São Miguel Island

São Miguel, the largest of the Azores, lies in the eastern group of the archipelago. Its volcanic shores enclose a landscape of hills and fertile land. Portuguese settlers arrived in the 1440s under Gonçalo Velho Cabral. Vila Franca do Campo became the early center of the island, but a devastating earthquake struck it in 1522. Ponta Delgada on the southern coast grew into an important port and center of commerce.