Environment
Angra do Heroísmo is located in the Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean - about 1.500km from Lisbon - in the islands of the Azores.
The 9 islands will offer peace and quiet, blue and green lagoons - and flowers just everywhere!
Activities as whale watching, swimming with dolphins, jeep safari's, deep sea fishing, sailing and golf are very popular.
In Portugal the Atlantic Ocean is always "close by" - distances from estern inland border will
maximum be a two hour drive. The closest beach is less than 1 km away.
Climate : Island clima with tropical warm weather all year round Town character : Historical town Primary Industry : Agricultur
Angra (do Heroísmo) - the historical capital of the Azores
Municipal holiday: June 24 - Saint John
Population in city proper: 21.300 inhabitants. Population in the municipality: 35.600 inhabitants.
Angra do Heroísmo - or Angra - is a city on the island of Terceira in the Azores (Portugal).
Angra do Heroísmo is the historical capital of the Azores; and is today, together with Ponta Delgada (on São Miguel Island) and Horta (on Faial Island) one of the three regional capitals of the Azores. Each capital houses one of the three branches of government; Angra is the site of the judicial branch, the Supreme Court of the Azores.
Angra is also the archepelago's oldest city, possibly dating as early as 1534. The historic center of Angra was classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1983.
Touristic interest points
There are number of buildings in Angra you should not miss! First and foremost the old square and Castelo de São Sebastião (St. Sebastian Castle), built in the sixteenth century. The Castelo de São Sebastião has been transformed into a charming hotel, one of the forty-odd pousadas (inns in historic buildings) of Portugal.
At one stage, Angra had as many as nine convents, each with its own cloisters and churches. In central Angra is the Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Guia (Church of Our Lady of Guia), where the seafarer Paulo da Gama (the brother of Vasco da Gama) is buried. You also have Igreja de São Joao Baptista (Church of St. John the Baptist)
The Palace of the Captains-General, originally the Jesuit College, is worth a visit, as the Palace of the Bettencourts - a beautiful seventeenth-century building, originally a private home, which now houses the public library and the city archives, a repository with more than 400,000 books and two million documents.
Bullfighting - Azores-style
The Azorean variety of bullfighting, differs from the mainland style in some important respects. The ritual involves audience participation in a way that recalls the "running of the bulls" at Pamplona in Spain.
Eventually, the bull is funneled through the city streets to the bullring, the Praça de Toiros da Ilha - where a traditional Portuguese-style bullfight is held. From May 1 to September 30, there are daily touradas (sometimes there are two or three in one day!).
Wine from the region of Azores
Portugal produces some of the world's finest, oldest, unique and highest value-added wines.
The country has a large variety of native breeds - about 285 - producing a very wide
variety of different wines with distinctive personality.
