Flores Island (Azores)
Flores ( German: flowers) is 143.1 km ² the fourth smallest island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores in the Atlantic. Capital is Santa Cruz das Flores with about 1600 inhabitants.
On the island of about 3,800 people. Official and spoken language is Portuguese, but many inhabitants also speak French.
In 2009, the UNESCO, the island to the list of biosphere reserves.
Geography
Flores measures 17 km in length and about 12.5 km at the widest point. The highest point is the extinct volcano Morro Alto with 914 m. The last volcanic activity are about 3000 years ago. Large parts of the island to Morro Alto are around the nature reserve.
Flores is like the neighboring island of Corvo, in contrast to the other islands of the Azores, on the North American continental plate. It is the westernmost European island, the place Faja Grande so that the westernmost village in Europe.
History
Previous names of Flores were São Tomás and Santa Maria. The island was named after her but eventually unique floral landscape. 1452 discovered Diogo de Flores and Corvo Teive the islands, the island was first settled around 1470 by Flemish Wilhelm van der Haegen. He left Flores, however, some years later, because the island was too isolated and there were no regular boat connections to Europe, which could secure the export of valuable dye plant woad ( Pastel ).
In 1500, finally came the first settlers from Portugal, who founded the towns of Lajes das Flores and Santa Cruz das Flores. They made the island cultivated and planted corn, maize and vegetables. In the next centuries, the inhabitants lived largely isolated; due to the remote location, rarely came merchant ships from the Azores islands of Faial and Terceira to replace whale oil, butter and honey for substances. Despite the isolation Flores was often plundered by pirates.
A turning point came in the mid-19th century when American whalers in the waters of the Azores hunted sperm whales. Many residents of Flores hired on the whalers. One of the finest American whaling ships, hikers, even made until 1924 hunting whales.
1963 the French built a telecommunications station on Flores. A hospital, a power plant and an airport were established in the following years, and brought the island 's financial recovery. Since the departure of the French in 1994, the development of tourism is promoted.
Management
The island of Flores is part of the Autonomous Region of the Azores and is thus part of the territory of Portugal.
The island is divided into two Concelhos (Portuguese circles):
- Santa Cruz das Flores (Capital), with four municipalities: caveira
- Cedros
- Ponta Delgada
- Santa Cruz das Flores
- Faja Grande
- Fajãzinha
- Fazenda
- Lajedo
- Lajes das Flores
- Lomba
- Mosteiro