Praia da Luz

Praia da Luz (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɾajɐdɐˈluʃ], changing to [ˈpɾajɐdɐˈluz] before a following vowel), officially Luz, is a civil parish located about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the municipality of Lagos in the Algarve, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 3,545, in an area of 21.78 km². Also known as Luz de Lagos or Vila da Luz (a contraction of its former official name, Vila da Nossa Senhora da Luz), "Praia da Luz" (which means Beach of the Light) is used to refer to both the urbanized village and the beach. The parish had its origins in a small fishing village (the industry is now only found in isolated enclaves to the west), but was transformed by several holiday-villa complexes into a tourist area.

History

Historians Estácio da Veiga and José da Encarnação have proved that settlements of Luz have existed for millennia, and that many cultures have crossed the territory. At the end of the 19th century, various castros were discovered in the area of Serro Grande, that included various funerary tombs with galleries, dating to the Neolithic period. In these sites there were vestiges of Neolithic implements, artifacts from the Iron Age, as well as a rock axe that was discovered in Espiche. The existence of human artifacts and shell mounds in the area is a constant, suggesting a human presence before organized civilization.

Praia

Praia (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɾajɐ], meaning "beach", in both Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole), is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean west of Senegal. It lies on the southern coast of Santiago island in the Sotavento Islands group. It is the island's ferry port and is home to one of the nation’s four international airports. The city centre is known as Platô due to its location on a small plateau.

Praia is Cabo Verde's largest city, a commercial centre, and a port that ships coffee, sugar cane, and tropical fruits. Praia also has a fishing industry and there are resort beaches nearby. It is the seat of the Praia municipality.

History

The town of Praia de Santa Maria appeared in 1615 when it took the place of the previous settlement on the plateau, which was originally favored because the nearby port (Santa Maria beach) offered good conditions for ships. Initially used as a clandestine harbor (in order to avoid customs fees at the then capital Ribeira Grande), the settlement gradually acquired the characteristics of a town after much of the population from Ribeira Grande fled there during its decline in the midst of frequent pirate attacks. The official transfer of capital status from Ribeira Grande to Praia took place in 1770.

Praia (Santa Cruz da Graciosa)

Praia (officially São Mateus da Praia) is a Portuguese civil parish in the municipality of Santa Cruz da Graciosa, on the island of Graciosa, in the Azores. It still retains its former name locally, owing to the parish having once been the historical municipality of Praia. The population in 2011 was 836, in an area of 12.82 km².

History

São Mateus was one of the first Captaincies of the Azores, and administered by its Captain-Donatorio, Duarte Barreto.

The main centre and parish seat obtained the category, and elevated to the title, of vila (or town) during the reign of King John III, by royal charter on 1 April 1546. It operated as the municipal seat until 1867, when its role was superseded by the much larger Santa Cruz da Graciosa. Yet, it still retained the honorific title of vila. During this time, the settlers of the island formed historical, social and economic contacts with the peoples and economy of Terceira, in addition to those ships travelling between Europe and Brazil.

Praia de Valadares

Praia de Valadares is a Portuguese place, located in the parish of Valadares.

Nature and Climate

Praia de Valadares is located on the seashore and has an Oceanic Climate. The native vegetation is mainly composed by pine trees. In spite of that fact, the forest areas in Praia de Valadares have a mix of pine trees and eucalyptus.

History

Nowadays, the oldest building in Praia de Valadares is Sanatório Marítimo do Norte (a sanatorium - place where diseases like tuberculosis were treated), built in 1916. It was the construction of that building, that started developing Praia de Valadares. Before that, Praia de Valadares had nothing but agricultural fields and forest. In the 1920/1930s the oldest standing houses in Praia de Valadares were built in Largo da Praia. In 1930 was built the Clínica Heliântia, a project of the architect Francisco de Oliveira Ferreira, who also projected Sanatório Marítimo do Norte. In the decade of 60 was created the first school (Escola da Marinha) in Praia de Valadares, replacing an old "Posto de Ensino" (centre of teaching).