto Santo Flora: some survivors of the desertification.
- ^ Crosby (1986), p. 75.
- ^ Gulliver, Katrina (May 7, 2023). "Coney Money". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ His home now serves as a museum that presents a permanent exhibition of his life and familial relations, as well as temporary art exhibitions.
- ^ Rocha et al. (2002), p. 11.
- ^ a b Rocha et al. (2002), p. 12.
- ^ "PORTO SANTO/AEROPORTO/MADEIRA (524)" (PDF). Fichas Climatológicas 1971-2000 (in Portuguese). Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ "Monthly Averages for Porto Santo". DwD.
- ^ "Monthly Averages for Porto Santo". DwD.
Sources
- Rocha, António; Silva, João; Soares, Helena; Abenta, Jaime; Almeida, Fernando; Gomes, Celso (2002). Geologia, génese e dinâmica da areia de praia da ilha do Porto Santo: O sistema de informação geográfica [Geology, Genesis and Dynamics of the Beach Sand on the Island of Porto Santo: GIS] (in Portuguese). Oeiras, Portugal.
- Crosby, Alfred W. (1986). Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe 900-1900.
External links
- Media related to Porto Santo at Wikimedia Commons