Porto Santo Island ( Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpoɾtu ˈsɐ̃tu] ) is a Portuguese island 43 kilometres (27 mi) northeast of Madeira Island in the North Atlantic Ocean ; it is the northernmost and easternmost island of the archipelago of Madeira , located in the Atlantic Ocean west of Europe and Africa.
86-406: The municipality of Porto Santo occupies the entire island and small neighbouring islands. It was elevated to city status on 6 August 1996. The sole parish of the municipality is also named Porto Santo. The population in 2011 was 5,483, in an area of 42.59 km. The main settlement on the island is Vila Baleira . It appears that some knowledge of Atlantic islands, such as Madeira, existed before
172-721: A golf course that was designed by Spanish golfing champion Seve Ballesteros ; Porto Santo Golfe hosted the Madeira Islands Open in 2009, as part of the European Tour . Once the planned second course is completed, Porto Santo Golfe will be the largest course in Madeira: there is currently one 18-hole golf course and one nine-hole course. In addition, Porto Santo's Golf Complex includes eight tennis courts and an equestrian centre (Pico Ana Ferreira). The island has an international airport, with daily flights to Madeira Airport (about
258-642: A 15-minute flight away). The Porto Santo Airport (PXO) has connections with both domestic ( Lisbon , Porto ) and (occasionally) international flights (including several charters to England, Italy, Germany, Scandinavia, Belgium, France and Spain). The airport regularly serves as a diversion location for aircraft unable to land at Madeira Airport, due to the latter's frequent closures as a result of high winds coupled with its strict meteorological requirements for landing. Freguesia (Portugal) Freguesia ( Portuguese pronunciation: [fɾɛɣɨˈzi.ɐ] ), usually translated as " parish " or "civil parish",
344-526: A broader aridification trend. The EMCI ended 18 million years ago, giving way to the Middle Miocene Warm Interval (MMWI), the warmest part of which was the MMCO that began 16 million years ago. As the world transitioned into the MMCO, carbon dioxide concentrations varied between 300 and 500 ppm. Global annual mean surface temperature during the MMCO was about 18.4 °C. MMCO warmth was driven by
430-519: A clade of large terrestrial predatory crocodyliformes distantly related to modern crocodilians, from which they likely diverged over 180 million years ago, are known from the Miocene of South America. The last Desmostylians thrived during this period before becoming the only extinct marine mammal order. The pinnipeds , which appeared near the end of the Oligocene, became more aquatic. A prominent genus
516-405: A coastal plain in the southwest (that includes a nine-kilometer long white sand beach, giving the island an advantage over neighboring Madeira). The mountainous northeast part of the island, consists of two geomorphological structures that includes: an area of peaks, Pico do Castelo (437 meters), Pico da Juliana (447 meters), Pico da Gandaia (499 meters) and Pico do Facho (517 meters); and between
602-561: A cooler, drier climate. C 4 grasses, which are able to assimilate carbon dioxide and water more efficiently than C 3 grasses, expanded to become ecologically significant near the end of the Miocene between 6 and 7 million years ago, although they did not expand northward during the Late Miocene. The expansion of grasslands and radiations among terrestrial herbivores correlates to fluctuations in CO 2 . One study, however, has attributed
688-473: A good analogue for future warmer climates caused by anthropogenic global warming , with this being especially true of the global climate during the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO), because the last time carbon dioxide levels were comparable to projected future atmospheric carbon dioxide levels resulting from anthropogenic climate change was during the MMCO. The Ross Sea margin of
774-435: A good model for a "living fossil". Eucalyptus fossil leaves occur in the Miocene of New Zealand , where the genus is not native today, but have been introduced from Australia . Both marine and continental fauna were fairly modern, although marine mammals were less numerous. Only in isolated South America and Australia did widely divergent fauna exist. In Eurasia, genus richness shifted southward to lower latitudes from
860-579: A major expansion of Antarctic glaciers. This severed the connection between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and formed the present land connection between Afro-Arabia and Eurasia. The subsequent uplift of mountains in the western Mediterranean region and a global fall in sea levels combined to cause a temporary drying up of the Mediterranean Sea (known as the Messinian salinity crisis ) near
