Azores

Região Autónoma dos Açores Autonomous Region of the Azores
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos (Rather die free than in peace subjugated)
Anthem: A Portuguesa (national) Hino dos Açores (local)
Capital	Ponta Delgada (Presidency of the Regional Government) Angra do Heroísmo (Supreme Court)1 Horta (Legislative Assembly)2 37°44′N 25°40′W
Largest city	Ponta Delgada
Official languages	Portuguese
Government	Autonomous region
- President	Carlos César
Settled	1439
- Autonomy	1976
Area
- Total	2,333 km² (not applied) 911 sq mi
Population
- 2001 estimate	241,763 (not applied)
- Density	104/km² (not applied) 266/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	- estimate
- Total	- (not applied)
- Per capita	- (not applied)
HDI  (not applied)	- () (not applied)
Currency	Euro (€)3 (EUR)
Time zone	UTC-1 (UTC)
Internet TLD	.pt
Calling code	+351
1Angra do Heroísmo: 38º 39' N 27º 13' W 2Horta: 38º 32' N 28º 38' W 3Prior to 2002: Portuguese escudo

The Azores [ˈeɪ̯zɔɹz] (Portuguese: Açores, pron. IPA [ɐ'soɾɨʃ] or [ɐ'soɾʃ]) are an archipelago of Portuguese islands in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,500 km from Lisbon and about 3,900 km from the east coast of North America.

The nine Azorean Islands extend for more than 600 km, and lie in a northwest-southeast direction. The vast extension of the islands defines an immense exclusive economic zone of 1.1 million km². The westernmost point of this area is 3,380 km from the North American continent. 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 forms the Autonomous Region of Azores, one of the two Autonomous regions of Portugal.

Though it is commonly said 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, the bird actually never existed on the islands. Some historians indicate the archaic Portuguese word "azures" (the plural of blue) because of the color of the islands when seen from afar. Most, however, insist that the name is derived from birds, pointing to a local subspecies of the buzzard (Buteo buteo), as the animal the first explorers erroneously identified as goshawks.

History

Old map of Azores Islands

In 1427, one of the captains sailing for Henry the Navigator discovered the Azores, possibly Gonçalo Velho, but this is not certain. The colonization of the then-unoccupied islands started in 1439 with people mainly from the continental provinces of Algarve and Alentejo; in the following centuries settlers from other European countries arrived, most notably from Northern France and Flanders. In 1583, Philip II of Spain as king of Portugal, sent his combined Iberian fleet to clear the French traders from the Azores, decisively hanging his prisoners-of-war from the yardarms and contributing to the "Black Legend". The Azores were the second-to-last part of the Portuguese empire to resist Philip's reign over Portugal (Macau being the last), Azores was returned to Portuguese control with the end of the Iberian Union, not by the military efforts, as these were already in Restoration War efforts in the mainland, but by the people attacking a well-fortified Castillian guarnition. There is also evidence that a significant number of seafarers from India, working for Portuguese merchant ships also settled in the Azores.

The 1820 civil war, in Portugal, had strong repercussion in the Azores. In 1829, in Vila da Praia, the liberals won over the absolutists, making Terceira Island the main headquarters of the new Portuguese regime and also where the Council of Regency (Conselho de Regência) of Mary II of Portugal was established.

Beginning in 1868, Portugal issued its stamps overprinted with "AÇORES" for use in the islands. Between 1892 and 1906, it also issued separate stamps for the three administrative districts of the time.

From 1836 to 1976, the archipelago was divided into three districts, quite equivalent (except in area) to those in the Portuguese mainland. The division was arbitrary, and didn’t follow the natural island groups, rather reflecting the location of each district capital on the three main cities (neither of each on the western group).

Angra consisted of Terceira, São Jorge, and Graciosa, with the capital at Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira.

Horta consisted of Pico, Faial, Flores, and Corvo, with the capital at Horta on Faial.

Ponta Delgada consisted of São Miguel and Santa Maria, with the capital at Ponta Delgada on São Miguel.

