São
Miguel and Ponta Delgada in a nutshell São
Miguel, the largest island in the archipelago of the Azores. Settlement
started in 1444, The first inhabitants, from the Portuguese provinces of Estremadura,
Upper Alentejo and Algarve, were later joined by Madeirans, Jews, Moors and possibly
Frenchmen. The island is composed of two volcanic
massifs separated by a central ridge of a lower altitude. The highest point, called
Pico da Vara, with an altitude of 1,080 metres, is situated in the east. The large
craters of Sete Cidades, Fogo and Furnas contain lakes of crystal-clear water.
The fertility of the soil and the island's
geographic position on the crossroads of Europe, Africa and America contributed
to rapid economic expansion based on the production of wheat, sugar cane, the
dye-yielding plants called woad and archil (sold to Flanders), wine and dairy
products. One century later, sweet potatoes,
maize, yams, flax and oranges came to broaden the range of the island's agricultural
output. With the Restoration of Portugal's
independence in 1640, São Miguel recovered its position as a trading centre and
developed contacts with Brazil, to where it sent groups of settlers. The export
of oranges to England brought São Miguel great prosperity from the end of the
18th century until the orange groves were destroyed by a blight. Today
São Miguel is one of the political and administrative centres of the Region, and
an island with a diversified economy that is doing well. Here
is the link to the Tourist Info on-line | 
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