Santa Cruz, Madeira
Encyclopedia
Santa Cruz (ˈsɐ̃tɐ ˈkɾuʃ, "Holy Cross") is a municipality, a parish and a city in the eastern part of the island of Madeira
. Much of the municipality is mountainous and apart from residential areas, farmlands and orchards cover the remainder of the land. It is the third largest municipality, behind Funchal
and Câmara de Lobos
; its municipal population is 29,721 (2001 census), in an area of about 81.52 km² (its densisty is 354.59 inhabitants per km²; equivalent to the second most dense on the island.
To commemorate the construction of this cross, a second cross was raised, of marble, but was later destroyed, around 1889.
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 airpoty
.
Santa Cruz has a few schools, a few lyceums, a gymnasium, banks, a post office, a small port, beaches and squares or plazas (praças).
Five parishes comprise the municipality of Santa Cruz:
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
. Much of the municipality is mountainous and apart from residential areas, farmlands and orchards cover the remainder of the land. It is the third largest municipality, behind Funchal
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
and Câmara de Lobos
Câmara de Lobos
Câmara de Lobos -History:The location of the modern town is believed to be the original landing point for the Portuguese discoverer João Gonçalves Zarco, who is credited with the discovery of the Madeira Islands...
; its municipal population is 29,721 (2001 census), in an area of about 81.52 km² (its densisty is 354.59 inhabitants per km²; equivalent to the second most dense on the island.
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."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 MachicoMachico
Machico is a city and municipality in the northeastern part of the island of Madeira, in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. The easternmost municipality on the island, it is also the third most populous area; its population was 21,747...
and northeast of the regional capital (Funchal
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
); 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 airpoty
Madeira Airport
-Incidents and accidents:*On 5 March 1973, an Aviaco Sud Caravelle 10R crashed into the sea during approach, losing the aircraft and three crew....
.
Santa Cruz has a few schools, a few lyceums, a gymnasium, banks, a post office, a small port, beaches and squares or plazas (praças).
Five parishes comprise the municipality of Santa Cruz:
- CamachaCamachaCamacha is a parish in the district of Santa Cruz in the Madeira Islands. It is about 6.5 km northeast of Funchal, 12 km south of Porto da Cruz and 7.5 km southwest of Santo António da Serra...
- CaniçoCaniço (Santa Cruz)Caniço is a parish in the municipality of Santa Cruz in the Madeira Islands. It was elevated to city status in 2005. The population in 2001 is 11,586, its density is 965.5/km² and the area is 23 km². Caniço is connected with the urban sprawl of Funchal and like Calheta, Caniço is larger than...
(city) - GaulaGaula (Madeira)Gaula is a Portuguese freguesia in the concelho of Santa Cruz in the Madeira Islands.-History:Gaula has been inhabited since the 15th century and its first settlers were northern Portuguese, northern Italians, French and Scottish.Gaula was granted the rank of freguesia in 1558 and its name may...
- Santa Cruz (city) (includes the offshore Desertas IslandsDesertas IslandsThe Desertas Islands are a small Portuguese archipelago, located about 25 km to the southeast of Ponta de São Lourenço, the eastern tip of the island of Madeira, the whole chain located roughly between Madeira and the Canary Islands.-Geography:...
) - Santo António da SerraSanto António da Serra (Santa Cruz)Santo António da Serra is a parish in the district of Santa Cruz in the Madeira Islands. The population in 2001 is 982, its density is 66,5/km² and the area is 14.77 km²/1,477 ha. It is located W of Machico and ENE of Funchal. The main industry are agriculture...