along the cliff-tops of Cimo da Rocha, was constructed, near the hermitage dedicated to Our Lady of the Conception. In 1901, it received an official visit from King Carlos I of Portugal and Queen Amélie, and later that year elected the first Republican municipal government. Between 1942 and 1944, in the context of the Second World War, the airport was constructed to provide support and emergency facilities for the island. This airport was transferred to the Portuguese Air Force in 1946, and the barrio (Bairro do Aeroporto) was begun by architect Keil do Amaral. On 21 October 1992, the historical centre was protected, a zone delimited by Vila do Porto, under Regional Legislative Decree 22/92/A. By 24 August 2004, a new document was published by the regional legislature (Decree 29/2004/A), that set out the jurisdictional regime to protect, conserve and promote the cultural heritage; classified under article 58, the "historic centre" of Vila do Porto, was reclassified as a Group of Public Interest, and the older protections revoked. Geography The municipality covers the entirety of the island of Santa Maria, in the eastern edge of the archipelago of the Azores. Nascently a coastal municipality, the settlements are nonetheless located over a cliff-top platform, dominated in the west by a semi-arid plain and in the east by the hugged flanks of the Pico Alto mountainous ridge. Although its principal urban area is located along linear tracts in the southwestern coast (oriented north to south), there exist various urban settlements and agglomerations throughout the island. The municipality incorporates the island of Santa Maria in its entirety, and is divided into five parishes (population in 2021): Almagreira – 617 residents / Santa Bárbara – 370 residents / Santo Espírito – 597 residents / São Pedro – 812 residents / Vila do Porto – 3,012 residents / Sister city Vila do Porto's sister city is: Hudson, Massachusetts, USA Architecture Civic Administrative Building of the Forest Service of Vila do Porto () Barracks of the Fiscal Guard () Fountain of Largo Coronel Costa Santos () Fountain of Largo Luís Figueiredo () Fountain of Largo Jaime Figueiredo () Fountain of São José () Lagar of Diogo Fernandes Faleiro (), located in São Lourenço (Santa Bárbara); carved volcanic rocks used for squeezing grapes into wine. Lighthouse of Gonçalo Velho (), also referred to as lighthouse of Maia, is located in Maia (Santo Espírito); LORAN Station of Santa