Paul do Mar

Paul do Mar
Civil Parish
The narrow band of Paúl do Mar, along the southwest corner of the island of Madeira
Flag
Coat of arms
Official name: Freguesia do Paul do Mar
Name origin: Portuguese for elongated zone by the sea
Country  Portugal
Region  Madeira
Island Madeira
Municipality Calheta
Localities Igreja, Lagoa, Quebrada, Ribeira das Galinhas, Serrado da Cruz
Center Paul do Mar
 - elevation 16 m (52 ft)
 - coordinates 32°45′32″N 17°13′49″W / 32.75889°N 17.23028°W / 32.75889; -17.23028Coordinates: 32°45′32″N 17°13′49″W / 32.75889°N 17.23028°W / 32.75889; -17.23028
Lowest point
 - elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Area 1.40 km2 (1 sq mi)
Population 871 (2011)
Density 622 / km2 (1,611 / sq mi)
LAU Junta Freguesia
 - location Quebrada-Paul Mar
President Junta José da Silva Gonçalves (PPD-PSD)
Timezone WET (UTC0)
 - summer (DST) WEST (UTC+1)
Postal Zone 9370-503
Area Code & Prefix (+351) 291 XXX XXX
Demonym Paulense
Patron Saint Santo Amaro
Location of the parish seat of Paul do Mar in the municipality of Calheta, island of Madeira
Wikimedia Commons: Paul do Mar
Website: http://www.pauldomar.pt.vu/
Statistics from INE (2001); geographic detail from Instituto Geográfico Português (2010)

Paul do Mar is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 871,[1] in an area of 1.40 km².[2]

History

The origin of the toponymy paul do mar is linked to its geographic position, since paul refers to an elongated zone, which is justified by the parish's location along the southwest coast of Madeira. Its exposure to the ocean, and historical periods when the sea bathed the area with seawater, once characterised the area as the Sitio da Lagoa or Alagoa (English: site of the lake or the lake). Historically, the area experienced flooding from the sea when the Atlantic submerged and inundated fields to a depth of one metre. As a result a salt factory was established. But, this was closed long ago. Since the construction of a new higher sea wall and ocean front with road and parking the sea flooding has stopped.

Paul do Mar's Catholic Church is dedicated to the patron saint of the village Santo Amaro.

Geography

The rough ocean waves along the seaside of the parish of Paul do Mar
Paul do Mar as seen from the neighbouring parish of Jardim do Mar

Paul do Mar is accessible by two roads: one connecting the parish with Porto Moniz, Santana, Calheta and Funchal to the east, and another which connects the village to Fajã da Ovelha and Jardim do Mar, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is located about 3 km from the urbanized area of Calheta and about 1 km from Fajã da Ovelha. Calheta has an important art centre (Portuguese: Casa das Mudas) and many of the typical facilities that you would expect in a small village. The historic municipal pedestrian way Caminho Real connects Paúl do Mar with Prazeres. During low tide and when the sea is not too rough, it is possible to walk along the rocky beach to Jardim do Mar.

The parish is divided into five localities:

Sports including football are very popular with football clubs including the Paulense (representing the locality of Ribeira das Galinhas, Serrado da Cruz and Lagoa) and the Santo Amaro club (which represented the localities of Igreja and Quebrada).

Economy

The main activity in Paul do Mar and its area is fishing and agriculture, particularly the cultivation of banana and tourism including eco-tourism activities such as dolphin and whalewatching.

Paul do Mar has significant commercial businesses for a village including shops, a small supermarket, bars, cafes, restaurants, a patisserie/bakery, a main primary school, Catholic church, a health centre, a bank, a football ground, a four-star hotel, and a range of self-catering holiday houses and apartments.

Architecture

Culture

There are many festas in the village throughout the year particularly in the summer months including the festa celebrating the Patron Saint of the village Santo Amaro from 14–15 January and The Festa da Lapa (the festival of the shellfish/limpets) which lasts from a Friday to a Sunday night in the month of July.

Sport

The beach in Paul do Mar was selected as one of the venues for the World Surfing Championships in 2001

The waves break large and surfing is enjoyed here by experienced surfers. In 2001 Paul do Mar was one of the venues for the World Surfing Championships.[3]

Notable citizens

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, October 11, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.