São Miguel Island facts for kids
Quick facts for kids São Miguel |
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| Ilha de São Miguel | |
| Island (Ilha) | |
 Typical rural landscape of São Miguel island, Azores
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| Official name: Ilha de São Miguel | |
| Name origin: Portuguese for Saint Michael | |
| Nickname: Ilha Verde | |
| Country |  Portugal |
|---|---|
| Autonomous Region |  Azores |
| Islands | Eastern Group |
| Location | Azores Platform, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Atlantic Ocean |
| Archipelago | Azores |
| Municipalities | Lagoa, Ponta Delgada, Povoação, Nordeste, Ribeira Grande, Vila Franca do Campo |
| Highest point | Pico da Vara |
| - location | Planalto dos Graminhais, Nordeste |
| - elevation | 1,104.74 m (3,624 ft) |
| - coordinates | 37°48′35″N 25°12′51″W / 37.80972°N 25.21417°W |
| Lowest point | Sea level |
| - location | Atlantic Ocean |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 63.54 km (39 mi), Northwest-Southeast |
| Width | 15.63 km (10 mi), Southwest-Northeast |
| Area | 744.57 km² (287 sq mi) |
| Population | 137,856 (2011) Census |
| Density | 185 /km² (479 /sq mi) |
| Biomes | Temperate, Mediterranean |
| Orogeny | Volcanism |
| Period | Holocene |
| Demonym | Micaelense |
| Ethnic groups | Portuguese |
São Miguel Island, named for the Archangel Michael (Portuguese: São Miguel), is also referred to locally as "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The island has around 138,000 inhabitants and its largest city, and in the archipelago, is Ponta Delgada.
Contents
History
In 1427, São Miguel became the second of the islands discovered by Gonçalo Velho Cabral to be settled by people from continental Portugal.
The first capital of the island was Vila Franca do Campo, which was devastated by a major earthquake and landslides in 1522. The tragedy helped to elevate Ponta Delgada to the administrative and economic status of capital and business centre from 1546.
With the Portuguese Restoration War (1640), the island became a commercial centre, establishing new contacts in Brazil. Some of the island’s historic buildings, including mansions and churches, date from this period; the island's development came from revenues from the export of oranges, mainly to Great Britain.
The period after the Liberal Wars allowed the economy to flourish, and the port of Ponta Delgada expanded, through the export of new crops such as tea, pineapple, and tobacco. The development of the fishing industry, cultivation of staple food and expansion of the dairy industry permitted the growth of many of the towns on the island.
Geography
The São Miguel Island has an area of 744.57 km2 (287.48 sq mi). It is a narrow island; it is 63.54 km (39.48 mi) long (from southeast to northwest) and 15.63 km (9.71 mi) wide (from southwest to northeast).
Relief
The island, of volcanic nature and subject to seismic activity, presents many mountains, mainly in the interior, dominated by the Pico da Vara; those mountains are cut by valleys, gullies and streams - the only waterways because there are not rivers.
The island consists of an ancient massif in the eastern end, and three stratovolcanoes: Sete Cidades, Fogo and Furnas. The stratovolcano of Sete Cidades is known for its large caldera (Portuguese: caldeira) of 5 km (3.1 mi) in diameter and 350 m (1,150 ft) of mean depth; in it there are two small lakes (Lagoa Verde to the south and Lagoa Azul to north).
In the eastern part of the island is the Pico da Vara - the highest point of the island - with 1,103 metres (3,619 ft) of altitude. In the central area, is the Sierra de Água de Pau with 940 m height and on the west lies the Caldeira das Sete Cidades, 850 m altitude.
Lying at the eastern end of the island, Pico da Vara is the focus of a Special Protection Area containing the largest remaining laurisilva forest on the island, which is home to the endemic and critically endangered bird, the Azores Bullfinch.
Its fertile lands produce cereals, tea, grapes (for wine), fruits and food for cattle.
