São Mateus

São Mateus is a civil parish along the southwestern coast of the municipality of Madalena on the island Portuguese island of Pico, in the archipelago of the Azores. The population in 2011 was 772, in an area of 17.37 km².HistoryIt is known, from oral investigations, that one of the first civil parishes created on the island of Pico was dedicated to the apostle Mathew, and which extended along the southern coast in an area considerably larger than today's limits. It was, then, part of the locality of Arruda, its centre 12km from Lajes, and whose name was derived from a medicinal plant discovered in the region.GeographyConnected to the two principal centers by the Regional E.R.1-1ª roadway, the parish is wedged between the parishes of São Caetano and Candelária. The pie-shaped parish extends from the southern coast to the interior, sloping from rugged cliffs to the mountainous summit of Ponta do Pico. While farmlands and settlements occupy most of the areas along the roadways, the dense forest occupies the majority of its territory.In addition to the parish center of São Mateus, located near the São Caetano border, the coastal village of Arieiro in the southwest corner and the interior hamlet of Ginjeira, are the predominant rural agglomerations.