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Azores,Islands, Santa Maria, History, Lighthouse

The History of the Azores Islands

The history of the Azores islands and their discovery is an interesting and often conflicted series of events that reflects on the current Azorean diaspora. The nine islands knowns as the Azores or Açores (Portuguese) were discovered officially in the 15th century. Goncalo Velho...

Portugal’s Age of Discovery: Madeira & Porto Santo

In the early 15th century, European merchants became accustomed to vast trade with various East regions. They wanted to improve their productivity and route time by finding a shorter path to the east by sea. Many European nations were becoming maritime powers and were starting to...

The Da Câmara family of Madeira and the Azores

Joao Gonçalves Zarco was a knight in Prince Henry the Navigator’s court, during the Portuguese “Age of Exploration” in the early 1400’s. Joao Zarco led the first fleet to discover uninhabited lands in Europe, fueling the exploration age that spread through...