The Berlengas are a Portuguese archipelago consisting of small Atlantic islands 10 to 17 kilometres off the coast of Peniche, Portugal, in the Oeste region. These islands were traditionally known to British mariners as "the Burlings". The only inhabited island is its largest island, Berlenga Grande, although there is currently no permanent habitation in the archipelago. The other islands are grouped into two groups of islets, the Estelas Islets and the Farilhões-Forcados Islets.
Panoramic view of Berlengas islands.
The historic penal colony: the Fort of São João Baptista das Berlengas
The fishermen houses in the Berlenga Grande Island are the only dwellings in the archipelago.
Farilhões-Forcados Islets seen from Berlenga Grande
Peniche is a seaside municipality and a city in the Oeste region, in the historical province of Estremadura, and in the Leiria District. It has 26,431 inhabitants, in an area of 77.55 km2. The city itself has a population of about 15,600 inhabitants.
The present mayor is Henrique Bertino, elected by the independent coalition GCEPP. The idiomatic expression Friend from Peniche, used to describe someone who wants to receive things at the expense of other without giving anything in return, comes from here.
Image: Baleal, Peniche (37361738426)
Image: Igreja da Consolação (Peniche) 04
Image: Peniche Portugal (8684389308) (cropped)
Image: Portugal (16516777913)
