Santo André (Santiago do Cacém)
Encyclopedia
Vila Nova de Santo André (ˈvilɐ ˈnɔvɐ ðɨ ˈsɐ̃tu ɐ̃ˈdɾɛ), usually just called Santo André, is a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

 located near the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 and belonging to the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 of Santiago do Cacém
Santiago do Cacém
Santiago do Cacém is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 1060.0 km² and a total population of 30,305 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 11 parishes, and is located in Setúbal District....

, Alentejo Litoral
Alentejo Litoral
Alentejo Litoral is a NUTS3 subregion of the Alentejo Region, in Portugal. Alentejo Litoral is comprised by municipalities of both the Beja District and the Setúbal District. The chief city is Sines...

, in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

.

It is a planned city built in the 1980s, to serve the region's oil industry. It is, from all of Santiago do Cacém's parishes, the one nearer to the sea and it is surrounded as follows: to the North, by Melides; to the West, by the Atlantic Ocean; to the East, by Santiago do Cacém and Santa Cruz; and to the South, by Sines
Sines, Portugal
Sines is a coastal municipality in the district of Setúbal, in the Alentejo Litoral region of the Portuguese Alentejo. Its population in 2011 was over 14260 residents, with a total area of 203.3 km², concentrated on the municipal seat of Sines.-History:...

. It is one of the youngest cities in the world with approximately two years as a city and 30 years since it was founded. It is mostly a residential suburbs for the industrial city of Sines
Sines
Sines may refer to one of the following places:*Sines Municipality, a municipality in the district of Setúbal**Sines , a civil parish in the municipality of Sines**Port of Sines, a deep-water port in the city of Sines...

, from which is about 10 miles.

Origin

The choice of Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...

 for patron
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...

 of the Church that would give name to the present city (Cidade de Vila Nova de Santo André) and village (Aldeia de Santo André), simultaneously, is easily understood: Saint Andrew, brother of Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...

, was, like him, a fisherman
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...

, and the first of the two to meet and follow Christ
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...

.
His life is intimately connected to the sea and fishing culture
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

 as so was that of the people who lived in Aldeia de Santo André.It was promoted to city(Cidade)in 2003

History

Surrounding the first church of Santo André the first houses sprung, as is natural, and, as expected, it inhabitants were deeply connected to the religious cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...

. Some of them preserved
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...

 the church (where an old cemetery use to lay), while others were related to the fishing activities in Santo André's lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...

 and others, still, were economically linked to the region's annual fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...

 (that still exists nowadays).

According to Father
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

 António Macedo e Silva, a precious source of information about the municipality of Santiago do Cacém, Santo André was created after other parishes in the municipality, either during the reign of D. João I
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...

 (1385–1433) or during the reign of D. Duarte (1433–1438). All the rural parishes of this time, except for Santo André, already existed in the year of 1528.
Either created in the 15th century or not, it is known for a fact that the parish already existed in the 16th century, with half a dozen houses that lived in the shadow of the Church who had given name to this place and whose population lived of the exploration of the lagoon
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, soil
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 and fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...

 commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...

.

According to the obtained information there was, in the Church, a "very thick book and very old with a cover of sheep wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....

", that certainly must have contained records of baptisms, deaths and marriages, as well as other important documents referring to the life of the locals. It is known, however, that the Church was built in 1834.

Santo André, first a parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 then a village, started to turn into a meeting point for people of the land and people of the sea.

The main income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...

 source was the rice culture
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

. The rice cycle
Crop rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.Crop rotation confers various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals...

, that started in 1804, would only end in 1974, when the Gabinete da Área de Sines (an organism created on June 19, 1971, that created and managed the Santo André as an Urban Center
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...

 up until the December 29, 1988, when it was extinct) started a new cycle that would come to be known as concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...

 cycle.

In the beginning of 1973, taking advantage of the oil exploration
Oil exploration
Hydrocarbon exploration is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth's surface, such as oil and natural gas...

 in that was taking place in Cabinda
Cabinda (province)
Cabinda is an exclave and province of Angola, a status that has been disputed by many political organizations in the territory. The capital city is also called Cabinda. The province is divided into four municipalities - Belize, Buco Zau, Cabinda and Cacongo.Modern Cabinda is the result of a fusion...

 and providing huge amounts of oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....

