Azo'res, or WESTERN ISLANDS, a Portuguese archipelago in the mid-Atlantic, between 36° 55' and 39° 55' N. lat., and between 25° 10' and 31° 16' W. long. Stretching over a distance of 400 miles, their nine islands are divided into three distinct groups—Sta Maria and Saõ Miguel in the SE.; Terceira, Saõ Jorge, Pico, Graciosa, and Fayal in the middle; and Flores and Corvo in the NW. Of these, Flores lies 1176 miles W. of Cape Rocca in Portugal, 1484 SW. of Falmouth, and 1708 ESE. of Halifax. In 1431-53 the Azores were taken possession of by the Portuguese. They were at that time uninhabited; but that they had been visited by the Carthaginians is proved by Punic coins found on Corvo. They seem to have been known to the Arabian geographer Edrisi in the 12th century; and they are marked distinctly on a map of 1351. The Portuguese colonists called the whole group Azores, from açor or azor, a hawk; and they named two individual islands Corvo and Saõ Jorge, from Corvi Marini and San Zorze, which, according to a map of 1375, had been previously seen in the western ocean. In 1466 Alfonso V. made a life-grant of the island of Fayal to his aunt, the Duchess of Burgundy. See GRENVILLE (SIR RICHARD). Though becoming more and more, on account of their moist but equable temperature, a winter resort (especially for Americans), the islands are decreasing in population.
The total area of the group is 919 sq. m., and the pop. (1881) 269,401. The area, population, and the maximum altitude of the different islands are as follows: Sta Maria (38 sq. m.; 5880; 1889 feet); Saõ Miguel (299 sq. m.; 107,000; 3854 feet); Terceira (164 sq. m.; 45,391; 3435 feet); Graciosa (24 sq. m.; 8718); Saõ Jorge (91 sq. m.; 18,000); Pico (173 sq. m.; 27,904; 7613 feet); Fayal (69 sq. m.; 26,264); Flores (54 sq. m.; 10,700; 3087 feet); Corvo (7 sq. m.; 1000). The capital is Angra, in Terceira; but Ponta Delgada, in Saõ Miguel, is a larger town. The Azores are of volcanic origin, and with the exception of Corvo, Flores, and Graciosa, are still liable to eruptions and violent earthquakes, the worst of twenty-one shocks since 1444 having been those of 1591, 1638, 1719, and 1841. Hot mineral springs are numerous; and the baths of Furnas, in Saõ Miguel, are much resorted to by invalids. The coast is generally steep and rugged; the interior abounds in ravines and mountains. As may be presumed from the density of the population, the soil is fertile, and the climate healthy. The islands are also admirably watered. From 80 to 90 per cent. of both fauna and flora are decidedly European; and only of the land molluscs are 60 per cent. indigenous. Oranges are the chief article of export, besides wine, brandy, grain, pulse, pork, beef, cheese, and coarse lineins; the imports include woollens, cottons, hardware, iron, glass, cordage, pitch, tar, staves, timber, oil, fish, rum, coffee, sugar, salt, and tea. Perhaps the greatest want of the group is a good harbour. The Azores are regarded as a province, not a colony, of Portugal, and as belonging to Europe.
See Godman's Natural History of the Azores (1870), Walker's Azores (1886), and Mrs Roundell's Visit to the Azores (1889).