Azores, Portugal Genealogy

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The Azores are  a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,500 km (950 mi) from Lisbon. The nine major Azorean Islands and the eight small Formigas extend for more than 600 km, and lie in a northwest-southeast direction. All of the islands have volcanic origins, though Santa Maria also has some reef contribution. The mountain of Pico on Pico Island, at 2,351 m in altitude, is the highest in all of Portugal. The Azores are actually the tops of some of the tallest mountains on the planet, as measured from their base at the bottom of the ocean. 

The westernmost islands in the group lie about 1200 miles from St. Johns, Newfoundland and about 2400 miles from the East Coast of North America.

They were discovered by the Portuguese in 1427 and the Portuguese began to settle there in 1439. Later, Flemish settlers came to the islands, as did Italians, Scots, English, Bretons, and some Jewish farmers. The Azores were occupied by Spain from 1580 - 1640 and used as a base for Spanish ships. There is a long naval history associated with the Azore Islands.

Long considered a colony of Portugal, the Azores became an autonomous or self-governing region of Portugal in 1976.

The Azores consist of nine inhabited islands – Sao Miguel, Santa Maria, Terceira, Graciosa, Sao Jorge, Pico, Faial, Flores and Corvo – and a number of smaller, uninhabited Isletas. One of the major record groups is church records. Microfilmed copies of the records of churches on each island are listed on the WorldGenWeb page for each island. There are some ships' passenger lists available on the internet, as well as helps to write to government offices and archives on the island.

The records of the Azores are recorded in Portuguese, which is the language spoken on the islands. A Portuguese Genealogical Word List can help in the translation of words found in the records of the Islands.



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Useful Web Sites

 * Azores GenWeb
 * Azores Mailing List
 * [in French. Click on 'Inventario Genealogico]

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