Monday, January 1, 2024

PORTO SANTO ISLAND


PORTO SANTO ISLAND

33° 03′ 43.0″ N; 16° 21′ 23.0″ W

Porto Santo Island is a Portuguese island 43 kilometers (27 mi) northeast of Madeira Island in the North Atlantic Ocean; it is the northernmost and easternmost island of the archipelago of Madeira, located in the Atlantic Ocean west of Europe and Africa.

The municipality of Porto Santo occupies the entire island and small neighboring islands. The sole parish of the municipality is also named Porto Santo. The population in 2011 was 5,483, in an area of 42.59 km². The main settlement on the island is Vila Baleira.

Geography
Physical geography
The island is characterized by two areas: the mountainous northeast, 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 include: 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. In the west-northwest, a third system that includes Cabeço da Bárbara Gomes (227 meters) and Cabeço das Canelinhas (176 meters) is distinct from the identified areas. 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.

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.

Climate
Porto Santo has a warm subtropical semi-arid climate (BSh), with mild to warm winters and hot summers. The driest months are July and August, and the wettest are November and December.

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.

Human geography

The main urban area is the city of Vila Baleira 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 emerged through hotel construction in the 20th century and is based on the attractions of the beaches and temperate climate.
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 due to high winds coupled with its strict meteorological requirements for landing.





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