History of the Azores passed to João Fonseca and settlers streamed through the port of Armoeira to the small hamlets. The island became permanently populated during the reign of King Manuel I, in the year 1510, by people from various regions of continental Portugal, but mainly from the northern provinces. The island became arable, and grain and vegetables were cultivated. According to Santos et al.'s 2003 maternal DNA study of the Azores, people from Flores exhibit high genetic ancestry (~90%) with the Portuguese mainland, and Pacheco et al.'s 2006 paternal DNA study confirms that around 60% of all Azorean paternal lines are correlated to
Nordeste, Azores Nordeste, Azores Nordeste (; Portuguese for northeast, hence that part of the island) is a municipality on the northeastern part of São Miguel Island in the Azores. The population in 2011 was 4,937, in an area of . The municipality Nordeste covers the northeastern part of the island São Miguel. It is the least populated on the island of São Miguel, and most of its interior is covered forests, mountainous peaks and river-valleys, punctuated by fertile pastureland. The highest elevations in this region include Pico Redondo (980 metres), Pico Verde (927 metres), Pico Bartolomeu (887 metres) and Pico da Vara