, the Portuguese government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...

 decided to create and industrial complex destined to implant the petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....

 exploration in the country, and thus make a stand in the European context where industries of this type were already being developed and used to create wealth
Wealth
Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. The word wealth is derived from the old English wela, which is from an Indo-European word stem...

.

Thus, the Urban Center of Santo André was born, which would be raised to city on July 1, 2003.

Prior to this large expropriations
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...

 took place, and an area (integrated between the municipality of Santiago
Santiago do Cacém
Santiago do Cacém is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 1060.0 km² and a total population of 30,305 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 11 parishes, and is located in Setúbal District....

 and Sines
Sines, Portugal
Sines is a coastal municipality in the district of Setúbal, in the Alentejo Litoral region of the Portuguese Alentejo. Its population in 2011 was over 14260 residents, with a total area of 203.3 km², concentrated on the municipal seat of Sines.-History:...

) was delineated for the birth of Santo André. The industrial platform eventually grew and came to be known as Complexo Petroquímico de Sines (Sines' Petrochemical Complex), where the country's largest oil refinery
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...

, Petrogal (former Petrosul), as well as other important industries (among which a thermal electrical
Heat engine
In thermodynamics, a heat engine is a system that performs the conversion of heat or thermal energy to mechanical work. It does this by bringing a working substance from a high temperature state to a lower temperature state. A heat "source" generates thermal energy that brings the working substance...

 power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....

 and the to-be-biggest port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....

 of Europe), still operates.

As there was a preoccupation with the environment
Environment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...

 as well as with the health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

 of the industrial complex's workers, Santo André was kept at a minimum distance of 10 km and a pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

 forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

 that works as a protection from eventual catastrophe
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...

.

Coat of arms

Coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

: Shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....

 of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...

 with two green branch
Branch
A branch or tree branch is a woody structural member connected to but not part of the central trunk of a tree...

es of orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....

 tree, fruited in orange, crossed (St. Andrew's cross), with a black crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...

 above and three blue and silver waves
WAVES
The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...

 below. Three-towered mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...

 crown in silver. White scroll with black lettering, in capitals, reading SANTO ANDRÉ - SANTIAGO DO CACÉM. Flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...

: blue, rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...

 and tassel
Tassel
A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe.-Etymology:...

s in silver and blue.

Urban areas

Santo André is made up of seven urban areas/zones:
  • Costa de Santo André(Coastal area)
  • Brescos
  • Deixa-o-Resto
  • Azinhal
  • Aldeia de Santo André (historical origin of the name)
  • Giz
  • Vila Nova de Santo André (main urban/itself)

Geography

Santo André is located in the region
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...

 of Alentejo, in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, and belongs to the municipality of Santiago do Cacém
Santiago do Cacém
Santiago do Cacém is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 1060.0 km² and a total population of 30,305 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 11 parishes, and is located in Setúbal District....

, in the subregion of Alentejo Litoral
Alentejo Litoral
Alentejo Litoral is a NUTS3 subregion of the Alentejo Region, in Portugal. Alentejo Litoral is comprised by municipalities of both the Beja District and the Setúbal District. The chief city is Sines...

.

It is very near the sea (2 km) and also near the Alentejo Southwest and Vicentyne Coast,a protected area. Its climate is temperate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...

,with monthly means ranging from 8°C–16°C in the winter and 18º–28º in the summer.
Absolute extremes are 0º in winter and 41º in summer.
In terms of precipitation, the climate is somwhat dry, with annual mean of 570-620mm falling mostly between November and April.
Thin-sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...

 soil can be found in some places and in the city there are a lot of pine trees
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

.

There are some extensive sandy beaches within.The extensive forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

 that protects Santo André is a good example of possible respect between the protection of the environment
Environment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...

 and the industrial development.

