Almost the entire population professes Catholicism.
Transport in Azores, Portugal
The main urban mode of transport in the Azores is a bus. On San Miguel, Terceira and Santa Maria, regular communication has been established between the cities. Minibuses also run to San Miguel in the central part. On Graciosa, buses run only in the morning and in the afternoon. On Faial, the bus runs from Monday to Friday from 11.45, departure – from the stop at the travel agency in the city center. The route goes all over the island. For Pico, the first bus departs at 8:45 from the pier in Madalena and runs along the north coast. He arrives at his final destination, Piedade, at 11:00. The return bus leaves Piedade at 12:25 and arrives in Madalena at 15:00. On São Jorge on Wednesdays and Fridays, you can drive along the north coast from Velas to Calheta. Floris has a bus service between Lajes and Santa Cruz on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Taxi in the Azores beige colour. They don’t have a meter, they charge by time or by distance, in the latter case the return trip is always included in the payment: after driving 10 km, you pay for 20 km. If you are going on a long trip, you can arrange with the driver to wait and take him back. Between the islands of the central group, a boat and ferries run on a standard route; between all the islands, the local company SATA operates air flights.
On all islands, except for Corvo, there are several car rental agencies. In summer you need to reserve a car in advance. To rent, you need a driver’s license and a passport, European green card insurance is required. Persons at least 21 years old (in some companies – at least 23 years old) with a driving experience of at least 1 year can use the rental. Sometimes it is more profitable to rent a taxi for a few hours. In this case, you will receive a guide who knows the island perfectly. In Faial and San Miguel you can rent motor scooters. Car rental is prohibited in Corva due to difficult climatic conditions – the weather here changes very quickly and not every foreigner will get along with her whims.
Plant and Animal World in Azores, Portugal
The natural type of vegetation in the Azores is subtropical evergreen forests and shrubs, but they have been severely damaged as a result of human activities. Only in some places are preserved relict forests that once covered the entire archipelago, found mainly at altitudes of more than 500 m. The largest relict forests in terms of area have been preserved on Terceira. The most common plants of the Azores are cedar, English holly, cherry, mahogany, laurel. 100 years ago, Japanese pine was brought here, which took root perfectly and became an integral part of the landscape. A huge number of flower species grow on the islands, among which 55 are endemic. The most honorable place among them is occupied by the hydrangea, which has become the symbol of Azor.
The most numerous representatives of the fauna are birds. In addition to local species, it is visited by many migratory birds that build their nests on lakes, on the coast and small islands in the ocean. In the Azores there are an eagle, a raven, a dove, a seagull, a tern, a chaffinch. Of the mammals, there are a ferret, a hedgehog, a rabbit. Dolphins are found in coastal waters, and in June and May, a whale migration route passes near the islands.
Banks in Azores, Portugal
In the Azores, banks are open from 8:30 to 15:00. The cities have a good network of ATMs.
Money in Azores, Portugal
Until 2002, the Portuguese escudo was the currency of Portugal, since January 2002 the country switched to the euro. There are 100 cents in one euro. There are euro banknotes in circulation in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros and coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents. Until the end of 2012, the National Bank will exchange national banknotes for euros free of charge.
In the Azores, most restaurants, hotels and car rentals accept Visa and Master Card credit cards.
Rate: 1 Euro (EUR) = 1.05 USD
Political State in Azores, Portugal
According to usvsukenglish, the Azores have their own Parliament and Government. Local power is distributed among the islands. The economic and political capital of the archipelago is the island of San Miguel.
Population in Azores, Portugal
The Azores are home to 237 thousand people. The most populated island is San Miguel, where 53% of the total population is concentrated. In second place is Terceira (23.5%). Almost the entire population is represented by the Portuguese with a small admixture of Spaniards, French and immigrants from other countries.
Language:
The inhabitants of the Azores speak Portuguese, but their dialect is very different from dialects in other parts of Portugal. Service personnel and employees of public institutions speak English or French.
Cuisine in Azores, Portugal
The cuisine of the Azores is very diverse. It is based on Portuguese, but it has a number of its own dishes. Among them, the cozido das Furnas is the most interesting. According to tradition, to prepare it, a pot with meat and vegetables is wrapped in a bag and buried in volcanic ash for 4 hours. Also worth trying are Polvo Guisado Em Vinho De Cheiro (octopus stewed in red wine), Caldo Azedo (sour soup), Caldo de nabos (turnip soup), Molhos de porco (pork sauce), braised pork, and of course as well as numerous fish and seafood dishes.
The Azores are famous for their cheeses. São Jorge cheese is even brought from the Azores as a souvenir.
Passion fruit and pineapple liqueurs are produced on Sao Miguel, vodka Bagaceira do Pico (Bagaceria do Pico), sweet blackberry liqueurs “Amora” and “Angelica” (Amora, Angelica), aperitif Verdelho di Pico (Verdelho de Pico) are produced from drinks in San Miguel.), on Terceira – wine Biscoitos de Terceira (Biscoitos de Terceira).
