The volcanic archipelago of the Azores is one of Portugal's best kept secrets. Like a fragment of Europe adrift in the Atlantic, the nine islands are spread across 645 kms somewhere between Lisbon and New York.
The largest island, São Miguel, is most notable for its crater lakes, while the regional capital, Ponta Delgada has many fine 17th and 18th century Baroque churches. On the east side, the spa resort of Furnas is alive with steam vents, hot springs, boiling mud and other types of geothermal activity. To the south, Santa Maria Island was the first island to be discovered by Portuguese explorers in 1427. Featuring an abundance of coves and sandy beaches, it boasts a spectacular landscape and temperate year round climate. Visitors to Terceira Island will find the streets embroidered with enchanting manor houses and churches.
Angra do Heroísmo, the capital, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. Faial Island is a regular meeting point for yachts and other vessels crossing the Atlantic. Its main town, Horta, has played host to streams of ships over the centuries.
Graciosa Island is a peaceful retreat with windmills, manor houses and 16th century churches. Visitors have the chance to descend into a volcano and witness the bubbling sulphurous liquids below. Long, thin and mountainous, São Jorge Island is famous for its cheese and other dairy products, along with a rare collection of 17th century paintings. Besides being Europe's most westerly point, Flores Island is considered the most prettiest in the Azores. Its capital, Santa Cruz, has an interesting museum and several historic monuments.
Rising to 2,350 metres, Pico Island is Portugal's highest peak, attracting climbers from all over the world. Lajes on the south coast is the region's main whale watching centre. Tiny Corvo Island to the north west is the blown top of a huge marine volcano known as Monte Gordo. Its main attraction is a green crater lake dotted with nine islets. one for each island in the Azores.
Population: 10.566.200 Languages: Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but lo Currency: euro Currency code: EUR Local Times: Portugal - Lisbon
Country Dialling Code: +361 Voltage: 220V 50Hz Electrical plugs:
Portugal, by virtue of its position on Europe's Western edge, gets fewer travelers than other Mediterranean places. But visitors are rewarded with uncrowded cities and moderate tarifs for food, hotels and private villas and apartments. Portugal has a rich culture, a landscape wreathed in olive groves, superb beach resorts, wistful towns, vineyards and wheat fields.
Portugal occupies the western part of the Iberian Peninsula and is 35,655 sq miles. The country is crossed by three large rivers that rise in Spain, flow into the Atlantic, and divide the country into three geographic areas. The Minho River, part of the northern boundary, cuts through a mountainous area that extends south to the vicinity of the Douro River. South of the Douro, the mountains slope to the plains around the Tejo River.
The Portuguese have a close affinity to the sea; for centuries their famed mariners led the way in the exploration of Africa and the Americas, and opened trade routes to the East. The country became a strong colonial power, and remained so until the mid-20th century, resulting in distinctive foreign influences on the local culture and architecture. From Africa, for example, was imported the now traditional, sentimental fado music, which is one of the country's unique experiences for visitors, particularly in the cafés of Lisbon.
In recent years Portugal, long overlooked on the list of the world's top vacation stations, has been investing time, money and effort into ensuring it is discovered by the world's travellers, just as once it was the Portuguese who discovered the world. This new age of discovery is paying off, as increasing numbers of visitors arrive each year and hotel and resort construction has exploded. From the visitor's point of view the compactness of the country makes it easy to take in all the best elements: sandy beaches, scenery, history, wonderful cuisine, lively entertainment, charming handcrafts, thrilling nightlife, country fairs, excellent sporting facilities and warm, friendly people.
From the cobbled winding streets of Lisbon's medieval citadel to the cork forests in Alentejo, and from fishermen mending their nets on remote beaches to the shopping malls and sophisticated glitzy resorts, Portugal is a country well worth discovering.
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