PORTUGAL : The Azores

The Azores are an archipelago of nine major Portuguese islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,500 km from Lisbon. The archipelago is divided into three widely separated groups: the eastern group, consisting of São Miguel , Santa Maria , and the Formigas isles; the central, of Faial , Pico, São Jorge, Terceira , and Graciosa; and the north western, of Flores and Corvo.

All of the islands have volcanic origins, though Santa Maria also has some reef contribution. The mountain of Pico on Pico Island, at 2,351 m in altitude, is the highest in all of Portugal. The Azores are actually the tops of some of the tallest mountains on the planet as measured from their base at the bottom of the ocean.

The archipelago of the Azores was discovered during the first half of the 15th-century by Portuguese navigators. It is believed that the archipelago is named after the goshawk (Açor in Portuguese), because it was supposed to be a common bird at the time of the discovery, it actually never existed in the islands. Some historians indicate the archaic portuguese word "azures" (the plural of blue) because of the colour of the islands when seen from afar.

The Azores have a subtropical climate with high humidity. An abundant flora of European and Mediterranean origins is found, and mixed forests still cover many of the island's hillsides.

The present-day Azores are organised as an autonomous region having the same status as the districts of continental Portugal but with special autonomous powers that are exercised by an elected regional assembly .