Economy

Santo André was built during the 1970s to answer the housing needs of the workers of the industrial complex of Sines. For the next two decades it attracted inhabitants from all over the country and especially people from Portugal's African ex-colonies. These people were mainly skilled technicians and people with an average education (9th–12th grade) or higher (university). This originated a very young population with a wealth considerably higher than the national average.
Santo André's inhabitants enjoy a higher-than-average living quality, for which the beaches, as well as the proximity of the Natural Park of Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina, help contribute.
Sines
Sines, Portugal
Sines is a coastal municipality in the district of Setúbal, in the Alentejo Litoral region of the Portuguese Alentejo. Its population in 2011 was over 14260 residents, with a total area of 203.3 km², concentrated on the municipal seat of Sines.-History:...

, only a few minutes from Santo André, by car, is one of the most dynamic cities of the Alentejo, having kept all its historical
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

 charm. It still represents a main center for development in the province of Alentejo, especially since the University was built in Santo André.

Before Santo André was built the locals made their livings from fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

 (in the sea and in the lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...

), agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 (mainly rice) and fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...

s.
Nowadays, industry is very important to the economy, giving work to thousands of the people of Santo André.
Local commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...

 is also important, but on a smaller scale.

Demographics

Santo André occupies an area of 74.32 km² with a population of 10,751 (1991 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

), most of whom are Roman Catholic.

In the beginning of 2005 it was considered to have about 14,000 inhabitants.

Historical

  • Igreja Paroquial de Santo André - 18th century
Built in Santo André, and rebuilt in 1815, Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...

 style, it possesses a beautiful porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...

 from the Manueline architecture
Manueline
The Manueline, or Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese style of architectural ornamentation of the first decades of the 16th century, incorporating maritime elements and representations of the discoveries brought from the voyages of Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral...

 of the 16th century, that had belonged to the initial church and under which people are nowadays baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...

.
  • Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Graça - 18th century
Also of Baroque style, this fountain was built in 1744, in a pleasant place outside Aldeia de Santo André. It owes its name to a previously existing fountain
Fountain
A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....

.
  • Igreja de Santa Maria - 20th century
Built in Vila Nova de Santo André, this modern style church was inaugurated on December 8, 1993. On the inside, one can appreciate the Via Sacra
Via Sacra
The Via Sacra was the main street of ancient Rome, leading from the top of the Capitoline Hill, through some of the most important religious sites of the Forum , to the Colosseum....

, a creation of artist Graça Lagrifa. On the outside there is a tile
Tile
A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops...

 panel, with an image of Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...

, by Chloe Mac Millan.

----

Natural

Beaches

There are beaches of fine sand and a sea of infinity blue. The golden sand beaches seems to have no limits.
The paths of the "Blue Coast" (as it is classified) seem to characterize the landscape of Alentejo.
The first impression one has (when in Portugal) when talking about the Alentejo is the image of a burning plane (this is one of Portugal's hottest regions). However there are dozens of kilometers of beach all throughout the seaside of Alentejo's coast, ranging from Sado's southern margin (in Tróia
Troia
-Places:Egypt*Tura, Egypt, a town in Cairo GovernorateItaly*Troia, Apulia, a comune in the Province of FoggiaPortugal*Tróia Peninsula, a peninsula in Setúbal District, AlentejoTurkey*Troy, an archaeological site in Çanakkale Province, Marmara...

) to the beginning of the Algarve.
The giant extension of sand that connects Tróia to Sines, with over 60 km, has some of the best beaches in Portugal (better water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...

, cleaner sand and water, as well as good surf spots, than most of the country). They are of a very thin sand, and of a bluish tranquility:
  • "Costa" (Coast) beach - has watchers; good for surfing
    Surfing
    Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...

    , windsurfing
    Windsurfing
    Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...

     and fishing
    Fishing
    Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

  • "Areias Brancas" (White Sands) beach - ideal windsurf conditions.
  • "Fonte do Cortiço" (Cork Fountain) beach - good windsurf conditions and considered one of this area's natural sanctuaries
    Sanctuary
    A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...

    .
  • "Monte Velho" (Old Mountain) beach - good windsurf conditions; classified by the Environment Ministry has a Golden Beach for presenting itself as one of the best-preserved beaches in the country; it is a part of the protected area of the Lagoons of Sancha and Santo André and contains several walking trails
    Long-distance trail
    Long-distance trails are the longer recreational trails mainly through rural areas, used for non-motorised recreational travelling ....

     through its dunes, that lead to places of natural
    Nature
    Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...

     and ecological
    Ecology
    Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...

     value.


