Vagos

For the motorcycle club, see Vagos Motorcycle Club.
Vagos
Municipality

Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Vagos

Flag

Coat of arms
Coordinates: 40°33′N 8°40′W / 40.550°N 8.667°W / 40.550; -8.667Coordinates: 40°33′N 8°40′W / 40.550°N 8.667°W / 40.550; -8.667
Country  Portugal
Region Centro
Subregion Baixo Vouga
Intermunic. comm. Região de Aveiro
District Aveiro
Parishes 8
Government
  President Rui Cruz (PSD)
Area
  Total 164.92 km2 (63.68 sq mi)
Population (2011)
  Total 22,851
  Density 140/km2 (360/sq mi)
Time zone WET/WEST (UTC+0/+1)
Website http://www.cm-vagos.pt

Vagos (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvaɣuʃ]) is a town and a municipality in Aveiro District, belonging to Centro Region of Portugal. The district capital which goes by the same name, Aveiro, is the nearest largest city to Vagos. The population in 2011 was 22,851,[1] in an area of 164.92 km².[2] It had 17,204 eligible voters.

In Roman times, the municipality was then called "Vacus" and it had both ocean and large sand dune valleys situated just east of the town center. Increase in sedimentation and sand drifts have leveled and lengthened this distance. Antonio Gomes da Rocha Madail and other writers state that there is tradition among the native population that they are descendents of the seafaring salt farmers from Phoenicia.

Due to the fertile soils, agriculture plays a major role in the economy of the municipality and consequently in its prosperity. The green meadows bring about exceptional conditions for the breeding of cattle and production of milk at a national level. The forest areas and the production of vegetables are another source of richness for the municipality. In the industrial sector, ceramics are the predominant money-maker.

The municipality is located in the District of Aveiro. It is included in the Região de Aveiro.

The present Mayor is Rui Miguel Rocha Cruz, elected by the Social Democratic Party.

The municipal holiday is the Monday after the Whit Sunday. The mother church for the municipality is in honor of Saint James.

Demographics

Population of Vagos Municipality (1801–2011)
1801 1849 1900 1930 1960 1981 1991 2001 2004 2011
4047 6961 11954 15860 20250 18548 19068 22017 23205 22851

Cities and towns

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 8 civil parishes (freguesias):[3]

Famous people

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 2/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.