Câmara de Lobos is a municipality, parish and town in the south-central coast of the island of Madeira. Technically a suburb of the much larger capital city ofFunchal, it is one of the larger population centres and an extension of the Funchal economy.
History
The location of the modern town is believed to be the original landing point for the Portuguese discoverer João Gonçalves Zarco, who is credited with the discovery of the Madeira Islands. When the explorer disembarked in this area, he observed a narrow rocky peninsula that extended into the ocean, and another nearby that formed an amphitheatre-like harbour that could shelter ships from Atlantic storms. There, Zarco and his men also found a large colony of marine animals that would become the reason for naming this area Câmara de Lobos. The name lobos is a Portuguese derivation for "seals", which were the animals discovered by Zarco and his men in the sheltered bay. Because of the large colony of these animals, the area was christened câmara dos lobos. This was a pejorative term, since câmara is the Portuguese word for "municipal chamber", and the sailors literally named the area the "Municipal chamber of sea-wolves". Today, the species of monk seals are rare, being an animal common to the Mediterranean, but today confined to a small colony on the Desertas Islands. The municipality was created by ministerial decree on 25 May 1835, and invested its executive on 4 October 1835. Initially, this administrative division included the parishes of Câmara de Lobos, Curral das Freiras, Estreito de Câmara de Lobos and Campanário, all districts of Funchal. With many alterations, the newly constituted municipality of Câmara de Lobos operated with those parishes as its core, until Quinta Grande was constituted from sites in the parishes of Campanário and Câmara de Lobos, but maintaining its total area. On 6 May 1914, Campanário is deannexed to the newly created municipality of Ribeira Brava, and on 5 July 1996, the parish of Jardim da Serra was constituted from the higher localities of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos. On 15 September 1994, the parish of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos was elevated to the status of town, while two years later, on 3 August 1996, the village of Câmara de Lobos attained the status of town.
Geography
Câmara de Lobos is the second largest settlement by population in Madeira with the largest contribution of youth under 25 years. Located within the metropolitan zone of Funchal, it is limited to the east by Funchal ; to the west by the municipality of Ribeira Brava and the steep cliffs of Cabo Girão ; and north by the municipalities of Santana and São Vicente ; while fronting the Atlantic Ocean to the south whose coast is part of the neighbouring parish of Campanário in Ribeira Brava The decree of 1955 defines these limits more explicitly. but allows for interpretations:
Human geography
The municipality of Câmara de Lobos, in accord with the 2001 census, has a population of 30,814, while its resident population is 31,476 inhabitants. While 22.7% are seniors, its active population represents 10,986 of the population. There are five parishes that constitute the municipality of Câmara de Lobos:
Câmara de Lobos - The central urbanized area of Lobos is primarily residential and commercial: the parish population is approximately 17,986 inhabitants. This core parish, is boxed in by Funchal, Quinta Grande and Estreito de Câmara de Lobos. Many of these areas are highly development housing units, constructed during the late 20th Century, during the extensive growth in tourism and financial services on the island. Farmlands, which located in northern tracts have since given way to residential and commercial businesses.
Although agriculture and fishing are still considered the primary sources of income, the area has grown as an extension of the tourism industry in the neighboring parishes. Its local development prospects are tied to the growing tourist market, while for six centuries of history it has been associated with the fishing and agriculture, in particular bananas and other fruits common to the island. Further, Madeira Wine, an important industry on the island, continues to drive the cultivation of local vineyards.
