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Vila Franca do Campo ((:ˈvilɐ ˈfɾɐ̃kɐ ðu ˈkɐ̃pu)) is a town and municipality in the southern part of the island of São Miguel in the Portuguese Autonomous Region of the Azores. The population of the municipality was 11,229 in 2011,〔(Instituto Nacional de Estatística )〕 in an area of 77.97 km².〔(Eurostat )〕 The town proper, which incorporates the urbanized parishes São Miguel and São Pedro, has 4100 inhabitants. ==History== Vila Franca do Campo displays its municipal motto, ''Quis sicut deus?'', on its flag and on its coat-of-arms. This Latin phrase means "Who is like God?" It is a reference to St. Michael the Archangel for whom the island of São Miguel is named; in Hebrew, the name, Michael, means "he who is like God". Founded in the middle of the 15th century by Gonçalo Vaz Botelho, the settlement was elevated to the status of ''vila'' (''town'') in 1472; Vila Franca do Campo quickly grew into the largest settlement and administrative seat of the island of São Miguel. The greatest tragedy to befall the Azores occurred on 20 October 1522, when a violent earthquake hit the area of Vila Franca do Campo, then capital of the archipelago and most important Azorean settlement.〔Carlos Melo Bento (2008), p.33〕 During the earthquake and subsequent landslide, 5000 people were killed, with then Captain-Donatário Rui Gonçalves da Câmara II escaping the tragedy: he was relaxing in his summer home in Lagoa at the time of the tragedy.〔Câmara had been Donatário since 1504, the date when his mother D. Inês and siblings mysteriously disappeared at sea during a voyage to Lisbon.〕 Many of the residents were buried alive from a landslide and debris.〔 Because of its destruction, the capital of São Miguel was transferred to Ponta Delgada, where the Captain-Donatário installed his administration in a residence near the Church of São Pedro.〔 King John III eventually elevated Ponta Delgada to the status of city on 2 April 1546, attracting more and more economic activity and settlement.〔 In the sequel of the 1582 naval battle off the coast of São Miguel, the Spanish victors had several hundred French and Portuguese prisoners executed in the town. The town began to prosper again from the 18th century onwards from orange plantations, and later, from pineapple production. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vila Franca do Campo」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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