About Peniche
Peniche lies on a peninsula with a perimeter of approximately 6 miles, and Cabo Carvoeiro constitutes the western part of it. The coastline is shaped by majestic reefs and magnificent bath beaches of great extension, stretching over the ocean in a constant display of astonishing effects that amaze the visitors’ eyes. Off Peniche, we can find the Berlenga Archipelago, if we look over the Atlantic Ocean, at the western part.
Since ancient times, the Peniche Municipality has had its territory occupied by populations which, by exploring the available natural resources, found in fishing and agriculture the main economic activities. Its geomorphologic specificity, oscillating between insular / peninsular, seems to have shaped and stipulated, from a cultural-social-economic point of view, the populations that occupied this territory throughout the centuries, simultaneously allowing thePenicheMunicipality to be a place of important historical events, national and international. Berlenga Grande (Portuguese: Ilha da Berlenga) is 1500 metres per 800 metres at 85 metres high. In this small island there are beaches and several caves, its waters are very clean with barrier reefs and vibrant marine life. Part of the island was ripped off in the past, forming a separated part of the island called Ilha Velha (Old Island). In the summer, the island becomes filled with various sorts of flowers.
In the larger island (Berlenga Grande) there is an ancient fort and a lighthouse. The fort is now partially converted into a resthouse. As the archipelago has been declared a reservation area due to the local fauna (seabirds, mostly), it is only visited by scientists and, in the summer, by a small number of tourists. To the north of Berlenga Grande are uninhabitable islets, known for the existence of species of marine birds and a diverse ecosystem: the Estelas and Farilhões-Forcados Islets. |