946-480: A major expansion of grass-grazer ecosystems . Herds of large, swift grazers were hunted by predators across broad sweeps of open grasslands , displacing desert, woodland, and browsers . The higher organic content and water retention of the deeper and richer grassland soils , with long-term burial of carbon in sediments, produced a carbon and water vapor sink. This, combined with higher surface albedo and lower evapotranspiration of grassland, contributed to
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#17328484198711032-470: A neighbourhood or city district, a group of hamlets, a village, a town or an entire city. In cases where the seat is itself divided into more than one parish, each one takes the name of a landmark within its area or of the patron saint from the usually coterminous Catholic parish ( paróquia in Portuguese). Be it a city district or village, the civil parish is often based on an ecclesiastical parish. Since
1118-508: A number of faults and dikes that cut across the Calcareous fossils. Likely occurring in the Pliocene , it was followed by deposits of layers of detritic and calcareous sediments, that included brownish-red alluvial layers, along the island's flanks and beach. Porto Santo has a semi-arid climate ( BSh ), with mild to warm winters and warm to hot summers. The driest months are July and August, and
1204-426: A plan to reform the administrative divisions, claiming it would create efficiencies and save money. The plan envisioned the reform of the management, territorial geography and political form of how Portugal functioned at the local level, including specifically at the freguesia and concelho levels. It was determined that these changes would then be formalized before the 2013 local government elections, as part of
1290-409: A process to reduce expenditures, a condition of the $ 110 billion accord. In addition to the reduction of the number of representatives in the local boards, the plan also established criteria for the reduction, amalgamation or extinction of various civil parishes. The reform was implemented according to Law 11-A/2013 of 28 January 2013, which defined the reorganization of the civil parishes. This way,
1376-578: A significant drop in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Both continental and oceanic thermal gradients in mid-latitudes during the Early Miocene were very similar to those in the present. Global cooling caused the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) to begin to take on its modern form during the Early Miocene. From 22.1 to 19.7 Ma, the Xining Basin experienced relative warmth and humidity amidst
1462-695: A significant local decline along the northeastern coast of Australia during the Tortonian, most likely due to warming seawater. Cetaceans attained their greatest diversity during the Miocene, with over 20 recognized genera of baleen whales in comparison to only six living genera. This diversification correlates with emergence of gigantic macro-predators such as megatoothed sharks and raptorial sperm whales . Prominent examples are O. megalodon and L. melvillei . Other notable large sharks were O. chubutensis , Isurus hastalis , and Hemipristis serra . Crocodilians also showed signs of diversification during
1548-492: A small island, the Porto Santo community has its own schools, health-care centre, police detachments, a gymnasium, churches, several local squares, a Congress Centre, museum, shopping centres, bars, hotels and restaurants. The main industry on the island of Porto Santo is tourism , which has emerged through hotel construction in the 20th century and is based on the attractions of the beaches and temperate climate. The island has
1634-627: A zone of low rainfall in the Late Miocene. The Indian Plate continued to collide with the Eurasian Plate , creating new mountain ranges and uplifting the Tibetan Plateau , resulting in the rain shadowing and aridification of the Asian interior. The Tian Shan experienced significant uplift in the Late Miocene, blocking westerlies from coming into the Tarim Basin and drying it as a result. At
1720-423: Is Algueirão - Mem Martins, with a population of 68,649 people and the least populous is Mosteiro, with a population of just nineteen people. A freguesia is a subdivision of a município (municipality), which is a cluster of freguesias , like a US county . Most often, a parish takes the name of its seat, which is usually the most important (or the single) human agglomeration within its area, which can be
1806-663: Is of particular interest to geologists and palaeoclimatologists because major phases of the geology of the Himalaya occurred during that epoch, affecting monsoonal patterns in Asia, which were interlinked with glacial periods in the northern hemisphere. The Miocene faunal stages from youngest to oldest are typically named according to the International Commission on Stratigraphy : Regionally, other systems are used, based on characteristic land mammals; some of them overlap with
