Ílhavo Municipality

Ílhavo

Municipality

Flag

Coat of arms

Coordinates: 40°36′N 8°40′W / 40.600°N 8.667°WCoordinates: 40°36′N 8°40′W / 40.600°N 8.667°W

Country

Portugal

Government

• President

Fernando Caçoilo (PSD)

Area

• Total

73.48 km² (28.37 sq mi)

Population (2011)

• Total

38,598

• Density

530/km² (1,400/sq mi)

Time zone

WET/WEST (UTC+0/+1)

Website

http://www.cm-ilhavo.pt

Ílhavo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈiʎɐvu]) is a municipality located at the Centre of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 38,598, in an area of 73.48 km².

The municipality of Ílhavo includes four parishes and two cities: Gafanha da Nazaré (about 15,000 inhabitants) and Ílhavo (around 17,000 residents with Gafanha Da Aquém).

Several stories have been gathered as part of the popular history of this city:

Traditionally, the local women — As Ílhavenses — are famed for their great beauty. It is claimed the city was founded by Greek colonists around 400 BC to whom the beauty of "Ílhavenses" women is attributed, but others state that the Phoenician settlers are the ones responsible for that.

Ílhavo's national nickname is "the city of the lamp" (a cidade da lâmpada). According to legend, one Sunday during Mass, one of the most important relics of the church (an oil lamp) was stolen in front of everybody and was never found. The myth continued and the Ílhavenses became known as "the cool ones".

Ílhavo is twinned with:

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes (freguesias):

There are two cities in the municipality.

Ílhavo received its rights on 13 October 1296 from King Denis of Portugal and is composed of four parishes. The city lies within the District of Aveiro. On 9 August 1990, it was elevated to the rank of a city. José Agostinho Ribau Esteves of the Social Democratic Party is the Mayor. There are 28,749 people eligible to vote (2006). The municipal holiday is Easter Monday.

Within the municipality, there are two villages that are popular in the summertime: Praia ("beach") da Barra, where the tallest lighthouse in Portugal (Farol de Aveiro ou da Barra) is situated and Praia da Costa Nova (Costa Nova do Prado), with its typical houses called Palheiros (they are characterized by façades in wood or concrete, decorated with lively and cheerful colors in alternation with white) and the fish market.

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Wikipedia