Lagoons
Up to the 17th century, Santo André's Lagoon this lagoon was called Lagoa de Pêra (Pear Lagoon) and was always communicating with the sea
Nowadays it is kept "closed" from contact with the sea most of the time, but sometimes (for health purposes) the water is "renewed".
The lagoon and the beach are a perfect match when it comes to creating a splendid place on its calm waters, with the green from the wild pine trees
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

 and low flights of birds their combination makes for a heavenly place to rest, defining the most direct contact in nature-type holidays.
It is considered a Wet Spot of International Importance, for there are some bird species that do their nests in its surrounding and for being the biggest lagoon system of all of Alentejo's Coast, offering a landscape of particular interest and great natural conditions, a fundamental aspect of attraction to becoming a great tourist center in a delicate and tranquil environment.
Its connection to the sea is made once per year - by Man
Man
The term man is used for an adult human male . However, man is sometimes used to refer to humanity as a whole...

 - in Spring, thus matching the reproduction periods of numerous marine species
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...

.
The nature reserve of the Lagoons of Santo André and Sancha is one of the most emblematic places of Santo André, one where we can enjoy the variety of fauna and flora of this region, and which is chosen for the protection of a very rich diversity of aquatic birds: ducks, geese, cranes
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...

, grebes, curlews, gannets and coots, that used to be hunted every year. It is also the passing ground for many migratory birds.
There are some otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....

 shelters in the Lagoons.

Amenities

Santo André also the following amenities:
  • A pre-school
  • Nuclisol Jean Piaget
    Jean Piaget
    Jean Piaget was a French-speaking Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children. His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology"....

     – the association for the Development of the Child, Integration and Solidarity.
  • A health unit
  • An extension of the Health Center of Santiago do Cacém
  • A Permanent care center
    Day care
    Child care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...

     for the seaside Alentejo
  • A medical center
    Hospital
    A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

  • Two laboratories
    Laboratory
    A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...

     for Clinical Analysis
  • Two Pharmacies
    Pharmacy
    Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...

  • The Santa Maria
    Mary (mother of Jesus)
    Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...

    's Social and Parish Center
  • A conviviality center (named "Rising Sun")
  • A community center
    Community
    The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...

     (named "The Mill")
  • A youth house (named "The Whitehouse")
  • A shelter
    Homeless shelter
    Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community...

     (named "Mother Sun")
  • The sports center
    Sport
    A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...

     Estrela de Santo André ("Star of Santo André")
  • The sports and recreation center
    Recreation
    Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...

     for the workers of Borealis
  • Club GalpEnergia
  • A hunter Association
    Hunting
    Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...

     of Santo André
  • The Scout Group 851 of the Corpo Nacional de Escutas - Escutismo Católico Português
    Corpo Nacional de Escutas - Escutismo Católico Português
    The Corpo Nacional de Escutas – Escutismo Católico Português is the largest Portuguese Scouting organization. The association was founded in 1923 and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1929; at present, this membership is maintained via the Federação Escotista de...

  • A municipal Library
    Library
    In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

     (in construction)
  • A cultural center
  • A theatre group - O GATO, SA
  • A University Campus
  • Three primary schools
  • One middle school
    Middle school
    Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

  • One secondary school
    Secondary school
    Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...

  • A theatreteque and Youth Association for the friends of GATO (named "Ajagato")
  • A quadriculture association
  • A league of friends (named "LASA")
  • An association for the educational and cultural development of the seaside Alentejo (named "ADECLA")
  • A center for teaching arts (named "CAP Alda Guerreiro")
  • Santiago do Cacém's center for educational resources
    Education
    Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

  • The pigeon-lover association of the seaside Alentejo
  • The karate
    Karate
    is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

     union of the seaside Alentejo
  • The surf school
    Surfing
    Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...

     of the seaside Alentejo
  • A dynamic group for sports (named "Kotas Bike Team")
  • Quercus' Regional Delegation
  • The Association for the environmental protection
    Environmental protection
    Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...