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#17328484198711892-476: Is similar to a freguesia . The average land area of a Portuguese parish is about 29.83 km (11.52 sq mi) and an average population of about 3,386 people. The largest parish by area is Alcácer do Sal (Santa Maria do Castelo e Santiago) e Santa Susana, with a land area of 888.35 km (342.99 sq mi), and the smallest parish by area is São Bartolomeu (Borba), with a land area of 0.208 km (0.080 sq mi). The most populous parish
1978-529: Is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.333 million years ago (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell ; the name comes from the Greek words μείων ( meíōn , "less") and καινός ( kainós , "new") and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern marine invertebrates than the Pliocene has. The Miocene followed
2064-485: Is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal , as defined by the 1976 Constitution . It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Portuguese overseas territories of Cape Verde and Macau (until 2001). In the past, it was also an administrative division of the other Portuguese overseas territories. The parroquia in the Spanish autonomous communities of Galicia and Asturias
2150-539: The Middle Miocene Climate Transition (MMCT). Abrupt increases in opal deposition indicate this cooling was driven by enhanced drawdown of carbon dioxide via silicate weathering. The MMCT caused a sea surface temperature (SST) drop of approximately 6 °C in the North Atlantic. The drop in benthic foraminiferal δ O values was most noticeable in the waters around Antarctica, suggesting cooling
2236-512: The Oligocene and preceded the Pliocene. As Earth went from the Oligocene through the Miocene and into the Pliocene, the climate slowly cooled towards a series of ice ages . The Miocene boundaries are not marked by distinct global events but by regionally defined transitions from the warmer Oligocene to the cooler Pliocene Epoch. During the Early Miocene, Afro-Arabia collided with Eurasia, severing
2322-635: The Portuguese Empire until its handover to China in 1999. During the period of Portuguese rule it was divided into two municipalities which were subdivided into a total of seven parishes. In 2001 the municipalities were dissolved and their administrative functions transferred to the Municipal Affairs Bureau . The parishes were legally retained but no longer serve an administrative function. Miocene The Miocene ( / ˈ m aɪ . ə s iː n , - oʊ -/ MY -ə-seen, -oh- )
2408-550: The carbon cycle occurred approximately 6 Ma, causing continental carbon reservoirs to no longer expand during cold spells, as they had done during cold periods in the Oligocene and most of the Miocene. At the end of the Miocene, global temperatures rose again as the amplitude of Earth's obliquity increased, which caused increased aridity in Central Asia. Around 5.5 Ma, the EAWM underwent a period of rapid intensification. Life during
2494-418: The municipal assembly . The parish, in contrast with the municipalities, had their base in the ecclesiastical divisions that "had its origin in the fact that neighbours professed the same religion and professed their faith and divinity in the same temple". Freguesia , the traditional Portuguese word for parish, had its beginning in the filius ecclesiae (child of the church) and filius gregis (child of
2580-716: The 2013 local government reforms, the 308 municipalities were subdivided into 4,259 civil parishes. In 2011, after more than two weeks of bailout negotiations in light of the sovereign debt crisis with the International Monetary Fund , the European Central Bank and the European Commission , the Portuguese government was obliged to reduce the number of municipal and parish local governments after July 2012. The government of Pedro Passos Coelho introduced
2666-673: The Central Paratethys, cut off from sources of freshwater input by its separation from the Eastern Paratethys. From 13.36 to 12.65 Ma, the Central Paratethys was characterised by open marine conditions, before the reopening of the Bârlad Strait resulted in a shift to brackish-marine conditions in the Central Paratethys, causing the Badenian-Sarmatian Extinction Event. As a result of the Bârlad Strait's reopening,
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2752-826: The Early to the Middle Miocene. Europe's large mammal diversity significantly declined during the Late Miocene. In the Early Miocene, several Oligocene groups were still diverse, including nimravids , entelodonts , and three-toed equids. As in the previous Oligocene Epoch, oreodonts were still diverse, only to disappear in the earliest Pliocene. During the later Miocene mammals were more modern, with easily recognizable canids , bears , red pandas , procyonids , equids , beavers , deer , camelids , and whales , along with now-extinct groups like borophagine canids , certain gomphotheres , three-toed horses , and hornless rhinos like Teleoceras and Aphelos . The late Miocene also marks
