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Flores Island has a surface of 142 square kilometers and a population of around 4,300. It is an island of the Azores, one of the Portuguese archipelagos.
It is divided into two districts (vila), Santa Cruz das Flores in the north and Lajes das Flores in the south.
The landscape
The Flores Island is said to be one of the most beautiful of the Azores Islands, of which it is part of the western group. In summer time, the island is covered by thousands of blue flowers. Flores is the Portuguese for flowers, the source of the island's name.
The Island has deep valleys and high peaks. Morro Alto is the highest peak of the island with 914 meters, Sete Pés, Burrinha and Marcel are other peaks in the island. It has old and dead volcanoes and living lakes. In the center of the island seven volcanic lakes are placed. The lake Lagoa Funda is seen as the most beautiful. The Águas Quentes are a small hot springs of boiling sulphurous waters.
The Gruta de Enxaréus is an enormous cavern, about 50 meters long and 25 meters wide.
In the Forest park of Fazenda de Santa Cruz, because of its microclimate, the conditions allow the development of a great amount and variety of species.
In the municipality of Lajes das Flores, one can find, by the sea, Fajãzinha, that is a typical Azorian village with ruins of water mills. There one can also find the Waterfalls of Ribeira Grande that drops from hundreds of meters high, and has at least 20 waterfalls, some of which drop into the Atlantic Ocean.
The discovery
The Flores island was discovered in 1450 by Diogo de Teive and his son João de Teive. The island was populated in the reign of king Manuel I of Portugal, in the year of 1510, with people of some regions of continental Portugal, mainly of the northern provinces.
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