The island of São Miguel, Azores
The island of São Miguel, the green island – “ilha verde”
São Miguel, located in the Atlantic Ocean, is an evergreen island. With its year-round blooming flowers, trees and shrubs, every month brings new surprises.
The landscape of the island is dominated by volcanic lakes. These so-called “Caldeiras” are caldera – the result of the eruption and subsequent collapse of volcanoes – which are now filled with water; they bear invaluable witness to the geological emergence of the island.
The subtropical climate is mild; In the summer months the thermometer rarely rises to more than 25 °C (77°F) and the minimum winter temperatures during the night are around 12 °C (54°F).
In general, the Azores islands play a major role in the weather conditions in Central Europe.
The famous “Azores High” and “Iceland Low” are the two main pressure systems that occur over the Atlantic and provide bright sunshine or rain over continental Europe.
São Miguel is the largest island of the archipelago, with a length of 62 km (38 miles) and a maximum width of 16 km (10 miles).
More than half of the population of the Azores, roughly 130,000 inhabitants out of 246,000, live in an area of 750 km².
The distance from mainland Portugal is about 1,500 km (930 miles) – with a latitude of 37.5°, São Miguel is further south than Naples and New York.
The highest point of the island is located on the “Pico da Vara”, at 1105 metres (3625 feet).
São Miguel and Santa Maria Island, which lies 81 km (50 miles) south, form the eastern group of the Azores Archipelago.