Santa Maria

Santa Maria's waterfront combines fishing activity with an economy increasingly shaped by tourism. The pier is a working point of contact between the town and the sea, used by fishers, fish vendors and maritime operators. A replacement pier was under construction in March 2026, with temporary arrangements intended to maintain fish landings during the works.

The town also retains buildings associated with earlier public functions. Its cultural centre, now housing the Sal Museum, occupies a building predating the twentieth century that served as a customs house and post office. This reuse preserves a physical record of the island's administrative and commercial life within a changing coastal town.