Climate
Similar to other islands in the Azores archipelago, São Miguel is influenced by ocean currents and winds, in particular, the Gulf Stream. It functions as a moderating force in the islands, keeping temperatures hovering between 14 and 26 °C (57 and 79 °F) throughout the year. Rainfall is distributed evenly throughout the year, although it is most abundant in the cool season. The island's location also makes it susceptible to many Atlantic storms.
The Köppen climate classification subtype for the climate of Sâo Miguel Island, in Ponta Delgada, is Csb (Mediterran Climate).
| Climate data for Azores : Ponta Delgada | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 16.5 (61.7) |
16.3 (61.3) |
16.7 (62.1) |
17.4 (63.3) |
18.7 (65.7) |
21.0 (69.8) |
23.7 (74.7) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
21.7 (71.1) |
19.4 (66.9) |
17.6 (63.7) |
19.8 (67.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) |
11.1 (52.0) |
11.5 (52.7) |
11.9 (53.4) |
13.1 (55.6) |
15.2 (59.4) |
17.2 (63.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
17.9 (64.2) |
16.1 (61.0) |
14.3 (57.7) |
12.6 (54.7) |
14.2 (57.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 112.4 (4.43) |
81.4 (3.20) |
84.8 (3.34) |
66.8 (2.63) |
64.2 (2.53) |
39.2 (1.54) |
27.3 (1.07) |
48.3 (1.90) |
97.0 (3.82) |
107.5 (4.23) |
122.0 (4.80) |
121.2 (4.77) |
972.1 (38.27) |
| Source: Weatherbase.com [1] | |||||||||||||
Human geography
Most towns and cities are in plains, some along the coast and a few in the interior of the island. There are several communities within ancient craters (such as Sete Cidades, Furnas or Povoação), river valleys (such as Ribeira Chã, Pilar da Bretanha) or coastal deltas (Mosteiros).
There are two cities in the islands: Ponta Delgada and Ribeira Grande.
Administrative division
The island is divided in six municipalities (Portuguese: concelhos):
| Concelho | Population | Area (km2) |
Density (inhab./km2) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lagoa | 14,442 | 45.6 | 317 | The youngest of the municipalities of São Miguel. |
| Nordeste | 4,937 | 101.5 | 49 | Well known for an abundance of natural vegetation and the highest point on the island, Pico da Vara. |
| Ponta Delgada | 68,809 | 233.0 | 295 | It includes not only the industrial/commercial city of Ponta Delgada, but also many rural parishes, as well as the large crater of Sete Cidades. |
| Povoação | 6,327 | 106.4 | 59 | Home to the first colony on the island, Povoação is in the southeast corner of the island, and includes active and dormant volcanic features, including Furnas and the crater of Povoação |
| Ribeira Grande | 32,112 | 180.2 | 178 | The second largest municipality, created in 1981, and has an extensive area of the northern coast. |
| Vila Franca do Campo | 11,229 | 78.0 | 144 | Once the seat of the historical capital of São Miguel (until it was almost destroyed by earthquake and landslides in 1522), it is located along the southern coast between Lagoa and Povoação. |
Images for kids
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The landing of the Spanish Tercios at Terceira during the 1580 Portuguese succession crisis
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An 1845 engraving of the island of São Miguel (west is up)
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Lagoa do Fogo (English: Lake of Fire), as seen from Miradouro da Serra da Barrosa, along the Água de Pau Massif
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Lagoa das Furnas
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Pasturelands in the Picos region: the debris field that joined the Sete Cidades Massif and Água de Pau Massif that united the island of São Miguel.
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Detailed map of São Miguel Island
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Ginetes, situated in the westernmost part of the island, near the coast
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A species of common dolphins seen during one of whale watching tours
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The Fonte de Buraco Belvedere overlooking the village of Maia, in the northern municipality of Ribeira Grande
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The center of Ponta Delgada, as seen from the marina complex, Portas do Mar
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Chá Gorreana's main plant
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The cult of the Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles is the most popular devotion in São Miguel island.
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See also
In Spanish: Isla de San Miguel (Azores) para niños
