Nine volcanoes sit where three plates collide mid-Atlantic
Portugal’s Azores rise about 1,400 kilometres west of the mainland as nine volcanic Macaronesian islands and a Formigas islet cluster. Mount Pico’s 2,351 metres is Portugal’s high point, yet measured from the seafloor these peaks rank among Earth’s tallest mountains—perched on the restless Azores triple junction.
The archipelago is one of Portugal's two autonomous regions, along with Madeira, a special territory of the European Union and the country's westernmost point. Its islands fall into three groups strung out over more than 600 kilometres on a north-west to south-east line: Flores and Corvo in the west; Pico, Faial, São Jorge, Terceira and Graciosa in the middle; and in the east São Miguel, Santa Maria and the tiny Formigas cluster. All are volcanic, though some, Santa Maria among them, have shown no activity since settlement. They sit where the North American, Eurasian and Nubian plates meet, making the area seismically lively.
Ocean and the Gulf Stream keep the weather gentle, with daytime temperatures usually between 16 and 25 °C and neither 30 °C nor 3 °C ever recorded in the main towns, though skies are often wet and grey. Farming, dairy, livestock, fishing and a fast-growing tourist trade support the economy, and the regional government is a major employer. Ponta Delgada is the largest city. For much of the twentieth century the islands were a refuelling stop for transatlantic flights. Because settlement trickled in over two centuries, dialect, food and customs differ markedly from island to island.
Who arrived first is an open question. A 2015 study of mouse mitochondrial DNA found the local mice were Scandinavian rather than Portuguese in origin. A 2021 analysis of lake sediments detected brush clearance and livestock between 700 and 850, hinting at a brief Norse presence, and cited climate models showing weaker westerly winds then, which would have eased a voyage from Scandinavia.
Other claims are shakier. The archaeologist Nuno Ribeiro identified possible rock-cut chambers on Corvo, Santa Maria and Terceira and suggested they might be 2,000 years old and even tombs, but they have not been properly dated and may be natural; settlers used them for grain. Diogo de Teive reportedly found a horseman statue on Corvo, and Carthaginian coins turned up there in 1749.
Source: Azores
