- elevation 75 m (246 ft) - location Atlantic Ocean - location Estrada Regional Area 17.74 km² Area Code & Prefix (+351) 292 XX XX XX | - elevation 2,351 m (7,713 ft) - elevation 0 m (0 ft) Urban area 64 km² Population 772 (2011) | |
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São Mateus is a civil parish along the southwestern coast of the municipality of Madalena on the island Portuguese island of Pico, in the archipelago of the Azores. The population in 2011 was 772, in an area of 17.37 km².
Contents
Map of S.Mateus, Portugal
History
It is known, from oral investigations, that one of the first civil parishes created on the island of Pico was dedicated to the apostle Mathew, and which extended along the southern coast in an area considerably larger than today's limits. It was, then, part of the locality of Arruda, its centre 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Lajes, and whose name was derived from a medicinal plant discovered in the region.
Geography
Connected to the two principal centers (Madalena on the west coast and Lajes on the south coast) by the Regional E.R.1-1ª roadway, the parish is wedged between the parishes of São Caetano and Candelária. The pie-shaped parish extends from the southern coast to the interior, sloping from rugged cliffs to the mountainous summit of Ponta do Pico. While farmlands and settlements occupy most of the areas along the roadways, the dense forest occupies the majority of its territory.
In addition to the parish center of São Mateus (location of the primary school, commercial businesses and civil government), located near the São Caetano border, the coastal village of Arieiro in the southwest corner and the interior hamlet of Ginjeira, are the predominant rural agglomerations.