The parish is populated by older cottages, orchards and fields in scattered settlements dispersed by mountainous cliffs, and highlighted by small coastal plains. The largest of these "fajãs", location of the parochial church and village port, is the largest settlement (Fajã das Almas), located in the middle of the southern coast. Its semi-planar surface is in contrast with the cliffs to the east which front the São Jorge Channel, and has produced a micro-climate that has sustained many orchards and fields that produce coffee, wine, tropical fruits and species of Dragon trees (Dracaena draco) typical of the Canary Islands, Cape Verde and Madeira.