  • The wild animals' recuperation center
    Recuperation
    Recuperation, in common usage, refers to a period of recovery. This has many uses, from medicine, in which sense it refers to the process by which medical patients recover from disease, injury, or mental illness, or finance, where it refers to the financial recovery of an individual or company....

  • A Municipal sports park
  • A public garden
    Garden
    A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...

     (named "Parque Central")
  • A kart circuits
    Kart circuits
    A kart circuit is a race track designed for kart racing. There are several types of kart circuit, depending of the type of use desired.-Short circuit:Any outdoor circuit of less than 1,500 meters in length....

  • A Horse club
    Equestrianism
    Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...

  • A tennis club
    Tennis
    Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

  • A parish hall
    Hall
    In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...

  • The Santiago do Cacém's Municipal Services
  • A volunteer firefighter
    Firefighter
    Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...

     association
  • A firefighter headquarters
    Headquarters
    Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...

     and heliport
    Heliport
    A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...

     (in construction)
  • A delegation of the State's Institute for Management of the Housing Patrimony (named "IGAPHE")
  • Águas de Santo André (water institute)
  • Instituto da Conservação da Natureza (Institute for the Preservation of Nature)
  • The nature reserve
    Nature reserve
    A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

     of the Lagoons of Santo André and Sancha
  • A water analysis
    Analytical chemistry
    Analytical chemistry is the study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials. Qualitative analysis gives an indication of the identity of the chemical species in the sample and quantitative analysis determines the amount of...

     laboratory
  • An institute for Social Reinsertion
    Racial integration
    Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...

  • The National Guard
    Portuguese Republican National Guard
    The term Republican National Guard may refer to:*Italian National Republican Guard*Portuguese National Republican Guard...

     headquarters
  • Five bank
    Bank
    A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...

    s
  • A post office
    Post office
    A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

  • A municipal market
    Market
    A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...

  • A supermarket
    Supermarket
    A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...

  • A hotel
    Hotel
    A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...

  • Three gas stations
  • A cemetery
    Cemetery
    A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...

     (still being built)

Schools

Santo André has three primary schools: EB2, EB3 and EB4 and one school with 5th to 9th grade (covering the last two basic education levels).

It also has a secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...

 named Padre António Macedo which is an extended secondary school, with students from the 7th grade to the 12th grade.

Santo André, although small, contains a University Campus made up by Instituto Superior de Estudos Interculturais e Transdisciplinares, loosely translated as "Higher Education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

 Institute
Institute
An institute is a permanent organizational body created for a certain purpose. Often it is a research organization created to do research on specific topics...

 for Intercultural and Transdiciplinary Studies" and has based its teaching policy in the region's characteristics: Sines' industries, the lacks of the Alentejo interior and its potential as a tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 region. To find a suitable example between the academic environment and Santo André's surroundings one needs only to go to the beach after school.
This institute's activity was started in the year 2002. The following courses can be studied:
  • Human Motricity
  • Tourism and Hotel Management

The latter one is supported actively by a local Hotel, Vila Park, a project associated with the Piaget Institute.
The Higher Education School of Health will be teaching health-related subjects in the future.
The campus has labs
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...

, computer rooms
Data center
A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems...

 and a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

, as well as facilities for sports and services.
Other facilities include: an amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...

, an auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...

, a fitness gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...

, a psycomotion therapy room and an exposition room.

See also

  • Santiago do Cacém
    Santiago do Cacém
    Santiago do Cacém is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 1060.0 km² and a total population of 30,305 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 11 parishes, and is located in Setúbal District....

  • Sines
    Sines, Portugal
    Sines is a coastal municipality in the district of Setúbal, in the Alentejo Litoral region of the Portuguese Alentejo. Its population in 2011 was over 14260 residents, with a total area of 203.3 km², concentrated on the municipal seat of Sines.-History:...

  • Setúbal
    Setúbal
    Setúbal is the main city in Setúbal Municipality in Portugal with a total area of 172.0 km² and a total population of 118,696 inhabitants in the municipality. The city proper has 89,303 inhabitants....

  • List of Cities in Portugal
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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