Portugal Regions – The Azore Islands
We’ve already talked about the various mainland Portugal regions, but the country also has two very well-known archipelagos and today we’ll be talking about one of them, the Azores.
This archipelago is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, a place of unspoilt beauty, representing the westernmost point of Europe and is made up of nine very unique islands: Sao Miguel, Santa Maria, Terceira, Sao Jorge, Pico, Faial, Graciosa, Flores and Corvo.
The archipelago has been sculpted by volcanoes for thousands of years and as such it is home to some wonderful geological formations made up of lava tubes, waterfalls, crater lakes and thermal springs. The archipelago features some wonderful volcanic peaks populated by evergreen forests, a lot of native plants and regions of pastoral land can be found on many hillsides.
The maritime climate of the Azores is well-known for its very pleasant summers and mild winters, but also for an abundance of rainfall throughout the year. This makes the place ripe with a plethora of activities that one can engage in, from hiking and mountain climbing to scuba diving, whale watching or golf.
There are also quite a few historical and architectural sites, especially in Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel, but you should also check out the town of Angra do Heroismo which has a wonderful World Heritage site on the island of Terceira.
When it comes to the gastronomy of the archipelago, Azoerean food is rich in spices thanks to the islands being a stopover for caravels returning from the East. Considering that we’re talking about an archipelago it means that you’ll find a wide variety of seafood and meat dishes. The speciality of Sao Miguel is ‘cozido das furnas’ – a very hearty stew that is cooked with the help of the underground thermal heat of the island.
There are obviously many more things to see and do in the Azores, so make sure to employ some of our Portugal car rental services in order to get from one point to another as quickly as possible.
