El Puerto de Santa María
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| El Puerto de Santa María, Spain | |
| Population | |
| - City | 82,306 |
|---|---|
| - Density | 517.6/km² (1,340.6/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Website: http://www.elpuertosm.es/ | |
El Puerto de Santa María (Spanish for "The port/harbour of Saint Mary", locally known as just El Puerto) is a city located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 82,306, of which 50,000 live in the urban center, and the remainder in the surrounding areas.
The town of El Puerto de Santa Maria is 10 km north east of Cadiz across the bay of Cadiz and is best known for its ferry El Vaporcito which has been in operation for 76 years carrying passengers to and from Cadiz to El Puerto. Columbus visited El Puerto in 1480 and received encouragement for his travel plans and he also met Juan de la Cosa who in 1500 issued the first world map. In the nineteenth century the city became the General Headquarters for the French Army during the war of Independence under the reign of Jose Bonaparte (1801-1812) The town is seeped in history, museums and monuments. It is also within easy accessible reach of richly historical cities of Seville and Cádiz.
El Puerto has a famous bull ring which dates back to 1880 with space for 15,000 spectators and bull fighting is still enjoyed during the Feria season, which are during the month of August and during the Feria de la Primavera which is in early May. This Feria is dedicated to Sherry and 180,0000 half bottles get drunk in 4 days!!! There are several Bodegas in the town centre all of which can be visited by the public. The most famous being the Osborne and Terry Bodegas who export sherry and brandy worldwide . In the cellars in El Puerto sherry is produced using the traditional method called “solera”. This method produces the pale dry sherries to the sweet Muscatel sherry, Amontillados and the older Olorosos.
El Puerto is an excellent place to sample local tapas and seafood, for which it is famous. Food is an important reason why El Puerto de Santa Maria attracts hundreds of tourists. The Bay of Cadiz is famous for it’s fresh seafood fish and that teamed with the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables leads to excellent restaurant menus. Eating seafood in El Puerto is something everyone has to experience, most tourists head for the Rivera del Marisco where you can by seafood in paper cones to take away or eat at the tables. There are a wide variety of eateries all located with walking distance in the town centre.
Fortunately El Puerto has managed to escape the mass tourism of the Costa del Sol and remains unspoilt, natural and very picturesque. During the summer months the town bursts with life, El Puerto is a very lively place with lots of bars and lots going on. Most of the town is on the north bank of the Rio Guadelete, where bars and restaurants line the palm-covered streets. Entertainment is lively in the summer in the town centre and in Vistahermosa everything starts very late and goes on well into the early hours, hence the famous Spanish siesta.
The climate is one of El Puerto’s best features with endless days of sunshine even during the winter months temperatures rarely fall below 20 degrees. With more than three thousand hours of sunshine, fine sandy beaches, blue sea, El Puerto de Santa Maria on the Costa de la Luz (the Coast of Light) is an ideal holiday location. For the nature lovers El Puerto de Santa Maria is situated in the middle of the Parque natural Bahia de Cádiz There are two square kilometres of pine forest which form one part of the three ecosystems in the area. The endangered species of the chameleon along with other reptiles and birds of immense variety can be found in the forest. Andalusia’s wildlife is the most varied in Europe, with fauna and flora in protected areas. The area boasts of two Natural parks, the Sierra de Grazalema and El Coto Donaña, both within driving distance and well worth a visit.
Jerez de la Frontera is 20 minutes by car away and is the Flamenco capital of the world, and famous for it’s equestrian events and dancing horses. Jerez is a large town 36 km north east of Cádiz famous world wide for it’s sherry made from grapes grown on the chalky soils surrounding the area. The bodegas where the sherry is made are a popular tourist attraction. Jerez has loads of nice shops with spacious streets and beautiful old buildings and churches. Jerez is an interesting town to spend an enjoyable afternoon watching the world go by. Jerez is also famous for it’s motorcycle events the most famous being the World Motorcycling Championships which is held in the first week of May every year and is one of the biggest sporting events in Spain attracting round 150,000 spectators.
Andalusians love colour, noise, crowds and pageant, dressing up and generally partying and have many opportunities to do so at the local fiestas, which are held annually. Listed are a few of the main fiestas in the area: Spring Carnival: Cadiz is the home of Carnival with fancy dress and parades in the streets usually ending on the Tuesday 47 days before Easter.
Semana Santa: Holy Week the week that leads up to Easter Sunday is a wonderful time to enjoy the area with it’s street parades and long lines of penitents and big crowds. In El Puerto de Santa Maria there are daily parades from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Feria de Abril: A week long fiesta held in Seville in late April with horses, music and flamenco dancing most women dress in there flamenco dresses and party into the early hours.