2838-677: The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) was highly dynamic during the Early Miocene. The Miocene began with the Early Miocene Cool Event (Mi-1) around 23 million years ago, which marked the start of the Early Miocene Cool Interval (EMCI). This cool event occurred immediately after the Oligocene-Miocene Transition (OMT) during a major expansion of Antarctica's ice sheets, but was not associated with
2924-526: The East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM) became stronger synchronously with a southward shift of the subarctic front. Greenland may have begun to have large glaciers as early as 8 to 7 Ma, although the climate for the most part remained warm enough to support forests there well into the Pliocene. Zhejiang, China was noticeably more humid than today. In the Great Rift Valley of Kenya , there
3010-457: The LMC; extratropical sea surface temperatures dropped substantially by approximately 7–9 °C. 41 kyr obliquity cycles became the dominant orbital climatic control 7.7 Ma and this dominance strengthened 6.4 Ma. Benthic δ O values show significant glaciation occurred from 6.26 to 5.50 Ma, during which glacial-interglacial cycles were governed by the 41 kyr obliquity cycle. A major reorganisation of
3096-563: The Late Cretaceous, are known from the Miocene of Patagonia, represented by the mole-like Necrolestes . The youngest known representatives of metatherians (the broader grouping to which marsupials belong) in Europe, Asia and Africa are known from the Miocene, including the European herpetotheriid Amphiperatherium , the peradectids Siamoperadectes and Sinoperadectes from Asia, and
3182-694: The Late Miocene, the Earth's climate began to display a high degree of similarity to that of the present day . The 173 kyr obliquity modulation cycle governed by Earth's interactions with Saturn became detectable in the Late Miocene. By 12 Ma, Oregon was a savanna akin to that of the western margins of the Sierra Nevada of northern California . Central Australia became progressively drier, although southwestern Australia experienced significant wettening from around 12 to 8 Ma. The South Asian Winter Monsoon (SAWM) underwent strengthening ~9.2–8.5 Ma. From 7.9 to 5.8 Ma,
3268-567: The Miocene Epoch was mostly supported by the two newly formed biomes , kelp forests and grasslands . Grasslands allow for more grazers, such as horses , rhinoceroses , and hippos . Ninety-five percent of modern plants existed by the end of this epoch . Modern bony fish genera were established. A modern-style latitudinal biodiversity gradient appeared ~15 Ma. The coevolution of gritty , fibrous, fire-tolerant grasses and long-legged gregarious ungulates with high-crowned teeth , led to
3354-449: The Miocene. The largest form among them was a gigantic caiman Purussaurus which inhabited South America. Another gigantic form was a false gharial Rhamphosuchus , which inhabited modern age India . A strange form, Mourasuchus also thrived alongside Purussaurus . This species developed a specialized filter-feeding mechanism, and it likely preyed upon small fauna despite its gigantic size. The youngest members of Sebecidae ,
3440-676: The Miocene–Pliocene boundary, the Strait of Gibraltar opened, and the Mediterranean refilled. That event is referred to as the " Zanclean flood ". Also during the early Miocene (specifically the Aquitanian and Burdigalian Stages), the apes first evolved, began diversifying, and became widespread throughout the Old World . Around the end of this epoch, the ancestors of humans had split away from
3526-534: The North American Great Plains and in Argentina . The global trend was towards increasing aridity caused primarily by global cooling reducing the ability of the atmosphere to absorb moisture, particularly after 7 to 8 million years ago. Uplift of East Africa in the late Miocene was partly responsible for the shrinking of tropical rain forests in that region, and Australia got drier as it entered
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3612-648: The Oligocene–Miocene transgression. As the southern Andes rose in the Middle Miocene (14–12 million years ago) the resulting rain shadow originated the Patagonian Desert to the east. Far northern Australia was monsoonal during the Miocene. Although northern Australia is often believed to have been much wetter during the Miocene, this interpretation may be an artefact of preservation bias of riparian and lacustrine plants; this finding has itself been challenged by other papers. Western Australia, like today,
3698-483: The Ponta da Calheta. This period was followed by a period of marine fossil accumulation, concentrated in the northeast of the island to about 300 meters altitude (around Pico do Juliana, Pico de Ana Ferreira and Ribeira do Moledo); 2nd Phase - this was a period of fissural volcanism that cut across and metamorphosed the older formations, occurring in the early Pliocene period; 3rd Phase - was an intrusive phase, resulting in
