Povoação

Povoação (Portuguese for of the fields) is a city on the southern part of São Miguel Island in the Azores It has a population of 6,726 (as of 2001). The downtown population is around Povoação.

Povoação is located east of Ponta Delgada and Vila Franca do Campo, ESE of Ribeira Grande, SE of Furnas and SW of Nordoeste and is linked with a road connecting Ponta Delgad and Lagoa, Furnas, and Nordeste along with the eastern part of the island and the mountain road linking to Ribeira Grande. Most of the mountains are covered with forests and valleys which features creeks and streams and are grassy in both lower and higher elevations. The rest of the land are made up of agricultural lands and some forests. The mountaintop is to the northeast and the coastline is near the mountains to its east. The features includes the famous crater of Furnas which is of volcanic origin. The main source of industry are agriculture and fishing while some businesses are in the downtown area. The mountains lie to the north.

• Location:
  • Latitude: 37.75 (37°45') N
  • Longitude: 25.25 (25°15') W
• Altitude: 60 m (200 ft)

Povoação has schools, a lyceum, a gymnasium, banks, a post office, a small port and squares or plazas (praça).

The 6 parishes of Povoação include:

• Água Retorta
• Faial da Terra
• Furnas
• Nossa Senhra dos Remédios
• Povoação
• Ribeira Quente

Settlements and geographic areas

The largest parish in population and density is Povoação. The smallest parish in population is Água Retorta. The smallest parish in density is Faial da Terra. The largest parish in area is Povoação, the smallest is Ribeira Quente. The lowest parishes are Faial da Terra and Ribeira Quente. The highest parish is Água Retorta. The northernmost parish is Ribeira Quente. The easternmost parish is Água Retorta.

Parish of Povoação

Data

The parish has a population of 2,441 in 2001, its density is 93.1/km² and the area is 26.22 km²/2,622 ha. It is the largest parish in population and area in Povoação.

Nearest parishes (parish)

• Faial da Terra, W
• Água Retorta, NE

External links

• http://www.cidadevirtual.pt/POVOACAO - Website of Povoacao (in Portuguese)
• http://www.azoren-online.com/saomiguel/tipps/sehenswuerdigkeiten/povoacao/index.shtml (in German)
• Map and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver