Madalena (Madalena)
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Parish: 1542
Madalena | |
|---|---|
The sentinels of the parish of Madalena, the Ihéu em Pé and the Ilhéu Caido | |
| Coordinates: 38°32′0″N 28°31′38″W / 38.53333°N 28.52722°W | |
| Country | |
| Auton. region | Azores |
| Island | Pico |
| Municipality | Madalena |
| Established | Settlement: 15th century Parish: 1542 |
| Area | |
• Total | 35.59 km2 (13.74 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 2,581 |
| • Density | 73/km2 (190/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−01:00 (AZOT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+00:00 (AZOST) |
| Patron | Santa Maria Madalena |
| Website | jfmadalenapico |
Madalena is a civil parish in the municipality (concelho) of Madalena in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The population in 2011 was 2,581,[1] in an area of 35.59 km².[2] The parish of Madalena is the authority responsible for the administration and distribution of social services and economic programs in the local seat of the municipality of the same name.[3] It contains the localities Areia Larga, Barca, Cabo Branco, Madalena, Sete Cidades, Toledos and Valverde.
Originally known as Lugar dos Ilhéus (literally, the place of the islets), the parish was founded sometime before 1542.[3] Fisherman had established a small colony of homes during the first half of the 15th century.[3] At that time, the parish included the areas known as Toledos, Sete Cidades, Cabo Branco, Barca, Valverde, and Areia Larga.[3]
Geography


The parish is bounded by the parishes of Bandeiras to the north and west and Criação Velha to the south: a pie-shaped wedge that extends from the coast to the summit of Pico.[3] The main regional E.R.1-2ª roadway travels along the coast into Madalena, from Baixio Grande in the northeast (at Bandeiras) to Sertão and Canada João Paulinho in the southwest (at the border with Criação Velha). Meanwhile, near the main medical centre, the E.R.3-2ª bisects the parish and continues to the centre of the island: the former Estrada Longitudanal. Finally, from the main square (Largo Cardeal Costa Nunes) a variant of the E.R.1-2ª continues to Bandeiras.
Economy
Agriculture, herding, dairy, vineyards, fishing, shipbuilding, and sawmilling have been the primary industries in the region since its creation.[3] These activities were extended by civil construction, carpentry, hotels, restaurants, and other public services, with most of the half of the 20th century dedicated to tourism-related projects.[3]