Azores Day Portugal. Political quarrels between the Azores and the national government are usually highlighted during these celebrations, with political commentaries made by the President of the Regional Government. The Regional Government has traditionally, since 1980, held official celebrations on each island of the Azores. In 1997, Azores Day was marked in Ponta Delgada, with the solemn opening of the "Galeria dos Autonomistas" ("Autonomists' Gallery"), in the Palace of Conceição (seat of the Regional Government). After this date, the celebrations marking the Day of the Azores, which since 2006 had already been marked with bestowing honours to illustrious Azoreans, began to occur
History of the Azores fact in Christopher Columbus' notes, and it was one reason why Columbus presumed that India was on the other side of the ocean. In "A History of the Azores", written by Thomas Ashe in 1813, the author talks of the discovery of the islands by Joshua Vander Berg of Bruges, who landed there during a storm on his way to Lisbon. This claim is generally discredited among academics today. As were local stories of a mysterious equestrian statue and coins with Carthaginian writing that were purportedly discovered on island of Corvo, or the strange inscriptions found along the coast of