Ponta do Sol

The south-western municipality that generally counts the most hours of sunshine on the island: 43.3 km², about 8,200 inhabitants and three parishes (Ponta do Sol, Canhas, Madalena do Mar), where bananas and sugar cane, flowers and vegetables grow. The little town takes its name from a rocky point that runs into the sea and reflects the sun; its 160 m pebble beach in a cove, the Nossa Senhora da Luz church (15th century), the John dos Passos cultural centre — the American writer whose grandfather was born here — and the romantic Lugar de Baixo palace, near the archipelago's only tidal lagoon. On the heights, Paul da Serra, the island's only plateau, belongs to the municipality.