Fuseta

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Fuseta

Parish coat of arms
Municipality	Olhão
Area	0.36 km²
Population
- Total	2,146 (2001)
- Density	5,961/km²
Website: none

[edit] Fuseta

Fuseta (pron. IPA: [fu'zetɐ]) is a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Olhão in the district of Faro, which is located in the Sotavento region of the Algarve. It's area is 0,36 km² e has 2146 inhabitants (2001), which means it has a population density of 5961,1 inhab/km². This parish once belonged to the county of Tavira until 1876.

[edit] Geography

With na área of 0,63 km², it is located on coast, with a northern limit made by the town of Moncarapacho, a southern limit made by the Ria Formosa, an eastern limit made by the county of Tavira and a western limit by the parish of Moncarapacho.

[edit] History

Fuseta, according to historical accounts dating from 1572, was known as “Fozeta” (diminutive of Foz), a name that had its origins in the facto that a small river named “river of the trunk” ended there. This was described as being a place that little by little developed and increased in population until it was a small settlement. The date for the beginning of the settlement is unknown. In the beginning there was only some small huts that were kept to store tools for fishing boats that were launched from there.

Being that as it may, the Fuseta is not so recent as one might think. In the days of the Portuguese Discoveries, there was already a mention of this small community. In these times, this town’s fishermen boarded on the Caravelas, and with Gaspar Corte-Real, noble resident of this area, discovered Newfoundland in 1500. Maybe it was because of this, that these were the first Portuguese to ventura out into the seas in the search of codfish.

The oldest church of Fuseta is the Chapel of Our Lady of Carmo, that it existed in the parish in the year of 1758. This church was built in consequence of a promise made to that Saint. The population grew so much that they asked the Bishop of the Algarve, D. Francisco Gomes de Avelar, for the independence of their parish, which belonged in 1874 to Moncarapacho. On the 12th of March of that year, the authorization was granted.

The principal economic activity of this town is still fishing and its derivatives, but recently the tourism industry is growing due to the beautiful beach, the camping park and the proximity of the Island of Armona-Fuseta. The town is known for it's quaint houses which have a cubic form, with their terraces and their curious chimneys, which are a trademark of this part of the Algarve.