Ilha civil parish has an interesting name: Ilha (island). Its an island inside another island, with the difference that Madeira is surrounded by the sea, and the civil parish of Ilha is surrounded by streams, united in a single point, and a great deal of vegetation.

Regarding its settlement, historians believe that the settlement was made by Azoreans, and that in 1559, the place was the headquarters of two majorats: Ilha and Carvalhal, both connected to the family of Lopo Fernandes Pinto, the first local settler. 

Ilha was established in 1989 and is the youngest civil parish of Santana municipality.