3784-547: The Qiongdongnan Basin in the northern South China Sea indicates the Pearl River was a major source of sediment flux into the sea during the Early Miocene and was a major fluvial system as in the present. During the Oligocene and Early Miocene, the coast of northern Brazil, Colombia, south-central Peru , central Chile and large swathes of inland Patagonia were subject to a marine transgression . The transgressions in
3870-487: The activity of the Columbia River Basalts and enhanced by decreased albedo from the reduction of deserts and expansion of forests. Climate modelling suggests additional, currently unknown, factors also worked to create the warm conditions of the MMCO. The MMCO saw the expansion of the tropical climatic zone to much larger than its current size. The July ITCZ, the zone of maximal monsoonal rainfall, moved to
3956-531: The ancestors of the chimpanzees and had begun following their own evolutionary path during the final Messinian Stage (7.5–5.3 Ma) of the Miocene. As in the Oligocene before it, grasslands continued to expand, and forests to dwindle. In the seas of the Miocene, kelp forests made their first appearance and soon became one of Earth's most productive ecosystems. The plants and animals of the Miocene were recognizably modern. Mammals and birds were well established. Whales , pinnipeds , and kelp spread. The Miocene
4042-472: The aridity of the former. Unequivocally-recognizable dabbling ducks , plovers , typical owls , cockatoos and crows appear during the Miocene. By the epoch's end, all or almost all modern bird groups are believed to have been present; the few post-Miocene bird fossils which cannot be placed in the evolutionary tree with full confidence are simply too badly preserved, rather than too equivocal in character. Marine birds reached their highest diversity ever in
4128-619: The beginning of the Miocene, the northern margin of the Arabian plate, then part of the African landmass, collided with Eurasia; as a result, the Tethys seaway continued to shrink and then disappeared as Africa collided with Eurasia in the Turkish – Arabian region. The first step of this closure occurred 20 Ma, reducing water mass exchange by 90%, while the second step occurred around 13.8 Ma, coincident with
4214-473: The connection between the Mediterranean and Indian Oceans, and allowing the interchange of fauna between Eurasia and Africa, including the dispersal of proboscideans and hominoids into Eurasia. During the late Miocene, the connections between the Atlantic and Mediterranean closed, causing the Mediterranean Sea to almost completely evaporate. This event is referred to as the " Messinian salinity crisis ". Then, at
4300-566: The course of this epoch . The youngest representatives of Choristodera , an extinct order of aquatic reptiles that first appeared in the Middle Jurassic , are known from the Miocene of Europe, belonging to the genus Lazarussuchus , which had been the only known surviving genus of the group since the beginning of the Eocene. The last known representatives of the archaic primitive mammal order Meridiolestida , which dominated South America during
4386-412: The creation of a democratic local administration, in 1976, the Portuguese parishes have been ruled by a system composed by an executive body (the junta de freguesia , "parish board/council") and a deliberative body (the assembleia de freguesia , "parish assembly"). The members of the assembleia de freguesia are publicly elected every four years. The presidents of the parish boards are also members of
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#17328484198714472-456: The depredations of feral rabbits; there were also constant attacks by Barbary Coast pirates and French privateers. The New World explorer Christopher Columbus married the Portuguese noblewoman Filipa Moniz Perestrelo , the daughter of Bartolomeu Perestrelo . For a while they lived on Porto Santo. The home is now a museum. The island is characterized by two areas: the accidented northeast (mountainous, with rocky ledges and cliffs), and
4558-475: The discovery and settlement of these lands, as the islands appear on maps as early as 1339. From a portolan dating to 1351, and preserved in Florence, Italy, it would appear that the islands of Madeira had been discovered long before being claimed by the Portuguese expedition of 1418. In Libro del Conocimiento (1348–1349), a Castilian monk also identified the location of the islands in their present location, with
4644-449: The eastern coast and this area, a series of minor peaks, Pico do Maçarico (285 meters), Pico do Concelho (324 meters) and Pico Branco (450 meters). The southwest part of the island, although relatively flat, includes a series of elevations 100 meters in height or greater, such as Pico Ana Fereira (283 meters), Pico do Espigão (270 meters) and the Cabeço do Zimbralinho (183 meters). The slope of