Fiesta de Jerez: Two week fiesta of music and dance especially Flamenco in Jerez de la Frontera in late April World Championships of Motorcycling: This is normally held the 1st weekend in May and the whole area fills with motorbike lovers from all around the world who come to enjoy a four day fiesta which fills the town with noise and festivity. Feria del Caballo: The Horse Fair in Jerez de la Frontera normally held in early May includes the famous dancing horses of Jerez and of course lots of Sherry and general merry making. Feria del Vino Fino: El Puerto de Santa Maria’s local week of fiesta, dancing sherry drinking and sevillana dancing this is usually in the middle of May. Romeria del Rocio: Festive pilgrimage of up to one million people to the village of Rocio in Almonte, Huelva usually around the third week of May. Hogueras de San Juan: Midsummer bonfires and fireworks on the beaches in most areas of Cádiz on the 23 June.
Dia de la Virgen del Carmen: The patron Saint of El Puerto de Santa Maria and all fishermen is the Virgen Del Carmen and on the 16 July her imagine is taken from the local Church and carried into the sea on board on a fishing boat and then paraded around the town. A general day of festivities.
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[edit] Geography
El Puerto de Santa María is located on the Atlantic coast of the Bay of Cádiz, near the municipalities of Jerez de la Frontera, Rota, Puerto Real, and Cádiz. It is popular for its beaches, which are the town's principal tourist attraction. Well known beaches include Vistahermosa, Valdelagrana, and La Puntilla. Like many other southern cities, there are many smaller towns encompassed by the municipality. There is also a major port, known as Puerto Sherry. A large amount of land has been devoted to the Bay of Cádiz Nature Reserve.
[edit] Demographics
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
75,097 |
75,478 | 76,538 | 77,747 | 79,889 | 80,658 | 82,306 |
Source: INE (Spain)
[edit] Economy
The most important economic activity is tourism, mainly because of the beaches, as well as the bullfights held at the arena during the summer. The town also hosts large groups of motorcyclists during the Jerez Motorcycle Grand Prix. There is commercial development in the center and periphery, and a highly developed wine industry.
[edit] Festivals
The principal festival is the Feria de Primavera (Spring Fair), held between the fifth and sixth week after Holy Week. In recent years, it has coincided with May 1.
[edit] History
In 1260 Alfonso X of Castile conquered the city from the Moors and called it Santa María del Puerto, organized the land distribution and conceded a charter under the Crown of Castile. In his Cantigas de Santa Maria CSM 367, Alfonso sings that he was miraculously healed of swollen legs after visiting his church of Santa Maria do Porto.
Christopher Columbus's second expedition to the Americas set sail from El Puerto de Santa María. His pilot, Juan de la Cosa drew his world map (the first including the coast of New World) in El Puerto in 1500.
It was the residence of several cargadores, the merchants operating the American trade. During the 16th and 17th centuries, it was the winter port of the royal galleys.
[edit] Sister cities
Ermoupoli, Greece
La Güera, Western Sahara
[edit] Famous people from El Puerto de Santa María
- Pedro Muñoz Seca, playwright
- Rafael Alberti, poet of the Spanish Generation of 1927
- Federico Rubio, surgeon
- Tomás el Nitri, flamenco singer
- Juan Modesto, Republican general
- Valentín Galarza Morante, minister of Francisco Franco
- El Negro, flamenco singer
- Pedro Pérez Fernández, playwright
- Martín de Garay, minister of finances
- Miguel del Pino, matador bullfighter
- Juan Antonio de Vizarrón y Eguiarreta, viceroy and archbishop
- Torcuato Benjumeda, architect
- Ramón Gaztelu, lawyer and philanthropist
- José Luis Galloso, bullfighter
- Hipólito Sancho de Sopranis, historian
- Manolo Prieto, painter
- Juan Lara, painter
- Francisco Javier de Burgos y Sarragoiti, journalist
- Luis de Coig y Sansón, mariner
- Javier Ruibal, folk singer
- Juan Manuel de Cañas, governor of Costa Rica
- José Cordero de Torres, clockmaker
- Rafael Taboada Mantilla, musician
- Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez, football player
- Ricardo Summers Ysern, painter and illustrator
- Francisco Javier de Uriarte y Borja, Captain General of the Spanish Navy.
| edit | Municipalities of Cádiz |  |
|---|---|---|
|
Alcalá de los Gazules | Alcalá del Valle | Algar | Algeciras | Algodonales | Arcos de la Frontera | Barbate | Benalup-Casas Viejas | Benaocaz | Bornos | Castellar de la Frontera | Chiclana de la Frontera | Chipiona | Conil de la Frontera | Cádiz | El Bosque | El Gastor | El Puerto de Santa María | Espera | Grazalema | Jerez de la Frontera | Jimena de la Frontera | La Línea de la Concepción | Los Barrios | Medina-Sidonia | Olvera | Paterna de Rivera | Prado del Rey | Puerto Real | Puerto Serrano | Rota | San Fernando | San José del Valle | San Roque | Sanlúcar de Barrameda | Setenil de las Bodegas | Tarifa | Torre Alháquime | Trebujena | Ubrique | Vejer de la Frontera | Villaluenga del Rosario | Villamartín | Zahara de la Sierra |
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