This article is about the archipelago. For the area of high pressure, see Azores High. Azores (Aores) Autonomous Region ('Regio Autnoma') Mount Pico and the green landscape, emblematic of the archipelago of the Azores Official name: Regio Autnoma dos Aores Name origin: aor, Portuguese for species of rapier bird, erroneously identified as goshawks; also derivation from the word for blue Motto: Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos (English: "Rather die as free men than be enslaved in peace") Country Portugal Autonomous Region Azores Region Atlantic Ocean Subregion Mid-Atlantic Ridge Position Azores Platform Islands Corvo, Faial, Flores, Graciosa, Pico, So Jorge, So Miguel, Santa Maria, Terceira Municipalities Angra do Herosmo, Horta, Lagoa, Lajes das Flores, Lajes do Pico, Madalena, Nordeste, Povoao, Praia da Vitria, Ponta Delgada, Ribeira Grande, Santa Cruz da Graciosa, Santa Cruz das Flores, So Roque, Vila do Corvo, Vila do Porto, Vila Franca do Campo Capitals Angra do Herosmo[1], Horta[2], Ponta Delgada[3] Largest city Ponta Delgada -center So Jos -elevation 22 m (72 ft) -coordinates 374428N 254032W / 37.74111N 25.67556W / 37.74111; -25.67556Coordinates: 374428N 254032W / 37.74111N 25.67556W / 37.74111; -25.67556 Highest point Mount Pico -elevation 2,351 m (7,713 ft) -coordinates 382819N 285150W / 38.47194N 28.86389W / 38.47194; -28.86389 Lowest point Sea level -location Atlantic Ocean -elevation 0 m (0 ft) Area 2,333 km2 (901 sq mi) Population 245,746(2012) Census 2011 Density 105.87 / km2 (274 / sq mi) Settlement 15 August 1432 -Administrative autonomy c. 1895 -Political autonomy 4 September 1976 Discovery c. 1427 -Santa Maria c. 1427 -So Miguel c. 1428 Management -location Assembleia Regional, Rua Marcelino Lima, Horta, Faial -elevation 46 m (151 ft) -coordinates 38326N 283751W / 38.53500N 28.63083W / 38.53500; -28.63083 Government -location Palcio de Santana, Rua Jos Jcome Correia, Ponta Delgada, So Miguel -elevation 60 m (197 ft) -coordinates 374452N 254019W / 37.74778N 25.67194W / 37.74778; -25.67194 President (Government) Vasco Cordeiro (PS) -President (Assembleia) Ana Lus (PS) Timezone Azores (UTC-1) -summer (DST) Azores EST (UTC0) ISO 3166-2 code PT-20 Postal code 9XXX-XXX Area code (+351) 29X XX XX XX[4] ccTLD .pt Date format dd-mm-yyyy Drive right-side Demonym Azorean Patron Saint Esprito Santo Holiday 51st day (Monday) following Easter (Dia da Regio Autnoma dos Aores) Anthem A Portuguesa(national) Hino dos Aores(regional) Currency Euro ()[5] GDP (nominal) 2010 estimate - Total 3.728 billion[6] - Per capita 15,200[6] Location of the Azores relative to Portugal (green) and the rest of the European Union (dark blue)

Distribution of the islands of the archipelago

The Azores (UK -ZORZ, US AY-zorz; Portuguese: Aores, [so]), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (Regio Autnoma dos Aores), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal, composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the North Atlantic Ocean about 1,360km (850mi) west of continental Portugal, about 880km (550mi) northwest of Madeira, about 1,925km (1,196mi) southeast of Newfoundland, and about 6,392km (3,972mi) northeast of Brazil. Its main industries are agriculture, dairy farming (for cheese and butter products primarily), livestock ranching, fishing, and tourism, which is becoming the major service activity in the region. In addition to this, the government of the Azores employs a large percentage of the population directly or indirectly in many aspects of the service and tertiary sectors.

There are nine major Azorean islands and an islet cluster, in three main groups. These are Flores and Corvo, to the west; Graciosa, Terceira, So Jorge, Pico, and Faial in the centre; and So Miguel, Santa Maria, and the Formigas Reef to the east. They extend for more than 600km (370mi) and lie in a northwest-southeast direction.

All the islands have volcanic origins, although some, such as Santa Maria, have had no recorded activity since the islands were settled. Mount Pico, on the island of Pico, is the highest point in Portugal, at 2,351m (7,713ft). The Azores are actually some of the tallest mountains on the planet, measured from their base at the bottom of the ocean to their peaks, which thrust high above the surface of the Atlantic.

Because these once-uninhabited and remote islands were settled sporadically over a span of two centuries, their culture, dialect, cuisine, and traditions vary considerably.

A small number of alleged Hypogea, earthen structures carved into rocks that were used for burials, have been identified on the islands of Corvo, Santa Maria and Terceira by Portuguese archaeologist Nuno Ribeiro and speculations were published that they might date back 2000 years, alluding to a human presence on the island before the Portuguese.[9] However, these kinds of structures have always been used in the Azores to store cereals, and suggestions by Ribeiro that they might be burial sites are unconfirmed. Detailed examination and dating to authenticate the validity of these speculations is lacking.[10] So far, it is unclear whether these structures are natural or man-made and whether they predate the 15th-century Portuguese colonization of the Azores. Solid confirmation of a pre-Portuguese human presence in the archipelago has not yet been published.

The islands were known in the fourteenth century and parts of them can be seen, for example, in the Atlas Catalan. In 1427, one of the captains sailing for Henry the Navigator, possibly Gonalo Velho, rediscovered the Azores, but this is not certain. In Thomas Ashe's 1813 work, A History of the Azores,[11] the author identified a Fleming, Joshua Vander Berg of Bruges, who made landfall in the archipelago during a storm on his way to Lisbon.[11] He stated that the Portuguese explored the area and claimed it for Portugal shortly after.[11] Other stories note the discovery of the first islands (So Miguel Island, Santa Maria Island and Terceira Island) were made by sailors in the service of Henry the Navigator, although there are few written documents to support the claims.

Although it is commonly said that the archipelago received its name from the goshawk (Aor in Portuguese), a common bird at the time of discovery, it is unlikely that the bird nested or hunted in the islands.

At some point, following the discovery of Santa Maria, sheep were let loose on the island before settlement actually took place. This was done to supply the future settlers with food because there were no large animals on the island. Settlement did not take place right away, however. There was not much interest among the Portuguese people in an isolated archipelago hundreds of miles from civilization. However, Cabral patiently gathered resources and settlers for the next three years (14331436) and sailed to establish colonies on Santa Maria first and then So Miguel next.

Go here to read the rest:

Azores - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia