Vila Franca do Campo (Azores)
| Vila Franca do Campo | |||
| Municipality (Concelho) | |||
 The village of Vila Franca do Campo, with its emblematic volcanic islet, the Ilhéu da Vila Franca | |||
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| Official name: Concelho da Vila Franca do Campo | |||
| Name origin: vila franca do campo, Portuguese for the free town of the fields | |||
| Motto: Quis sicut deus?; Who is like God? | |||
| Country |  Portugal | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomous Region |  Azores | ||
| Group | Central | ||
| Island | São Miguel | ||
| Municipality | Vila Franca do Campo | ||
| Civil Parishes | Água de Alto, Ponta Garça, Ribeira das Tainhas, Ribeira Seca, São Miguel, São Pedro | ||
| Center | São Pedro | ||
| Highest point | Pico do Barrosa | ||
| - location | Barrosa, Água de Alto, Vila Franca do Campo | ||
| - elevation | 949.43 m (3,115 ft) | ||
| - coordinates | 37°45′38″N 25°29′30″W / 37.76056°N 25.49167°W | ||
| Lowest point | Sea level | ||
| - location | Atlantic Ocean | ||
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) | ||
| Length | 13.24 km (8 mi), West-East | ||
| Width | 8.4 km (5 mi), North-South | ||
| Area | 77.88 km2 (30 sq mi) | ||
| - land | 73.19 km2 (28 sq mi) | ||
| - water | 1.59 km2 (1 sq mi) | ||
| - urban | 3.1 km2 (1 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 11,039 (2001) | ||
| Density | 141.73 / km2 (367 / sq mi) | ||
| LAU | Concelho/Câmara Municipal | ||
| - location | Praça da República, São Miguel, Vila Franca do Campo | ||
| - elevation | 23 m (75 ft) | ||
| - coordinates | 37°42′54″N 25°26′9″W / 37.71500°N 25.43583°W | ||
| President | António Fernando Raposo Cordeiro (PS) | ||
| Municipal Chair | Ricardo Manuel de Amaral Rodrigues (PS) | ||
| Timezone | Azores (UTC-1) | ||
| - summer (DST) | Azores (UTC0) | ||
| ISO 3166-2 code | PT- | ||
| Postal Zone | 9680-115 Vila Franca do Campo | ||
| Area Code & Prefix | (+351) 292 XXX-XXXX | ||
| Demonym | Micalense; Vilafrancense | ||
| Patron Saint | São João | ||
| Municipal Address | Praça da República 9680-115 Vila Franca do Campo | ||
| Municipal Holidays | 24 June | ||
 Location of the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo in the archipelago of the Azores
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| Wikimedia Commons: Vila Franca do Campo (Azores) | |||
| Website: http://www.cmvfc.pt | |||
| Statistics from INE (2001); geographic detail from Instituto Geográfico Português (2010) | |||
Vila Franca do Campo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvilɐ ˈfɾɐ̃kɐ ðu ˈkɐ̃pu]) is a town and a municipality in the southern part of the island of São Miguel in the Portuguese Autonomous Region of the Azores. The municipality has a population of 11039 inhabitants and a total area of 77.88 km²; the town, which incorporates several parishes, has a population of over 5300 inhabitants.
History
Vila Franca do Campo displays its municipal motto, Quis sicut deus?, on its flag and on its coat-of-arms. This Latin phrase means "Who is like God?" It is a reference to St. Michael the Archangel for whom the island of São Miguel is named. In Hebrew, the name, Michael, means "he who is like God".
Founded in the middle of the 15th century and declared a town (vila) in 1472, Vila Franca do Campo quickly grew into the largest settlement and administrative seat of São Miguel.
In 1522 however, the town was completely destroyed by a severe earthquake, in which 3000-5000 people perished. The capitão-donatário moved to Ponta Delgada. In the sequel of the 1582 naval battle off the coast of São Miguel, the Spanish victors had several hundred French and Portuguese prisoners executed in the town.
The town began to prosper again from the 18th century onwards from orange plantations, and later, from pineapple production.
Geography
Vila Franca do Campo Municipality is located east of Ponta Delgada, and it is linked by mountain roads to Lagoa, Furnas, Povoação and the eastern and northern parts of the island. Most of the mountainous area of the municipality is forested with occasional grassy meadows. The rest of the land is devoted to agriculture with some small interspersed wooded areas.
Administratively, the six parishes of Vila Franca do Campo Municipality include:
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vila Franca do Campo (Azores). |
- Natural Landscapes from Vila Franca do Campo
- Photos of Vila Franca do Campo by Gaspar Ávila
- Photos from Vila Franca do Campo
- (English) The Azores Islands, Site with abundant information about Vila Franca do Campo
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