Azores Islands Presentation

The Portuguese first reached the Azores in 1427. Their caravels put in at the islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel, and from those beginnings, all nine islands were gradually settled. During the 16-th and 17-th centuries, the islands’ geographical position was pivotal for Atlantic navigation between Europe, the Orient and the Americas. During that period, the sea around the Azores was the scene of important seabattles, and pirates often attacked the islands themselves. Over the following centuries, the archipelago developed with the introduction of new crops, animal husbandry techniques and larger fisheries. The Azores has always been part of Portugal and today has autonomous region status with its own assembly and government.