During the Second World War, in 1943, the Portuguese dictator Salazar leased bases in the Azores to the British. This represented a change in policy; previously the Portuguese government only allowed German U-boats and navy ships to refuel there. ^[1]

During 1944 Americans forces constructed a small air base on the Island of Santa Maria, this base was short lived and eventually a better location was secured on a different Island. In 1945 this new base was founded on the Island of Terciera and is currently known as Field Air Force Base. It was founded in an area called Lagens Field, a broad flat sea terrace that had been home to the fields of local farmer, it is a broad plateau like area rising out of the sea on the northeast area of the island. This Air force base is a joint American and Portuguese venture. It has provided critical support as a home base for anti-submarine P3s during the cold-war, as a rest and refuel site during it's entire life, including during the Gulf War, and as a continued stop over for American Military aircraft crossing the Atlantic.

In 1976 the Azores became the Autonomous Region of the Azores (Região Autónoma dos Açores), one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, and the Azorean districts were suppressed.

Politics

Since becoming a Portuguese Autonomous Region, the executive section of the local authority has been located in Ponta Delgada, the legislative in Horta and the judicial in Angra do Heroísmo. The President of the Regional Government is Carlos César.

Azorean politics are dominated by the two largest Portuguese political parties - PSD and PS, the latter holding a majority in the Regional Legislative Assembly. The CDS-PP is also represented in the local parliament, in coalition with the PSD. Even though the PS dominates the administrative scene, the PSD is usually more popular in city and town council elections.

Current Affairs

In 2003 the Azores saw international attention when U.S. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and then Portuguese Prime Minister José Manuel Durão Barroso - nowadays President of the European Commission - held a summit there in the days before the commencement of the Iraq War.^[2]

Municipalities

Pasture fields

Pico viewed from Faial

The Azores are divided into 19 municipalities (concelhos); each municipality is further divided into parishes (freguesias). The Azores have a total of 156 parishes.

There are also 5 cities: Ponta Delgada and Ribeira Grande on São Miguel Island; Angra do Heroísmo and Praia da Vitória on Terceira, and Horta on Faial.

Santa Maria

• Vila do Porto

São Miguel

• Lagoa, Nordeste, Ponta Delgada, Povoação, Ribeira Grande and Vila Franca do Campo

Terceira

• Angra do Heroísmo and Vila da Praia da Vitória

Graciosa

• Santa Cruz da Graciosa

São Jorge

• Calheta and Velas

Pico

• Lajes do Pico, Madalena and São Roque do Pico

Faial

• Horta

Flores

• Lajes das Flores and Santa Cruz das Flores

Corvo

• Corvo

Geography

The archipelago is spread out in the area of the parallel that passes through Lisbon (39º, 43'/39º, 55' North Latitude), giving it a moderate climate, with mild annual oscillation. The average annual rainfall increases from east to west and ranges from 700 to 1600 mm. The Azores lie in the Palearctic ecozone, forming a unique biome among the world's Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, with many endemic species of plants. The nine islands have a total area of 2,355 km². Their individual areas vary between 759 km² (São Miguel) and 17 km² (Corvo). Three islands (São Miguel, Pico and Terceira) are bigger in size than Malta (composed of three different islands), São Miguel Island alone being twice as big.

The nine islands are divided into three groups:

• The Eastern Group (Grupo Oriental) of São Miguel, Santa Maria and Formigas Islets
• The Central Group (Grupo Central) of Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial
• The Western Group (Grupo Ocidental) of Flores and Corvo.

The islands were formed during the Tertiary period, in the Alpine phase. Their volcanic cones and craters reveal the volcanic origin of most islands. Pico, a volcano that stands 2,351 meters high on the island of the same name, has the highest altitude in the Azores. The last volcano to erupt was the Capelinhos Volcano (Vulcão dos Capelinhos) in 1957, in western part of Faial island, increasing the size of that island. Santa Maria Island is the oldest Azorean island presenting several limestone and red clay extensions.

The Azores had a population of 238,767 in 31 December 2002 and a population density of 106 persons/km².

Demographics

See also

• Postage stamps and postal history of the Azores
• Madeira
• Macaronesia

References

1. ^ The Role of Portugal - co-opting Nazi Gold, Jonathan Petropoulos, Dimensions, , Vol 11, No 1, 1997
2. ^ CNN.com - Bush speaking in the Azores, March 17, 2003

External links

• Azores Tourism Board
• History from an American Military source

Administrative divisions of Portugal
Districts
Aveiro · Beja · Braga · Bragança · Castelo Branco · Coimbra · Évora · Faro · Guarda · Leiria Lisboa · Portalegre · Porto · Santarém · Setúbal · Viana do Castelo · Vila Real · Viseu
Autonomous regions
Azores · Madeira

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