The Azores Archipelago is a portuguese insular region, composed of nine islands located in the north of the Atlantic Ocean, in the latitudes 37º and 40º N and longitude 25º and 31º W. They are about 1430 km from Portugal and 3 900 km to North America. The maximum distance between the islands is 630 Km from Corvo on the West to Santa Maria on the East.
Geographically the arquipelago is divided in three groups; the eastern group, composed of the islands of São Miguel, Santa Maria and the Formigas Islets , the central group composed of five islands; Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial and the western group made up of the islands of Flores and Corvo.
The total population is approximately 237 thousand inhabitants, of which the island of São Miguel is the most populated and Corvo, the smallest, being the least populated.
The Azores Islands are all from volcanic origin, because of their location being between the triple junction of the tectonic plates; American, Eurasian and African. The islands started their formation during the Tertiary Períod, with Santa Maria Island being the first that was formed, about 8 millions years ago, and Pico, which is about 300 thousand years old, is the youngest island of the archipelago.
Nowadays, we can still find the marks of active volcanism; notably at the fumaroles of Furnas in São Miguel Island, the Capelinhos Volcano in Faial island that had the very last eruption in 1957/58 and the magnificent mountain of Pico. With a height of 2351 m, Pico mountain is a dormant stratovolcano making it the highest mountain in Portugal. The geological landscapes we can find everywhere on all of the islands; like the grand Caldeiras with lagoons, small volcanic cones, volcanic caves, thermal sources and hot springs, lava flows, lava deltas or Fajãs, make this region an incredible and unique place in the world for the practice of geotourism.
Discovered by the Portuguese navigators at the first part of the XV century, the islands were inhabited, and gradually settlers from different parts of Portugal, like Minho, Alentejo, Algarve, but also by the Flemish settlers especially on the islands of the central group.
These settlers started to cultivate cereals and dye plants that were exported, making the economic vector in that time and later during the XVII century started the exportation of oranges, linen and Pico wine. In the XIX century, there was the start of whale hunting, by influences from the american whalers that arrived to the Azores islands during their odysseys along the Atlantic. The XX century brought the start of the biggest transition from cultivated farm lands to cattle fields, for the introduction of the cattle industry, transforming the Azorean landscape to the one that we see everywhere nowadays; that of green fields with hundreds of cows, that is today the principal economic sector of the Azores.
The climate of the Azores is considered temperate oceanic, with high levels of precipitation and mild temperatures, ranging from 12ºC to 16ºC in the winter and 21ºC to 26ºC in the summer. The ocean water temperature varies between 15ºC in the winter and 23ºC in the summer, where this temperature is influenced by the Gulf Stream. The humidity of the air is always very high, with averages between 76% and over 80%.
In political – administrative terms, the Azores are an Autonomous region consecrated in 1976. They constitute self-government and regional legislative assembly.
The Azores Islands are very rich in cultural experiences, influenced by the most diverse origins of the settlers, marked by the big connection of the population to the sea and land. Ethnographic folklore groups and philharmonic bands are present throughout the islands, handicraft work made with materials from the sea and land, such as work in fish scale, whalebone, wickerwork, embroideries and lace, work in fig tree kernels, pottery and ceramics are of an unparalleled richness, demonstrating the skill of the Azorean people.
Highly religious, the Azorean people are mostly Roman Catholic. In each and every village there are churches, chapels, hermitages, and other religious related memorials. The devotion to the Holy Spirit is the largest religious manifestation in unison in the entire region, and this was proclaimed the protector of the Azoreans against natural disasters, such as volcanoes and earthquakes. The devotion to Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres in the city of Ponta Delgada moves thousands of devotees from all over the region to this city to proclaim their faith.
The gastronomy of the Azores is very rich in products from the sea and land. All the dishes are very well seasoned with spices, which were brought by caravels from India. Tuna, albacore, swordfish and parrotfish are some of the common fish found in azorean cuisine. Shellfish is marked by limpets, barnacles and locust lobster. In terms of meat, pork was the mainstay of the azorean families for many centuries; sausage, chorizo, black pudding, portuguese marinated pork, accompanied with sweet potatoes and yam are a gastronomic delicacy. Cow rump typical of Terceira island, The Holy Spirit soups and beef stew are some examples of the best traditional confections made with beef. In confectionery, the sweet bread, rice pudding and a wide variety of little tarts with emphasis on “Queijada da Graciosa” or “Queijada da Vila”. Each island produces different types of cheese, from the soft cheeses with a mild flavor, to the most mature, with the São Jorge cheese standing out, with a spicy and strong taste.
The Azores are a region of wine and liquor production, especially the islands of Pico, Graciosa and Terceira which process the most famous wines, as well as liquors with a diversity of flavors that are worth a try.
Air transport is the main method to reach the Azores. The airports of Lajes (Terceira), João Paulo II (São Miguel), Horta (Faial), Pico and Santa Maria provide air connections with daily or weekly flights to many points in Europe, the United States of America and Canada.
The regional airline SATA Air Açores, provides regular connections between the nine islands of the archipelago, where you can find all the detailed information on the website www.sata.pt.
Maritime connections between islands are carried out by Atlânticoline, which makes daily connections throughout the year between the so-called Triangle islands (Faial, Pico and São Jorge), and between May to October to the rest of the archipelago. All information can be found on the website www.atlanticoline.pt.
