According to the 2019 Census, population in the Azores was 242,796. The Azores were uninhabited when Portuguese navigators arrived in the early 15th century; settlement began in 1439 with migrants from several regions of mainland Portugal and from Madeira. Many Portuguese Sephardic Jews settled on the islands in large numbers. The islands were also settled by Moorish prisoners and African slaves from Guinea, Cape Verde and São Tomé. Flemish, French, and Galicians contributed to the initial settlement. Thus the Azorean population received a significant contribution from people with genetic backgrounds other than Portuguese.