Population

Most of the several thousand inhabitants of Porto Santo live in the island’s main town, Vila Baleira, although continuing development and construction means people increasingly have the option of living away from the town. When Porto Santo was first discovered by the Portuguese in 1418 there were no indigenous inhabitants, so all of the local people (apart from more recent immigrants) are descended from the original Portuguese settlers. While job opportunities on the island have increased with development, many people still commute weekly between Madeira and Porto Santo. The people of Porto Santo have a reputation for being extremely relaxed and laidback.