5th Portuguese India Armada (Albuquerque, 1503) Cape Verde, the first squadron of Afonso de Albuquerque struck out into the south Atlantic, following the South Atlantic Gyre. Along the way, Albuquerque came across Ascension Island. Although the island had already been discovered back in 1501 by the Third Armada of João da Nova (and named "ilha da Conceição" then), Albuquerque renamed it "ilha da Ascensão" on account of it being Ascension Day (May 21), the name that has since stuck. Strong south-westerly winds pushed them towards the coast of Brazil, where Albuquerque made a brief stop to take on water (exactly where is uncertain), before making his
Fajã de Fernando Afonso Fajã de Fernando Afonso The Fajã de Fernando Afonso is a permanent debris field, built from the collapsing cliffs on the northern coast of the civil parish of Rosais, in the municipality of Velas, island of São Jorge, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The fajã was named for an early settler that occupied a home at the base of the cliff. Following the 1 January 1980 earthquake the area was temporarily abandoned, owing to its instability and the aftershocks. Because of the danger, farmers returned to the area to only cultivate their small vineyards. A subsequent aftershock was