Santa Cruz, Madeira

Santa Cruz (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɐ̃tɐ ˈkɾuʃ] (listen); "Holy Cross") is a municipality, a parish and a city in the eastern part of the island of Madeira. It is the second most populous municipality, behind Funchal. The population in 2011 was 43,005,[1] in an area of 81.50 km².[2]

Santa Cruz
Municipality
Houses in Santa Cruz, with the arcades of the International Airport in the distance
Flag
Coat of arms
Location in Madeira
Coordinates: 32°41′00″N 16°48′00″W
Country Portugal
Auton. regionMadeira
IslandMadeira
EstablishedSettlement: c.1425 - c.1440
Municipality: 25 June 1515
City: 2 August 1996
Parishes5
Government
 • PresidentFilipe Martiniano Martins de Sousa
Area
 • Total81.50 km2 (31.47 sq mi)
Elevation
32 m (105 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total43,005
 • Density530/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC±00:00 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+01:00 (WEST)
Postal code
9100-157
Area code291
PatronSão Salvador & Santa Cruz
Local holiday15 January
Websitehttp://www.cm-santacruz.pt

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."[3]

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 and northeast of the regional capital (Funchal); it is linked by an expressway to Funchal and Machico, as well as an ancillary road linking it to Santana. Urban sprawl from Funchal extends along Santa Cruz's western frontier, while the eastern part of municipality is the base for Madeira's international airport.

Five parishes comprise the municipality of Santa Cruz:

Economy
Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, was expanded onto pylons over the ocean, as part of the island's economic expansions

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).

References
Notes
  1. Instituto Nacional de Estatística
  2. Eurostat
  3. Gaspar Frutuoso, 1817
Sources
  • Fructuoso, Gaspar, Saudades da Terra (Vol.2), originally published 1873, various reprints since 1966, Instituto Cultural de Ponta Delgada, Ponta Delgada, São Miguel. ISBN 972-9216-70-3.
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