Faial Island
Faial is the fifth largest island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.
It is because of the many blue hydrangeas also Ilha Azul: called (Eng. "blue island "). Faial always played a special role in whether. Than intermediate station of the early transatlantic flights, whether as a center for telecommunication between Europe and America, or as an important marina
Geography
Faial is located between 38 ° 31 'and 38 ° 39' north latitude and between 28 ° 36 'and 28 ° 50 ' west longitude. The area is 172 km ², and the island has an approximate coastline of 80 kilometers.
The island is of volcanic origin. This included evidence of their highest peak, Cabeço Gordo with its 1043 meters. The caldera has a diameter of two kilometers and is about 500 m deep. Faial is the Mid Atlantic Ridge closest island of the Azores. Again and again the island experienced violent volcanic eruptions. In 1672 an outbreak of Cabeço da Fonte was responsible for the deaths of numerous families. The most recent volcanic eruptions on Faial took place on September 27, 1957 and again on 16 December 1957 to 12 May 1958. Doing so, the island increased by 2.4 km ², it made the Ponta dos Capelinhos. There is the old lighthouse since August 2008 a museum of volcanology and the history of the outbreak is dedicated to. A major earthquake shook the island in 1998 and established in some villages large damage.
The island has about 15,000 inhabitants, their capital is Horta with 6,500 inhabitants. Other towns are Capelo, Praia do Norte, Cedros, ribeirinha, Pedro Miguel, Flamengo, Praia do Almoxarife and Castelo Branco.
Is located on the south coast - six miles from Horta - the island's airport.
History
The discovery and colonization of previously uninhabited island out in the first half of the 15th century. Diogo de Silves discovered in 1427 the eastern and central islands of the Azores. He was sent by Henry the Navigator, Prince of Portugal, from the house of Avis. A small group of Portuguese populated of the island of Terceira, Faial in 1432. During the same year ordered the Flemish Prince Henry of Josse Huerter to colonize the island. The first Flemish settlement was founded at Praia do Almoxarife, but left shortly thereafter because it there was no water. 1468 Josse van Huerter was appointed governor of the island. His daughter Joana de Macedo married the late 1480s annual Martin Behaim, the inspirer of the first obtained globe.
1672 broke the volcano Cabeço Gordo from. As a result of this event was an increased emigration of the island's population rather than to Brazil. In 1857, the first whaling company was founded.
The Europe & Azores Telegraph Co. moved in 1893 the first submarine cable between Faial and Lisbon. The cable was manufactured by the company Telcon. Thus, a phase in which Faial became an important node point in the telecommunications began. In 1900, another submarine cable of Greetsiel and Borkum to Faial and from there was further moved to Coney Iceland in New York by the German Atlantic Telegraph Co.. The cable was manufactured by Felten & Guilleaume and Telcon. In the same year another cable between Horta and Nova Scotia and there was further moved to New York. The cable was manufactured by Siemens Brothers Co. in London. Companies it was the U.S. company Commercial Cable Company, which could extend the submarine cable 1901 to Waterville in Ireland. In the same year a cable is between the Cape Verde island of São Vicente and Faial by Telcon again postponed, which was operated by the Western Telegraph Company.
Were each laid a new submarine cable between Greetsiel both 1903 and Faial and 1904 between New York and Faial By North Seekabelwerke. Operators of the two cables was the German Submarine Telegraph Co. Between São Vicente in Cape Verde and Faial moved the Telcon 1906 a new submarine cable, which was operated by the Western Telegraph Co.. In addition, the Telcon 1923 laid a submarine cable between Le Havre and Faial, which was operated by the Commercial Cable Co., and in 1924 both a submarine cable between New York and Faial, which was in operation from Western Union Telegraph Co., and one of Italcable powered submarine cable between Málaga and Faial.
The North Seekabelwerke laid in 1926 a cable between Borkum and Faial, which is operated by the German Atlantic Telegraph Co.. In 1928, the Telcon laid a cable between Newfoundland and Faial, which is operated by the Western Union Telegraph Co.. The submarine cable between Horta and Nova Scotia, and between Horta and Waterville in 1962 shut down.
In 1976, the founding of the University of the Azores was (Portuguese: Universidade dos Açores) in Ponta Delgada with two faculties in Ilha do Faial. On 1 January 1986 Portugal joined the European Union, and hence Faial was a part of the EU. An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale shook on 9 July 1998 the island. It led to major damage, eight people died and about 500 houses collapsed. The epicenter was located about 5 km off the coast.
Hafenbahn Horta
Between 1876 and 1901 there was a harbor in Horta track in the track width 2134 mm. She had four steam locomotives with the wheel arrangement as