Vila Franca do Campo

Vila Franca do Campo
The town of Vila Franca do Campo, with its emblematic volcanic islet, the Ilhéu de Vila Franca
The town of Vila Franca do Campo, with its emblematic volcanic islet, the Ilhéu de Vila Franca
Flag of Vila Franca do Campo
Coat of arms of Vila Franca do Campo
Location of the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo in the archipelago of the Azores
Location of the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo in the archipelago of the Azores
Coordinates: 37°43′00″N 25°26′0″W / 37.71667°N 25.43333°W / 37.71667; -25.43333
Country Portugal
Auton. regionAzores
IslandSão Miguel
EstablishedSettlement: 15th Century
Municipality: 1472
Parishes6
Government
 • PresidentRicardo Manuel de Amaral Rodrigues
Area
 • Total77.97 km2 (30.10 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total10 323
Time zoneUTC−01:00 (AZOT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+00:00 (AZOST)
Postal code
9680-115
Area code296
PatronSão João
Local holiday24 June
Websitehttp://www.cmvfc.pt

Vila Franca do Campo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvilɐ ˈfɾɐ̃kɐ ðu ˈkɐ̃pu] ) is a Portuguese town on the island of São Miguel in the Autonomous Region of the Azores. It covers an area of 78.00 km² and has a population of 10,323 inhabitants (2021).[1] The municipality is divided into 6 parishes and is bordered to the north by the municipality of Ribeira Grande, to the east by Povoação, to the west by Lagoa, and to the south it has a coastline along the Atlantic Ocean.

The town is located at a latitude of 37.71667 (37°41') North and a longitude of 25.433 (25°26') West. In front of Vila Franca do Campo, approximately 1,200 metres from the Tagarete port, lies the Ilhéu de Vila Franca (Vila Franca Islet), a coastal tuff cone strongly lithified, which contains within it an almost perfectly circular flooded caldera.

Since 1993, the Ilhéu de Vila Franca has been a natural reserve and remains an important summer destination.