Horta (Azores)

Horta (Azores)

Horta is a single municipality and city in the western part of the Archipealgo of the Azores, encompassing the island of Faial. Horta has a population of about approximately 15,038 people (2011 census) and an area of 173.1 square kilometers. The population density is about 88 persons per square kilometer. The city of Horta itself has a population of about 7,000.

The city contains the Horta Regional Museum which has a permanent exhibit, Exhibition of Capelinhos Volcano, that details in photographs the recent (1957) volcanic eruption in the Azores. The museum also contains a large collection of scale models of buildings, ships, and people carved from fig kernels carved by Euclides Rosa.

The marina is a primary stop for yachts crossing the Atlantic, and its walls, and walkways are covered in paintings created by visitors who noted the names of their vessels, crews, and the years they visited. Peter Cafe Sport across from the marina houses the island's scrimshaw museum; a collection of hundreds of pieces of scrimshaw work carved on whale tooth and jawbone.