Porto Santo
The island of Porto Santo was discovered in 1418 by João
Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, in the reign of King John I of
Portugal.
It is told that the island was named by its discoverers "Holy Port" as they
found shelter here from a storm that has been chasing them. It's first donee was
Bartolomeu Perestrelo, appointed by Prince Henry the Navigator, who started the
first settlement. The culture of cereals, the raising of cattle and the
plantation of vines were undertaken successfully, however sugar cane plantation
did not find favourable conditions.
The discovery of this island was an important first step for the others which
came later, along the west coast of Africa to the Cape of Good Hope and from
there to the East Indies and eventually Japan. On this island lived for some
time Christopher Columbus who was married here to D. Filipa who was the daughter
of the first donee Bartolomeu Perestrelo.
Situated in the northern hemisphere at a latitude of 32º, its territory of about
42 sq. Kms is almost all covered with calcareous matter, especially on the
northern side. It is secured on limestone which is visible in several places.
The island is adorned with peaks, almost all to the North, the highest of which
is "Pico do Facho".
Being one of the island constituting the archipelago of Madeira, Porto Santo is
amazingly different from the island of Madeira. Whilst lush green predominates
on Madeira, Porto Santo is almost stripped of vegetation and the southern coast
is bordered by a 5 mile long beach of soft golden sand which makes it a highly
esteemed resort area.
Nowadays many tourists seek out Porto Santo to enjoy relaxing holidays as the
island still maintains an air of tranquillity, and its isolation permits it to
keep some of the good old fashioned traditions of the first settlers. The
temperate climate which is felt all year round is also a major attraction.
Tourism has given Porto Santo an economic dynamism which has been growing year
by year. The construction of its excellent airport in 1960, further expanded in
1973, was an important factor which contributed decisively to the island's
economic and touristic expansion.
The existing hotels are of good standard and offer the tourist excellent
accommodation as well as a series of leisure activities such as tennis,
volleyball, windsurfing, island tours, etc...
The gastronomy, which specialises in local dishes, can be enjoyed in several
restaurants, from modern to typical, all of which permit the visitor to make
real the dream of a perfect holiday.
Porto Santo can be easily reached many times a day by aircraft from the airport
in Madeira directly to Porto Santo's brand new airport. Flight time is
approximately 15 minutes.
For those who enjoy a more leisurely pace, then one can travel by sea on the
Porto Santo ferry which can also transport vehicles should you wish to take a
car.
Travel time on the ferry is around 2 hours.
Click on link below to view more Photo's