Peniche (Portuguese pronunciation: [p'ni?]) is a seaside municipality and a city in Portugal. It is located in Oeste Subregion in formerly Estremadura Province. The population in 2011 was 27,753, in an area of 77.55 km2. The city proper has about 15,600 inhabitants.
The present mayor is Henrique Bertino, elected by the independent coligation GCEPP.
Video Peniche, Portugal
History and landmarks
The city was built on a rocky peninsula which is considered by geologists a unique example of the Toarcian turnover during the worldwide Early Jurassic extinction.
Peniche is known for its long beaches, which are popular for recreational activities and sports such as surfing, windsurfing, bodyboarding and kite surfing. These beaches are consistently windy and have good surf breaks with Supertubos, i.e., waves forming fast and powerful tubes, considered among the best in Europe. The area has been called the "European Pipeline", after the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii.
The Berlengas islands, about 10 kilometres (6 mi) offshore from the peninsula, are part of the municipality. They form one of the world's first nature reserves. In summer, the islands can be visited by taking a ferryboat from Peniche.
Peniche, with its scenic harbour, white windmills, chapels and long sandy beaches has inspired famous artists like Maurice Boitel.
Maps Peniche, Portugal
Economy
Since ancient times Peniche has been an important fishing harbour. Besides fisheries, the economy of the Peniche municipality relies on agriculture, services and tourism.
Education
Besides schools for primary, secondary and vocational education, Peniche is home to a state-run polytechnic school of the Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, which through its Escola Superior de Turismo e Tecnologia do Mar de Peniche, awards academic degrees in marine technologies and tourism.
Parishes
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes (freguesias):
- Atouguia da Baleia
- Ferrel
- Peniche
- Serra d'El-Rei
Streets
- Streets of Peniche with pictures
Surfing in Peniche
Peniche is one of the best surfing locations in Europe. It has beaches and breaks facing three distinctly different directions, making it a consistent destination for surfers. Home to many surf camps/schools, it annually hosts the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal from the World championship tour of the World Surf League (WSL) at the Supertubos beach.
Sports
The football club of the city is called Grupo Desportivo de Peniche (GDP).
The best-known athletes from Peniche are Telma Santos, who has participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro , Silvano Lourenço, the European bodyboarding champion in 2007, and Victoria Kaminskaya who participated in the swimming competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Gallery
References
External links
- Municipality official website
Source of article : Wikipedia