4730-564: The end of the Miocene due to increased habitat uniformity. The expansion of grasslands in North America also led to an explosive radiation among snakes. Previously, snakes were a minor component of the North American fauna, but during the Miocene, the number of species and their prevalence increased dramatically with the first appearances of vipers and elapids in North America and the significant diversification of Colubridae (including
4816-422: The end of the Miocene. The Paratethys underwent a significant transgression during the early Middle Miocene. Around 13.8 Ma, during a global sea level drop, the Eastern Paratethys was cut off from the global ocean by the closure of the Bârlad Strait, effectively turning it into a saltwater lake. From 13.8 to 13.36 Ma, an evaporite period similar to the later Messinian salinity crisis in the Mediterranean ensued in
4902-612: The enigmatic Saint Bathans Mammal . Microbial life in the igneous crust of the Fennoscandian Shield shifted from being dominated by methanogens to being primarily composed of sulphate-reducing prokaryotes . The change resulted from fracture reactivation during the Pyrenean-Alpine orogeny, enabling sulphate-reducing microbes to permeate into the Fennoscandian Shield via descending surficial waters. Diatom diversity
4988-461: The evolution of both groups into modern representatives. The early Miocene Saint Bathans Fauna is the only Cenozoic terrestrial fossil record of the landmass, showcasing a wide variety of not only bird species, including early representatives of clades such as moa , kiwi and adzebills , but also a diverse herpetofauna of sphenodontians , crocodiles and turtles as well as a rich terrestrial mammal fauna composed of various species of bats and
5074-499: The expansion of grasslands not to a CO 2 drop but to the increasing seasonality and aridity, coupled with a monsoon climate, which made wildfires highly prevalent compared to before. The Late Miocene expansion of grasslands had cascading effects on the global carbon cycle, evidenced by the imprint it left in carbon isotope records. Cycads between 11.5 and 5 million years ago began to rediversify after previous declines in variety due to climatic changes, and thus modern cycads are not
5160-711: The extinction of the last-surviving members of the hyaenodonts . Islands began to form between South and North America in the Late Miocene, allowing ground sloths like Thinobadistes to island-hop to North America. The expansion of silica-rich C 4 grasses led to worldwide extinctions of herbivorous species without high-crowned teeth . Mustelids diversified into their largest forms as terrestrial predators like Ekorus , Eomellivora , and Megalictis and bunodont otters like Enhydriodon and Sivaonyx appeared. Eulipotyphlans were widespread in Europe, being less diverse in Southern Europe than farther north due to
5246-604: The findings of marine invertebrate fossils of both Atlantic and Pacific affinity in La Cascada Formation . Connection would have occurred through narrow epicontinental seaways that formed channels in a dissected topography . The Antarctic Plate started to subduct beneath South America 14 million years ago in the Miocene, forming the Chile Triple Junction . At first the Antarctic Plate subducted only in
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#17328484198715332-540: The flanks of a large submarine volcano. The island's submarine activity occurred during the Miocene epoch, producing basaltic eruptions that persisted to the Quaternary period. There were three phases of distinct volcanism, followed by periods of calm associated with sedimentation: 1st Phase - associated with basaltic lava, pyroclastic flows, trachyte domes that were to form Pico do Concelho, Pico do Facho, Pico do Juliana and
5418-460: The human lineage) appeared in Africa at the very end of the Miocene, including Sahelanthropus , Orrorin , and an early form of Ardipithecus ( A. kadabba ). The chimpanzee–human divergence is thought to have occurred at this time. The evolution of bipedalism in apes at the end of the Miocene instigated an increased rate of faunal turnover in Africa. In contrast, European apes met their end at
5504-587: The lake levels of the Eastern Paratethys dropped as it once again became a sea. The Fram Strait opened during the Miocene and acted as the only throughflow for Atlantic Water into the Arctic Ocean until the Quaternary period. Due to regional uplift of the continental shelf, this water could not move through the Barents Seaway in the Miocene. The modern day Mekong Delta took shape after 8 Ma. Geochemistry of
5590-459: The municipalities with the same name (except for Sé, which belongs to Funchal ). Of Cape Verde 's 22 municipalities , which form the highest level of sub-national government in the small African state, some but not all are subdivided into parishes. There are 32 parishes in the country. Macau is an autonomous special administrative region in Southern China that was historically a part of
