The incredible green landscapes of the Azores, the westernmost territory of Europe

More than 1,300 km west of Lisbon lies a Portuguese archipelago that is like a paradise anchored in the middle of the North Atlantic.

The Castanheira Battery: a World War II era artillery position in the Azores
A village and a bridge submerged and forgotten in a reservoir in Portugal

Discovered and settled by the Portuguese in the 15th century, the Azores archipelago consists of nine islands: São Miguel is the largest and most populated (around 130,000 inhabitants in 759 square kilometers) and is home to the city of Ponta Delgada, one of the three capitals of the Azores (the other two being Horta, on Fayal, and Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira). The smallest island is Corvo (only 17 square kilometers and just over 400 inhabitants). The Azores is the westernmost territory of Europe, and the westernmost of its islands is Flores (143 square kilometers and around 4,000 inhabitants), although if we're talking about islets, the westernmost is Monchique, with 2,500 square kilometers and completely uninhabited.

These islands are of volcanic origin and lie on the boundary between three tectonic plates. As the westernmost island in the archipelago, Flores is also the westernmost territory in Europe. Furthermore, the Azores are home to Portugal's highest mountain, the Pico volcano (2,352 meters), on Pico Island. These islands are very mountainous and boast truly spectacular green landscapes, as you can see in this magnificent video published three months ago by Kyle Kotajarvi, in which he takes a tour of the islands of Flores and São Miguel:

You can see some screenshots from this excellent video here, as a preview. We start with the Poço de Bacalhau waterfall, in the municipality of Lajes das Flores, on the western side of Flores Island. It has a drop of 90 meters.

The Sete Cidades volcanic complex, in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel. Its name is related to a legend from the High Middle Ages that claimed the existence of a legendary land called Seven Cities in the middle of the Atlantic.

The eastern coast of Flores Island. In the background, we see the city of Santa Cruz das Flores, with about 2,500 inhabitants. The island's airport is located there.

A beautiful sunset seen from Ponta do Albernaz, in the northern part of Ponta Delgada, on the island of Flores. We see the Ponta do Albernaz lighthouse, a 15-meter-high stone tower with a red dome. It projects light to a distance of 22 nautical miles (41 km), with a white flash every 5 seconds.

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Images: Kyle Kotajarvi.