Azores Azores The Azores ( or ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (""), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira ("Região Autónoma da Madeira"). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean about west of continental Portugal, about west of Lisbon, in continental Portugal, about northwest of Morocco, and about southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. Its main industries are agriculture, dairy farming, livestock, fishing, and tourism, which is becoming the major service activity in the region. In addition, the government of the Azores employs a large percentage
Hydrothermal vents and seamounts of the Azores waters of the Azores: These sites, with the exception of the Moytirra system, are located in the southern part of the archipelago, and have been investigated by national and international scientists. The isolated Dom João de Castro Bank is also considered in this group; located between São Miguel and Terceira, the seamount is one of the highest independent seamounts in the archipelago and home to a thriving marine volcanic habitat. In 2010, a shallow hydrothermal field was discovered off the Ponta da Espalamaca, on the island of Faial, showing evidence of de-gasification. Efforts are being made to classify these areas