Vila Do Corvo (Azores) - Geography

Geography

The Vila do Corvo is implanted along the maritime coast of the island Corvo, and represents the only inhabited settlement on the island.; With a perimeter of 17 kilometres (11 mi), the settlement is dominated by the sheer cliffs of the extinct volcanic crater of the Caldeirão, that extend 718 metres (2,356 ft) above sea level. The urban area covers 6.5 metres (21 ft) by 3 metres (9.8 ft) on an ancient debris field in the south, along the cove of Nossa Senhora do Rosário. The landscape north of the settlement is characterized by agricultural fields and pastureland, divided by stone walls.

In the last part of the 19th century, a drop in the population by 9% marked a period of emigration to the United States, generally associated with most of the archipelago. Yet, continued emigration between Corvo and New England would mark the demographic oscillation during the 20th century, as well; there were four identifiable periods:

• the first period, until 1925, when the United States began restricting immigration and where the local population dminished by 18%;
• the second period, until 1955, during a period of emigration to Latin America, principally to Brazil that was fairly insignificant, but laterally resulted in a 10% increase in the population;
• a third period, which lasted until the beginning of the 1980s, coincident with a new wave of emigration, resulting in a 49% decrease in the local residents; and
• finally, from the 1980s until the beginning of the 21st century, resulting from new restrictions on emigration, and local social and economic development, that resulted little change.

Yet, in the last 14 years that population has seen a 12.5% increase, which is attributed to the following factors:

• the return of émigrés; and
• the appearance of new employment opportunities, in addition to the creation of a basic education primary school, which helped to fix the young population.