Ribeira Brava
Coat of arms	Flag
Map
Statistics
Region:	Madeira Islands
District:	Madeira Island
Population:	12,494 2001
Area:	65.1 km²
Density	191.29/km²
Altitude:	Lowest and Centre: Atlantic Ocean Highest: -
Number of parishes:	4
Website:	www.cm-ribeirabrava.pt

Ribeira Brava (pron. IPA: [ʁi'bɐiɾɐ 'bɾavɐ]; Portuguese meaning the strong river) is a parish in the west-central part of Madeira. Its parish population is 5,941- and the borough is 12,494. The parish is one of the smallest on the island. Its area is 65.1 km². Its population density is 191.29/km² It is located SW of Santana, W of Machico, W of Funchal and ESE of Calheta. It is linked with a road linking Calheta and Funchal.

The main source of industry are agriculture and fishing while a small number of businesses are in the downtown area.

• Location:
  • Latitude: 32.65 (32°39') N
  • Longitude: 17.0667 (17°4') W

Ribeira Brava has a few schools, a few lyceums, a gymnasium, banks, a post office, a small port, beaches and squares or plazas (praças).

Parishes

The 4 parishes of Ribeira Brava include:

• Campanário
• Ribeira Brava
• Serra de Água
• Tábua

Settlements and geographic areas

Parish of Ribeira Brava

The parish has a population of 5,941 in 2001, its population density is 339.5/km² and the area is 17.5 km². The parish is covered with mountains and Ribeira Brava flows in the middle of the town. The Cabo Girão embankment lies to the east.

Nearest parishes (parish)

• Tábua, west
• Serra de Água, north
• Campanário, east

The River

The river named the Ribeira Brava in which the name of the parish and the municipality comes from is about 10 to 12 km long and flows from the mountains in the westcentral part of the island. The river flows into a small reservoir which supplies drinking water and electricity to the island of Madeira. The river flows into Serra de Água and within the main road linking Ribeira Brava and São Vicente to the west. The mountains surround the river and forms a valley. About tens of streams flow with Ribeira Brava. The river later empties near Ribeira Brava into the Atlantic.

External links

• Map and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest or Google
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver

• Photos of Ribeira Brava
• Coordinates: 32°39′0″N, 17°4′0″W

Municipalities of the Madeira Autonomous Region
Madeira Island: Calheta | Câmara de Lobos | Funchal | Machico | Ponta do Sol | Porto Moniz | Ribeira Brava | Santa Cruz | Santana | São Vicente | Porto Santo Island: Porto Santo

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