Ponta Delgada, Azores

May 4, 2023

Azores, Portuguese in full Arquipélago dos Açores, archipelago and região autónoma (autonomous region) of Portugal. The chain lies in the North Atlantic Ocean roughly 1,000 miles west of mainland Portugal. It includes nine major islands. The Azores are divided into three widely separated island groups: the eastern group, consisting of São Miguel, Santa Maria, and the Formigas islets; the central group, consisting of Faial, Pico, São Jorge, Terceira, and Graciosa; and the northwestern group, consisting of Flores and Corvo. The capital is Ponta Delgada on São Miguel.

Here is the flag of The Azores:

The nine stars represent the nine islands. The bird represents the goshawk from which the word Azores is derived. The shield represents the lesser arm of Portugal, of which the Azores is an autonomous region.

The nearest continental land is Cape Roca, Portugal, which lies 875 miles east of Santa Maria. The Azores, rising from the ocean atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, are in effect a major mountain range. The islands rise steeply from shores lined with rock and pebble debris to heights reaching 7,713 feet above sea level on Pico, the highest point in metropolitan Portugal. Their unstable geologic nature is indicated by numerous earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In 1522 the town of Vila Franca do Campo, then capital of São Miguel, was buried during a massive eruption, and as recently as 1957–58 the Capelinhos eruption enlarged Faial. Indeed, many island houses are constructed of building blocks made of basalt (volcanic rock). Deep craters (calderas) as well as lakes are a dramatic feature of the islands. On São Miguel the volcanic heat on the shores of Lake Furnas, a popular picnic spot, is sufficient for cooking.

The Azores have a subtropical climate with high humidity. An abundant flora of European and Mediterranean origins is found there, and mixed forests still cover many of the islands’ hillsides. Intensive agriculture produces cereals (wheat and corn), vegetables, and fruit (including pineapples and wine grapes). The vineyard culture of Pico Island was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004. A high-quality cured cheese is made at São Jorge. Among the other principal products of the Azores are various dairy products, fish, pineapples, and wine. São Miguel is home to two of the only tea plantations in Europe, and both sites offer visitors a glimpse of the island’s traditional tea-making process. A free-trade zone has been set up on Santa Maria. The scenic beauty of the islands draws visitors in increasing numbers.

The inhabitants of the Azores are mostly of Portuguese origin and predominantly Roman Catholic. A high density of population and limited economic opportunities provoked extensive emigration, mainly to the United States and Canada, from the end of the 19th century well into the 20th century and has not entirely ceased. The islands’ isolation has diminished, and communications have considerably improved. Every island has an airport or airstrip. The principal seaports are Angra do Heroísmo (or Angra), Ponta Delgada, and Horta. Lajes and Santa Maria became important air bases and centers of communication between the United States and Europe during World War II; since 1951, by agreement with Portugal, the United States has maintained a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) air base on Lajes.

The total area of The Azores is 897 square miles. The population of The Azores was about 250,000 in 2019.

São Miguel Island, Portuguese Ilha de São Miguel, is the largest island of the Azores archipelago. It is situated about 740 miles west of Cape Roca on Portugal’s west coast.

São Miguel is roughly 40 miles long and 9 miles wide and has an area of 293 square miles. The island is volcanic in origin, with peaks culminating in Vara Peak, 3,570 feet above sea level. The island has been devastated by nearly a dozen earthquakes and eruptions since the 15th century.

São Miguel, now a major tourist resort, is also a producer of fruits (especially pineapples), tea, wine, tobacco, cereals, meat, and dairy products. Its largest city, Ponta Delgada, is the capital of the Azores autonomous region. Other important settlements are the resort centers of Furnas and Sete Cidades.

Ponta Delgada is a city and concelho (municipality), and capital of the região autónoma (autonomous region) of the Azores archipelago of Portugal in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is located on the southern coast of São Miguel Island.

Here is Ponta Delgada:

The city, the largest in the Azores, became São Miguel’s second capital (Vila Franca do Campo was the first) in 1540. It was severely damaged in 1839 by a tidal wave and was subsequently rebuilt.

The Holy Christ of the Miracles Church is a noted place of pilgrimage. A mild climate and lush vegetation have made the city an important year-round tourist resort. Its harbor has a breakwater nearly 1 mile long and serves as a fueling supply station and offers minor repair facilities to transatlantic ships. Ponta Delgada is the Azores’ leading commercial center, exporting pineapples, oranges, tea, wine, cereals, vegetables, and dairy products. Sugar refining and liquor distilling, as well as tourism, are the primary components of its economy.

The University of the Azores was founded in the city in 1976. There is regular interisland airline service and connections with mainland Portugal. Shipping lines handle sea trade with continental Portugal, northern Europe, and the United States.

The population of Ponta Delgada was about 67,000 in 2021.

From Ponta Delgada, we headed to Sete Cidades, the seven cities region, which is dominated by an impressive five-mile-wide caldera. Within the crater lie two volcanic lakes. Sete Cidades is a small town in the Azores, a volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. The town lies inside a massive caldera, a crater formed by a collapsed volcano, with two lakes of different colors– one green and the other blue. The lakes, Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde, are separated by a narrow bridge and reflect the sky and the vegetation. According to a legend, the lakes were created by the tears of a princess and a shepherd who loved each other but could not be together. Unfortunately, it was extremely foggy that day and it was impossible to see the lakes.

The village of Sete Cidades (pop. 793 in 2011) is at the edge of the blue lake, surrounded by forest-covered walls. We had time to enjoy the scenic beauty and spent some free time in one of the oldest villages of the Azores.

The Church of São Nicolau (Portuguese: Igreja Paroquial de Sete Cidades/Igreja de São Nicolau), the revivalist Neo-Gothic church is oriented around a single-nave, rectangular plan consisting of a sacristy, chancel and annexes, with differentiated covering and illuminated by lateral Gothic windows. The main facada includes a single, central belltower, with doorway and windows (also Gothic).