Norte Grande (Azores)
| Norte Grande | |
| Neves | |
| Civil Parish | |
 Vista to Fajã do Ouvidor, along the northern coast of São Jorge in the civil parish of Norte Grande | |
| Official name: Freguesia de Norte Grande | |
| Name origin: Portuguese for great north | |
| Country |  Portugal |
|---|---|
| Autonomous Region |  Azores |
| Island | São Jorge |
| Municipality | Velas |
| Localities | Fajã da Ribeira da Areia, Fajã de Além, Fajã do Ouvidor, Norte Grande, Outeiro, Santo António, Ribeira da Areia |
| Center | Nossa Senhora dos Neves |
| - elevation | 343 m (1,125 ft) |
| - coordinates | 38°40′10″N 28°3′30″W / 38.66944°N 28.05833°WCoordinates: 38°40′10″N 28°3′30″W / 38.66944°N 28.05833°W |
| Highest point | Pico de Esperança |
| - elevation | 1,053 m (3,455 ft) |
| - coordinates | 38°40′9″N 28°7′19″W / 38.66917°N 28.12194°W |
| Lowest point | Sea level |
| - location | Atlantic Ocean |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Area | 31.85 km2 (12 sq mi) |
| - water | .02 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| - urban | .56 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| Population | 532 (2011) |
| Density | 17 / km2 (44 / sq mi) |
| Settlement | c. 1570 |
| LAU | Junta Freguesia |
| - location | Estrada Regional |
| - coordinates | 38°40′10″N 28°3′30″W / 38.66944°N 28.05833°W |
| President Junta | António G. Teixeira Sousa |
| Timezone | Azores (UTC-1) |
| - summer (DST) | Azores (UTC0) |
| Postal Zone | 9800-132 |
| Area Code & Prefix | (+351) 292 XXX-XXXX |
| Patron Saint | Nossa Senhora das Neves |
| Wikimedia Commons: Norte Grande | |
Norte Grande is a civil parish in the municipality of Velas on the island of São Jorge in the Azores; owing to the existence of an ecumenical faith community throughout its history, the parish has also taken on the name of its religious invokation (Nossa Senhora dos Neves, or Neves, for short). The population in 2011 was 532,[1] in an area of 31.85 km².[2]
History
Owing to the number of settlers, a main road was justified into the area of Neves and surrounding areaas around 1570.
Geography
Norte Grande straddles the interior crest and northern coast of São Jorge, approximately the middle of the island. Apart from an interior that is covered in spatter cones, the parish is dotted by sea level debris fields called "fajãs". During the settlement period these became sites of colonization, since the northern coast is wall of cliffs, historically accessible by foot or pack-animal. There are few settlements in the relatively sparse interior, apart from the two primary fajãs (Fajã da Aeira and Fajã do Ouvidor), only two many settlements are observable: Outeiro da Cruz and Neves. Between these settlements and the southern border are plains of agricultural and forested land, in addition to many inactive volcanic cones.