Faial

Geographic Information:

In form of an irregular pentagon and an area of 173.42 Km2, the island of Faial has a length of 21 Km and a maximum width of 14 Km. It’s located at 38º36’ latitude north and at 28º30’ of length at east. The population of the region stands at 15.063 inhabitants (census 2001).

The island is constituted by only one locality, its main city Horta that also subdivides itself in 13 villages: Capelo, Castelo Branco, Cedros, Feteira, Falmengos, Angústias, conceiÇao, La Matriz, Pedro Miguel, Praia do Almoxarife, Praia do Norte, Ribeirinha and Salao. Dominated by the volcanic cone of the boiler and with soft slopes interrupted by the secondary volcanic formations, the island has its maximum altitude in CabeÇo Gordo with 1.043 meters.

Holidays. The main holidays of this island are:

·The Holy Ghost Festivities: The most important celebration of this island is the Festivity of the Holy Ghost, celebrated in the entire archipelago and organized by a chapel named imperio. It is about an important religious feast that has place all Sundays during seven weeks before Christmas and culminates the last Sunday, Whitsuntide.

·Festivity of Sao Joao: St. John is one the saints that has more worshippers in the island. The origin of this feasts date from the colonization because St. John is the patron of the noble Portuguese’s. The nobles that where established in there built a chapel to the saint to celebrate this religious commemoration, that takes place on June 24.

·Festivity of Our Lady of Grieves: Is considered the main religious feast, which origins is remounted to the period colonization of the island, and which primitive chapel was ordered to built by Mrs. Brites de Macedo, who placed the same image of the patron that was brought from Flanders. It is celebrated the sixth Sunday after Eastern.

·The Sea Week: It is celebrated during the first week of August, emphasizing the local and international music performances. This holidays flood the streets of the city with happiness, philharmonic music, estudiantinas, sings, and folkloric and ethnic group dances. In the same way the delicious scents of the sweets that are served in the kiosks; there are also expositions of the local handicraft and a book

Market. At the Port, emphasize the presence of tens ships with the coloring of its sails and flags. In the sea they make boat races in the waters of the Faial/Pico channel, sail proofs, windsurf, swimming, fishing, boat races and other nautical games.

Gastronomy. The sole and meat dishes, the pork blood sausages, the bread soaked in milk of vinha-de-alhos, the Holy Spirit soups, or the octopus stew with wine are some of the delights that can be tasted in accompany of good wines from the island of Pico. The abundance of fresh fishes and shellfishes gives origin to the known boilers and seafood dishes, just as the lobster, the crab of ground and the cavaco.

The cheese of the island in produced in Faial, in the same way the toffee known by the picturesque name of fofas, are good dishes for a refreshment.

History

Known by the name of Ilha da Ventura, and for Ilha de São Luis after it´s discovery by Portuguese navigators, according to the legend it was a hermit the first inhabitant.

Later, when already colonists came from Portuga, landed in the island a rich Fleming, Josse Van Huerter, accompanied of other fifteen compatriots, in search of money and the tin that, as was said, it existed in Faial; and though the expedition of these explorers failed, Van Huerter remained in the island filled with enthusiasm by its fertility, he obtaining in 1648 the donee's letter of the island, thanks to the mediation of the Duchess of Borgoña. The merchant obtains the right to bring colonists of Flanders (devastated by the war), finally established in the Flemings' municipality and, later, in Horta's region.

The island developed thanks to the agriculture and the exportation of the pastel, plant used in dry cleaner's shop. In 1583, in conformity with the unloading initiated in Terceira Island, a Spanish fleet went to Faial and conquers the island together with French soldiers. Later, English corsairs caused big prejudices to the island, which suffered also a tremor in 1672, which caused important destructions.

In the XIXth century, Faial takes part in the struggles between liberals and absolutists, supporting morethe first ones and receiving the visit of the king Don Pedro IV in 1832. Besides providing courageous soldiers, Faial contributed to the liberal cause with an arsenal that served to equip the fleet.

It´s position in the Atlantic Ocean and the existence of a port attracted in 1860 the ships dedicated to the trade of oranges and the whale-boats, which were coming to be supplied in the island.

In the XXth century, Faial turned into an important center of connection for submarine cable and played an active role in the first steps of the development of aviation. Faial is today an island in development, which economy is based on agriculture, the cattle, the lacteal products, the fishing and the trade.

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