5676-421: The municipality directly. Barcelos is the municipality with the most civil parishes (61, since 2013). Portugal has no unincorporated areas ; all the national territory (apart from the above-mentioned example of Corvo) belongs to a civil parish, including uninhabited islands: Selvagens Islands to Sé , and Berlengas to Peniche , Desertas Islands to Santa Cruz , and Formigas Islets to Vila do Porto , in
5762-408: The names Leiname (modern Italian legname with the same meaning as Portuguese madeira , "wood"), Diserta and Puerto Santo. Indeed, the move by Portugal to claim the Madeiran islands was probably a response to Spain's efforts at the time to claim and subdue the Canary Islands . However, humans never recorded the discovery of Porto Santo Island or the other Madeira islands until 1418, when Porto Santo
5848-496: The north, increasing precipitation over southern China whilst simultaneously decreasing it over Indochina during the EASM. Western Australia was at this time characterised by exceptional aridity. In Antarctica, average summer temperatures on land reached 10 °C. In the oceans, the lysocline shoaled by approximately half of a kilometre during warm phases that corresponded to orbital eccentricity maxima. The MMCO ended around 14 million years ago, when global temperatures fell in
5934-449: The number of parishes was reduced from 4,259 to 3,091. Municipalities in Portugal are usually divided into multiple freguesias , but seven municipalities are not: Alpiarça , Barrancos , Castanheira de Pera , Porto Santo , São Brás de Alportel and São João da Madeira all consist of a single civil parish, and Corvo is a special case of a municipality without civil parishes, where all usual parish duties and functions are performed by
6020-523: The origin of many modern genera such as Nerodia , Lampropeltis , Pituophis and Pantherophis ). Arthropods were abundant, including in areas such as Tibet where they have traditionally been thought to be undiverse. Neoisopterans diversified and expanded into areas they previously were absent from, such as Madagascar and Australia. In the oceans, brown algae , called kelp , proliferated, supporting new species of sea life, including otters , fish and various invertebrates . Corals suffered
6106-463: The possible herpetotheriid Morotodon from the late Early Miocene of Uganda. Approximately 100 species of apes lived during this time , ranging throughout Africa, Asia and Europe and varying widely in size, diet, and anatomy. Due to scanty fossil evidence it is unclear which ape or apes contributed to the modern hominid clade, but molecular evidence indicates this ape lived between 18 and 13 million years ago. The first hominins ( bipedal apes of
6192-402: The power of the clergy built these areas, accumulating immense wealth and power. The liberal government of Mouzinho da Silveira abolished the parishes in 1832, but the government of Manuel da Silva Passos restored them in 1836. The freguesia began to refer to the civil/administrative entity, while the paróquia ( Latin : parochia ) became affiliated with the religious entity. Before
6278-828: The preceding Oligocene and following Pliocene Epochs: Continents continued to drift toward their present positions. Of the modern geologic features, only the land bridge between South America and North America was absent, although South America was approaching the western subduction zone in the Pacific Ocean , causing both the rise of the Andes and a southward extension of the Meso-American peninsula. Mountain building took place in western North America , Europe , and East Asia . Both continental and marine Miocene deposits are common worldwide with marine outcrops common near modern shorelines. Well studied continental exposures occur in
6364-403: The shepherds's flock), the collectivity of the religious faithful, with similar aspirations and interests. Between 1216 and 1223, Afonso II of Portugal began a process of legitimizing the Portuguese territory by conferring charters to nobles, clergy and municipal chambers (which would not be completed until after 1249, under Afonso III of Portugal ), making the parish the smallest division. But,
6450-695: The southernmost tip of Patagonia, meaning that the Chile Triple Junction lay near the Strait of Magellan . As the southern part of Nazca Plate and the Chile Rise became consumed by subduction the more northerly regions of the Antarctic Plate begun to subduct beneath Patagonia so that the Chile Triple Junction advanced to the north over time. The asthenospheric window associated to the triple junction disturbed previous patterns of mantle convection beneath Patagonia inducing an uplift of ca. 1 km that reversed
