Pico Island destination. Because of this award, Pico has been selected for inclusion in the global atlas for sustainable tourism DestiNet. Pico Island Pico Island ("Ilha do Pico," ), is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores. The landscape features an eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In the tradition of the Portuguese poet, Raul Brandão, Pico is referred to as the Ilha Preta ("Black Island"), for its black volcanic earth, responsible for its UNESCO-designated historical vineyards that allowed the development of the
Azores hotspot Azores hotspot The Azores hotspot is a volcanic hotspot located at the Azores in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. A volcanic hotspot is defined as an area of high volcanic activity, a long term source of volcanism. The type of hotspot that characterises the Azores is a relatively young one associated with a bathymetric swell, a gravity anomaly and basalt geochemistry that differs from normal ocean ridge basalts. The Azores hotspot also differs from usual hotspots like Hawaii due the fact that it has interactions with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which lies just west of the hotspot. The centre of the hotspot