The Azores, also known as Arquipélago dos Açores, is an autonomous region of Portugal that lies on the nexus of the European, American and African tectonic plates – roughly 1,600km west of mainland Portugal and about 3,900km from the east coast of North America. Born from the eruptions of underwater volcanoes, these nine islands – ranging from a whopping 288 square miles to a teeny 7 square miles – are divided into three widely separated island groups that are home to just 245,766 inhabitants...