Map of The Azores

Slap-bang in the middle (literally) of the Atlantic, the Portuguese Azores archipelago (Açores in Portuguese) has been an attractive destination for visitors since the sixties, though it was discovered on an indefinite date in the fourteenth century and claimed for Portugal and settled from 1427 on. It is of volcanic origin, for it is part of the oceanic mountain range called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the longest mountain range in the world, which was formed by the gigantic geological clashes between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates (in the North Atlantic, in the South it was those of the South American and African plates). The Azores Islands thus have a number of unusual geographical features, as well as an interesting fauna and a flora which is often spectacular. Their climate is temperate and agreeable, and the combination of climate and volcanic soil means they are fertile, agriculture, especially livestock breeding being important economic sectors, giving the islands a pastoral appeal, with the added attraction of its exotic flora.

The Azores lie over 1,500 kilometres west of Portuguese mainland, and stretch out for over 600 kilometres, nearly 400 miles, so that the most westerly islands are only 1,900 kilometres from the north-east coast of Canada. There are nine major islands in the Azores, grouped by proximity and for administrative purposes into Eastern, Central and Western groups. The capital is Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island, also the Azores' largest city, which does not mean very large - its population is less than fifty thousand.

The Western Group consists of the two smallest islands of the Azores: Flores and the even tinier Corvo (both populated, though, Corvo Island having a population of four hundred and something). Both are old volcanoes, and both lie to the west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, unlike the rest of the Azores. So they could almost be considered part of the Americas.

The Central Group of the Azores is the thickest, with five medium-sized or large islands: from west to east, they are, first, Faial Island, with a single town, Horta, and a volcano which erupted as recently as 1958. East of it lies Pico Island, much larger but with a similar population and a remarkable volcano of its own, the Ponta de Pico or Mount Pico which gives the island its name and is the highest mountain in Portugal, reaching 2,531 metres above sea level (not content with that, it is also the highest point in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge). East of Pico Island lies São Jorge Island, 53 kilometres long, shaped like a bayonet and also volcanic. North of this is Graciosa Island, little more than a speck no more than 10 kilometres across at any point but having a volcano 400 metres high (and the poisonous-sounding Furna do Enxofre, Sulphur Cavern, a World Heritage Site "whose origin is related to the collapse phase and drainage of a lava lake in the interior of the caldera"). The most easterly of the Central Group of islands is Terceira Island, the third largest in the Azores (hence the name, I think, though it could also mean "third" as in "third island on the right on your way to Brazil") and the second in population. The historic centre of its main town, the grandly named Angra do Heroísmo, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Eastern Group is São Miguel Island, the largest of the Azores (twice the size of Malta) and the most populated; Santa Maria, the dot below it, the nearest of the islands to Europe, and the Formigas Islets, a group of tiny islands between São Miguel and Santa María, to the east (you will not be able to see them on the map, the largest is no more than 180 metres long). The Formigas (Portuguese for 'ants') are an important nature reserve (either for birdlife or marine, I imagine, as there are no plants or animals) and a feared ships' graveyard - as well as the islets themselves, there is a long coral reef in there.

Communications. Curiously, there are no Ferries between the Azores and mainland Portugal, so air transport is the only real option for getting there. There are frequent flights between the Portuguese mainland (and elswhere in Europe and North America and Madeira) and the airports on São Miguel, Terceira, Faial and Pico, and there are connecting flights to Flores and Corvo. TAP Air Portugal is the main Portuguese airline, while the Ponta Delgada-based SATA will solve most of your internal Azores flight requirements. It is, however, possible to use ferries to move around some of the islands, though they are slower and less frequent than flights - Transmançor is now the only ferry operator in the Azores.

What to Do. Or not, doing nothing-very-much being one of the Azores' bg appeals. For the active, though, geography plays a big role. Walking is the islands' biggest draw, at whatever level of strenuousness, though fishing and birding are alternatives (and golfers will not find themselves short-changed, either). If you are really keen to tire yourself out, you have plenty of opportunities to study the volcanoes or anything volcanic you have to hand: speleology - caving - especially volcanic speleology. is a big thing in the Azores. There are major caves open to the public on São Miguel, Pico and especially Terceira Island, with its Reserva Natural Geológica do Algar do Carvão. I expect there are opportunities for more freestyle caving, as well, but I am afraid I have no inside information.