ABSTRACT
The Azores Archipelago is a group of nine islands located in the North Atlantic Ocean approximately 1200 km west of Portugal; the entire archipelago is oriented west-northwest to east-southeast (Figure 1). The islands are volcanic in origin and are the largest group of peaks of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to form islands. These nine islands are divided in three groups: the Oriental group (Santa Maria and São Miguel), the Central group (Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico e Faial) and the Occidental group (Flores and Corvo). The islands of the Occidental group are relatively distant from the others (about 234 kilometers of Faial) and they are the most occidental territory of Portugal and Europe. The bathymetry map of the Azores Archipelago is presented in Figure 1.
