Wednesday 29 May 2024

CÂMARA DE LOBOS MUNICIPALITY AND PARISHES - WHAT TO DO AND WHAT TO VISIT



CÂMARA DE LOBOS
(MUNICIPALITY)
32°41′43″N 16°58′41″W


Câmara de Lobos is a municipality, parish and town in the south-central coast of the island of Madeira. Technically a suburb of the much larger capital city of Funchal, it is one of the larger population centers and an extension of the Funchal economy.

Human geography

The municipality has an area of ​​52.15 km² and 35,666 inhabitants (2011), subdivided into 5 parishes, while the city has 14,091 inhabitants (2021).
The municipality is limited to the north by the municipality of São Vicente, to the northeast by Santana, to the east by Funchal, and to the west by Ribeira Brava, being bathed by the Atlantic Ocean to the south.

Five parishes constitute the municipality of Câmara de Lobos:

-Câmara de Lobos - The central urbanized area of Lobos (7.74 km2) is primarily residential and commercial: the parish population is approximately 17,986 inhabitants. This core parish, is boxed in by Funchal (to the east), Quinta Grande (in the west) and Estreito de Câmara de Lobos (to the north). Many of these areas are highly developed housing units, constructed during the late 20th Century, during the extensive growth in tourism and financial services on the island. Farmlands located in northern tracts have since given way to residential and commercial businesses.
-Curral das Freiras
-Estreito de Câmara de Lobos
-Jardim da Serra
-Quinta Grande

Geography
Câmara de Lobos is the second largest settlement by population in Madeira with the largest (45%) contribution of youth under 25 years. Located within the metropolitan zone of Funchal, it is limited to the east by Funchal (through the parish of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos); to the west by the municipality of Ribeira Brava and the steep cliffs of Cabo Girão (one of the highest cliffs in Europe: 580 meter elevation); and north by the municipalities of Santana and São Vicente (and the mountains of Pico de Arieiro); while fronting the Atlantic Ocean to the south (except an area in the southwest near Quinta Grande (Fajã dos Padres) whose coast is part of the neighbouring parish of Campanário in Ribeira Brava

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. When the explorer disembarked in this area (1419), he observed a narrow rocky peninsula that extended into the ocean, and another nearby that formed an amphitheater-like harbor that could shelter ships from Atlantic storms. There, Zarco and his men also found a large colony of marine animals that would become the reason for naming this area Câmara de Lobos.


Port with dry fish
The name lobos is a Portuguese derivation for "seals" (lobos-marinhos), the animals Zarco and his men discovered in the sheltered bay. Because of the large colony of these animals, the area was christened câmara dos lobos. This was a pejorative term since câmara is the Portuguese word for "municipal chamber" (sometimes erroneously referred to as the "town hall" or "town council"), and the sailors literally named the area the "Municipal chamber of [the place where there are] sea-wolves". Today, the species of monk seals are rare, being an animal common to the Mediterranean, but today confined to a small colony on the Desertas Islands.

Economy
Although agriculture and fishing are still considered the primary sources of income, the area has grown as an extension of the tourism industry in the neighboring parishes. Its local development prospects are tied to the growing tourist market, while for six centuries of history, it has been associated with the fishing and agriculture, in particular bananas and other fruits common to the island. Further, Madeira Wine, an important industry on the island, continues to drive the cultivation of local vineyards.




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