Azores
Situated east
of the mid-Atlantic Ocean, about 1,400 km west of Portugal's Cape Roca, the Azores islands consist of nine major
islands with a total area of 2,247 km². Varying in size from 760 km² (São Miguel) to 17 km²
(Corvo), the nine islands are divided into three groups: the Eastern Group of São Miguel, Santa Maria and
the Formigas Islets; the Central Group of Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial; and the Western
Group of Flores and Corvo. In all, the archipelago is spread across 615 km of ocean.
In general the islands of the Azores are traversed by east-west orientated mountains with large ravines and narrow, deep valleys. Coastlines are often rocky or have steep to cliff-bound edges. Signs of volcanic activity past and present are evident on all the islands. Most have numerous volcanic cones, hot springs and boiling mud pools or collapsed volcanic craters such as the impressive lake-filled Sete Cidades on São Miguel.
Vegetation on the islands is varied and includes evergreen forests in the lowlands and cloud forests on the mountains. At the highest elevations, moorlands and grasslands also can be found. There are over 1,200 species of vascular plants found on the islands — many of which are endemic to the islands such as the almost extinct Myosotis azorica and Veronica dabneyi. The islands are also home to several endemic birds, including the endangered Azores bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina), the Azores noctule (Nyctalus azoreum), an endemic bat.
The Azores Islands rise from the ocean bed from a large submarine feature known as the Azores platform — a triangular-shaped area covering some 400,000 km², sitting in an area known as the Azores triple junction, where the North American, Eurasian and African plates meet. This area of spreading and deformation of the earths crust has resulted in the formation of the Azores archipelago, and today is responsible for the sometimes dramatic geological activity on the islands. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tidal waves have periodically had devastating effects. All are still volcanically active — except Santa Maria, which is farthest away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The last major volcanic eruption was in 1958 on Faial, while in 1998 an earthquake caused death and extensive damage to property on the same island.