Azores (Portugal) Coat of Arms Postcard

The Azores, officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (Região Autónoma dos Açores) is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal, composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about 1,360 km (850 mi) west of continental Portugal, about 880 km (550 mi) northwest ofMadeira, and about 1,925 km (1,196 mi) southeast of Newfoundland. Its main industries are agriculture, dairy farming (for cheese and butter products primarily), livestock ranching, fishing, and tourism, which is becoming the major service activity in the region. In addition to this, the government of the Azores employs a large percentage of the population directly or indirectly in many aspects of the service and tertiary sectors. There are nine major Azorean islands and an islet cluster, in three main groups. These are Flores and Corvo, to the west; Graciosa,Terceira, São Jorge, Pico, and Faial in the centre; and São Miguel, Santa Maria, and the Formigas Reef to the east. They extend for more than 600 km (370 mi) and lie in a northwest-southeast direction.