Azores

The **Azores** () is an archipelago of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean; they are about  west of Lisbon and about  southeast of Newfoundland. The islands, and their Exclusive Economic Zone, form the **Autonomous Region of the Azores**, one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal.

There are nine major Azores islands and several very small islands (islets), in three main groups. They extend for more than  and lie in a northwest-southeast direction.

The archipelago is part of the Macaronesia islands.

## History
Officially, the islands were discovered in the 15th century (in 1431) by Gonçalo Velho Cabral a Captain in the service of Infante Dom Henrique, although credit is also given to the explorer Diogo de Silves (in 1427).

The archipelago was settled over the centuries, mostly from mainland Portugal. Portuguese settlers came from the provinces of Algarve, Minho, Alentejo and Ribatejo, as well as Madeira.

In 1976, the Azores became the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), an autonomous region of Portugal.

## Geography
The archipelago is in the Atlantic Ocean between 36º and 43º latitude North and between 25º and 31º longitude West. They have a very humid oceanic climate with relatively small annual variations.

The nine islands are in three natural geographic groups, each group separated by more than  of water. These groups are:
* The eastern group, with the islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria;
* The central group, with the islands of Faial, Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, and Pico;
* The western group, with the islands of Flores and Corvo.

The eastern group also has, to the northeast of Santa Maria, a group of very small islands (islets) and reefs that are named *Ilhéus das Formigas* (Islets of the Ants), or just *Formigas* ("Ants"); these smalls islands, together with the *Dollabarat* reef, form the **Reserva Natural do Ilhéu das Formigas**.

The nine islands have a total area of . Their individual areas vary between  of the largest island (São Miguel) to  of the smallest (Corvo).

 plant of the Azores, *Azorina vidalii*]]
All the islands have volcanic origins, although some, such as Santa Maria, have had no recorded activity since the islands were settled. The last volcano to erupt in the archipelago was the Capelinhos Volcano () in 1957, in the western part of the island of Faial. Earthquakes are common on most of the islands.

The Azores are on place where three of the world's large tectonic plates (the North American Plate, the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate) meet. The westernmost islands of the archipelago, (Corvo and Flores), are in the North American Plate, while the remaining islands are located within the region where the Eurasian plate is separated from the African Plates.

The volcano Mount Pico, on the Pico island, is the highest point in Portugal, at .

### Climate
Daily maximum temperatures usually range between  and . The average annual rainfall increases from east to west, and it ranges from 700 to 1600 annual millimetres (27.6–63&nbsp;in) on average, reaching  on Mount Pico.

The sea around the Azores is warmed by the Gulf Stream and sea water temperature varies from  to .

## Economy
The Azores economy is based mainly on agriculture, fisheries and tourism.

In the agriculture sector, cattle-raising is very important. Some of the most important crops in the Azores are pineapples, grapes, potatoes, tobacco and tea. Fisheries are an important economic activity on all islands. Fishing methods are highly traditional among Azorean fishermen. Industry in the Azores is based mainly on the production of dairy products (milk, cheese) and transformation of fisheries products, such as tuna.

It is tourism, however, that has been growing more in recent years. It is far less developed than those industries of its Macaronesian neighbours, Madeira and Canary Islands.

## Gallery

File:Montanha do Pico ao Pôr-do-sol, ilha do Pico, Açores.JPG|**Mount Pico**, Pico island.
File:Lagoa do Fogo, Miradouro da Serra da Barrosa.JPG|**Lagoa do Fogo**, São Miguel island.
File:Lagoa das Furnas, ilha de São Miguel, Arquipélago dos Açores, Portugal.JPG|**Lagoa das Furnas**, São Miguel island.
File:Lagoa das Sete Cidades, Miradouro da Vista do Rei, Ilha de São Miguel, Açores, Portugal.JPG|**Lagoa das Sete Cidades**, São Miguel island.
File:Parque Florestal da Mata da Serreta, Interior da ilha Terceira, Açores, Portugal.JPG|**Mata da Serreta**, Terceira island.
File:Miradouro do Pico da velha, vista do interior, Paisagem do Interior da ilha de São Jorge, Açores, Portugal.JPG|**Miradouro do Pico da Velha**, São Jorge island.
File:Vista parcial das Velas, ilha de São Jorge, Açores, Portugal.jpg|**Velas**, São Jorge island.
File:Estrada tipica dos Açores, caminhos de hortensias, Interior da ilha Terceira, Açores, Portugal.jpg|**Road with hortensias**, Terceira island.
File:Cidade de Angra do Heroismo e Baía de Angra do Heroísmo, ilha Terceira, Açores, Portugal.jpg|**Angra do Heroísmo**, Terceira island.
File:Lagoa da Caldeira de Santo Cristo, ilha de São Jorge, Açores, Portugal.JPG|**Lagoa da Fajã de Santo Cristo**, São Jorge island.
File:Serra do Cume, uma das vertentes da antiga caldeira primordial com mais de 15 km de extenção, Praia da Vitória, ilha Terceira, Açores, Portugal.jpg|**Serra do Cume**, Terceira island.
File:Igreja de São Francisco (Angra do Heroísmo)1.JPG|**Saint Francis convent** (Angra do Heroísmo), Terceira island.

## References
## Other websites
*
* Azores Regional Government