São Miguel Island (Portuguese pronunciation: [sɐ̃w miˈɣɛɫ]; named for the Archangel Michael or, literally, Portuguese for Saint Michael), has been nicknamed "The Green Island". It is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The island covers 759 km (293 sq mi) and has around 140,000 inhabitants, with of 45,000 of these people resident in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.
In 1427, São Migu...
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São Miguel Island (Portuguese pronunciation: [sɐ̃w miˈɣɛɫ]; named for the Archangel Michael or, literally, Portuguese for Saint Michael), has been nicknamed "The Green Island". It is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The island covers 759 km (293 sq mi) and has around 140,000 inhabitants, with of 45,000 of these people resident in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.
In 1427, São Miguel became the second of the islands discovered by Gonçalo Velho Cabral to be settled by colonists from continental Portugal. This date is uncertain, as it is believed that the island was discovered between 1426 and 1437 and inscribed in portolans from the middle of the 14th century. In the early 15th century, Infante D. Henrique first authorized the settlement of the Azores, and many settlers from Estremadura Province, Alto Alentejo, Algarve and Madeira traveled to São Miguel, under the Carta Régia (a decree of the regency). The fertile soils...
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