Faial Island

Faial
Island (Ilha)
Island of Faial, as seen from the summit of the island of Pico
Official name: Ilha do Faial
Name origin: fayal, Portuguese common name for Faya trees (Latin: Myrica faya), the endemic plant species commonly discovered during the early settlement of the island
Nickname: Ilha Azul
Country	Portugal
Autonomous Region	Azores
Islands	Central Group
Location	Azores Platform, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Atlantic Ocean
Municipalities	Horta
Civil Parishes	Angústias, Capelo, Castelo Branco, Cedros, Conceição, Feteira, Flamengos, Matriz, Praia do Almoxarife, Pedro Miguel, Praia do Norte, Ribeirinha, Salão
Highest point	Cabeço Gordo
- elevation	1,043 m (3,422 ft)
- coordinates	38°34′33″N 28°42′45″W / 38.57583°N 28.71250°W / 38.57583; -28.71250
Lowest point	Sea level
- location	Atlantic Ocean
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	21.20 km (13 mi), West-East
Width	16.29 km (10 mi), North-South
Area	173.06 km2 (67 sq mi)
Biomes	Temperate, Mediterranean
Geology	Alkali basalt, Tephra, Trachyte, Trachybasalt
Orogeny	Volcanism
Period	Holocene
Demonym	Faialense
Ethnic groups	Portuguese
Population	14,875 (2001)
Density	85.46 /km2 (221.34 /sq mi)
Largest city	Horta (pop. 9,563)
Location of the island of Faial in the archipelago of the Azores

Faial Island (Portuguese pronunciation: [fɐˈjaɫ]), also known in English as Fayal, is a Portuguese island of the Central Group (Portuguese: Grupo Central) of the Azores. The Capelinhos Volcano, the westernmost point of the island, might as well be the westernmost point of Europe, if the Monchique Islet, near Flores Island, is considered part of North America, for it sits on the North American Plate.

With its nearest neighbours, Pico (east across the channel) and São Jorge (northeast across the channel), it forms an area commonly known as the Triângulo (English: Triangle). The island has also referred to as the Ilha Azul (English: Blue Island), derived from the writings of Portuguese poet Raul Brandão, due to the large quantity of hydrangeas that bloom during the summer months:

"The man that had the idea to border the road with these plants should have a statue on the island. In no other place, do they prosper better: they need a covering of light, humidity and heat...they are in their place. Their blue, is the blue that adorns the Azores on lipid days...this is a blue that is even more blue, the bunches of flowers of a colour more intense and more fresh. They are in every direction: rising along the roads and the fields forming hedges; they serve to divide the parcels and to cover the peaceful animals."

During a period of medieval legends and unsubstantiated stories of mystical lands, the island of Faial first appeared on the 1375–1377 Atlas Catalão, as Ilha da Ventura or Insula de La Ventura (English: Venture Island). By 1427 they had discovered what most had suspected: islands in the middle of the Atlantic (specifically the islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel). In subsequent years there would occur new discoveries until, during his first voyage of exploration (in 1451), the navigator Diogo de Teive explored the coast of Faial.