6536-422: The voyage, with her offspring, which multiplied catastrophically in a xeric island ecosystem that had evolved in isolation and had never known a flightless mammal. The loss of the native flora laid the island slopes open to erosion and colonization by European weeds that accompanied the settlers. During the first centuries of settlement, life on Porto Santo was harsh, owing to the scarcity of potable water and
6622-590: The west coast of South America are thought to be caused by a regional phenomenon while the steadily rising central segment of the Andes represents an exception. While there are numerous registers of Oligocene–Miocene transgressions around the world it is doubtful that these correlate. It is thought that the Oligocene–Miocene transgression in Patagonia could have temporarily linked the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as inferred from
6708-426: The western part of the island slopes from 150 meters to the south coast reaching the sandy beaches of Porto Santo. A third system, in the west-northwest, that includes Cabeço da Bárbara Gomes (227 meters) and Cabeço das Canelinhas (176 meters) is distinct from the areas identified. The island is encircled by an oceanic platform between 20 and 37 km, with a minimum depth of 8 meters (Baixa do Noroeste), and limited by
6794-484: The wettest are November and December. Unlike mountainous Madeira, which effectively traps rain clouds and the moisture of oceanic currents due to its high orography , the comparatively low profile of Porto Santo results in a dry climate. Despite this lack of precipitation, humidity remains high, averaging 77% year-round. The sunniest months are August and September. The main urban area is the city of Vila Baleira ( [ˈvilɐ bɐˈlɐiɾɐ] ), also known as Porto Santo. Although
6880-423: Was Allodesmus . A ferocious walrus , Pelagiarctos may have preyed upon other species of pinnipeds including Allodesmus . Furthermore, South American waters witnessed the arrival of Megapiranha paranensis , which were considerably larger than modern age piranhas . New Zealand 's Miocene fossil record is particularly rich. Marine deposits showcase a variety of cetaceans and penguins , illustrating
6966-610: Was a gradual and progressive trend of increasing aridification, though it was not unidirectional, and wet humid episodes continued to occur. Between 7 and 5.3 Ma, temperatures dropped sharply again in the Late Miocene Cooling (LMC), most likely as a result of a decline in atmospheric carbon dioxide and a drop in the amplitude of Earth's obliquity, and the Antarctic ice sheet was approaching its present-day size and thickness. Ocean temperatures plummeted to near-modern values during
7052-429: Was accidentally discovered after captains were storm blown into its sheltered harbor. They were in the service of Infante Henrique of Portugal . João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira had been ordered by King John I to discover new territory west of Africa and had been sent off-course by a storm while making the volta do mar westward swing return voyage. The island's name Porto Santo (en: "Holy Harbour")
7138-458: Was arid, particularly so during the Middle Miocene. Climates remained moderately warm, although the slow global cooling that eventually led to the Pleistocene glaciations continued. Although a long-term cooling trend was well underway, there is evidence of a warm period during the Miocene when the global climate rivalled that of the Oligocene . The climate of the Miocene has been suggested as
7224-538: Was derived from the sailors' stories of their discovery of a sheltered bay during the tempest, which was interpreted as divine deliverance. The first Portuguese settlers arrived in the 1420s. Bartolomeu Perestrelo , a member of the team that later explored the Madeira Islands, became the first Captain-donatário of Porto Santo, by royal award in November 1445. It was he who released a female rabbit that had littered on
7310-671: Was inversely correlated with carbon dioxide levels and global temperatures during the Miocene. Most modern lineages of diatoms appeared by the Late Miocene. There is evidence from oxygen isotopes at Deep Sea Drilling Program sites that ice began to build up in Antarctica about 36 Ma during the Eocene . Further marked decreases in temperature during the Middle Miocene at 15 Ma probably reflect increased ice growth in Antarctica. It can therefore be assumed that East Antarctica had some glaciers during
7396-627: Was most intense there. Around this time the Mi3b glacial event (a massive expansion of Antarctic glaciers) occurred. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) markedly stabilised following the MMCT. The intensification of glaciation caused a decoherence of sediment deposition from the 405 kyr eccentricity cycle. The MMWI ended about 11 Ma, when the Late Miocene Cool Interval (LMCI) started. A major but transient warming occurred around 10.8-10.7 Ma. During
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