The Azores – the name supposedly has its origins in the word “hawk” or “blue” – is an archipelago of 10 main islands, situated in the eastern Atlantic, roughly 1,300km (800 miles) west of this autonomous region’s mother country, Portugal.
Entirely surrounded by sea, and with the ameliorating influence of the Gulf Stream, the islands have a very mild, at times subtropical, climate. There are few extremes of temperature and moderate rainfall, especially in the autumn and winter months, totalling about 1,200mm (48in) annually.
During the summer and early autumn, maximum temperatures are usually in the low-to-mid 20Cs, with seven or eight hours of sunshine a day, making the islands the ideal holiday destination for those who prefer conditions to be pleasant, but not too hot.
In winter and spring these drop to the high teens – still mild, though from time to time Atlantic depressions can bring high winds and storms. When these strong westerlies occur in autumn, they sometimes bring rare land and waterbirds from North America, which have been swept off course on their southward migration, until they are able to make a safe landfall on the islands.
Snow and frost are unknown at sea level, though occasionally occur in the mountainous interior of the larger islands, with snow settling on the mountain of Pico, which, at 2,351 metres (7,713ft) above sea level, is the highest point in Portugal.
