Europe Travel Guide

Porto Santo Island is a Portuguese island 50 km northeast of Madeira Island in the North Atlantic Ocean. The main urban area in which is one of the six Portuguese vilas/municipalities that have only one parish is the city of Porto Santo, also known as Vila Baleira, the only parish. The population in 2001 was 4,474. The density is 106.1/km. The island also has a wonderful airport which serves flights including to Funchal which is only 15 min. It is the northernmost and the easternmost of the Madeira Islands. The municipality has no boundaries which means it is encircled by the Atlantic Ocean. The nearest place is Machico in the island of Madeira to the southwest in which it serves its port to Funchal. The length of the island is about 9 km. The main industry are tourism. The island was discovered by Joo Gonalves Zarco in 1419 along with Tristo Vaz Teixeira. The Porto Santo Golf Course, proposed by Spanish golfing champion Severiano Ballesteros, will be the largest course in the whole of the Madeira Archipelago and will be able to cater for 500 persons playing golf at once. There will be two 18-hole golf courses and one of nine-hole course.

The first phase , that was concluded on September 2004, involved the building of an 18 hole 72 par golf course, for professional players and a nine hole 3 par circuit called ‘Pitch and Put’, which can be covered within one hour.

The second phase, which will only take off in 2005, will include an 18-hole golf course similar to that of the first phase.

Porto Santo golf complex which also includes eight tennis courts, circles Pico Ana Ferreira, connecting the tennis courts to the Horse-riding Centre already built here, and this in turn, to the golf courses. In the future, the complex may be expanded to include other sports , making it the largest sports complex in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. This new infrastructure will extend the tourist season of Porto Santo and it will be another attraction for visitors and residents.

Porto Santo has several schools, a lyceum, a gymnasia, several churches, a square (praa), a Congress Centre, a museum, shopping centres, bars, restaurants and much more.