Portugal Travel & Tourism news - What are the Portuguese islands of Macaronesia in the Atlantic and what is Portugal’s new travel destination “Cruise in the Atlantic Islands”?
Where are the Portuguese islands of Macaronesia?
The Portuguese islands of Macaronesia are located in Portugal’s maritime triangle that consists of mainland Portugal to the east, the Azores to the west and Madeira to the south.
Portugal has one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in the world that extends over 1.7 million km2 and accounts for 48% of all marine waters. Portugal has requested the UN to extend its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, that will increase Portugal’s EEZ to 4,100,000 km2. This will turn Portugal into an Atlantic country.
What are the Portuguese islands of Macaronesia in the Atlantic?
While Macaronesia is comprised of 4 volcanic archipelagos in the North Atlantic, the Portuguese islands include only 2 of them, namely the Azores to the north and Madeira to the south. The Portuguese Islands of Macaronesia are only 2 hours away from mainland Portugal by plane.
The Portuguese islands of Macaronesia in the Atlantic form part of the EU that extends its geopolitical landscape over 3 archipelagos belonging to Portugal and Spain. According to Madeira’s Regional Government president, Miguel Albuquerque, this is why “It must be said that what gives the European Union a great dimension, from a geopolitical point of view, are the islands.”
These are the 2 Portuguese archipelagos in Macaronesia:
1 – The Azores islands
The Portuguese islands of Azores in Macaronesia are part of an archipelago of 9 volcanic islands and a cluster of islets that are located about 1,400 km west of Lisbon.
The Azores islands are divided into 3 groups according to their geographic location, with 2 islands located to the west - Flores and Corvo; 5 islands located in the center - Graciosa, Terceira, São Jorge, Pico, and Faial ; as well as 3 islands located to the east - São Miguel, Santa Maria, and the Formigas islets.
2 – Madeira islands
The Portuguese islands of Madeira in Macaronesia are part of an archipelago of 4 main islands and a cluster of islets that are located 400 kilometers north of the Canary Islands and 520 kilometers west of Morocco.
The Madeira archipelago is comprised of Madeira Island, Porto Santo Island; the Desertas Islands that include 3 islands, with Ilhéu Chão, Deserta Grande and Búgio; as well as the Selvagens Islands cluster comprising Selvagem Grande, Selvagem Pequena, Ilhéu de Fora, and a group of smaller islets.
Which islands are in Macaronesia?
Macaronesia is comprised of 4 volcanic archipelagos in the North Atlantic, out of which 2 belong to Portugal – namely the Azores to the north and Madeira to the south, 1 belongs to Spain – namely the Canary Islands, and one that is independent – namely Cape Verde.
3 out of the 4 archipelagos of Macaronesia in the Atlantic form part of the EU, since 2 archipelagos belong to Portugal and 1 archipelago belongs to Spain.
The Spanish Canary Islands are located south of the Madeira archipelago and are comprised of 8 main islands, namely Tenerife, Grand Canaria, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Graciosa, as well as several islets.
The Cape Verde Islands, that comprise 10 volcanic islands, are located around 570 km off the western coast of Africa. While the official language is Portuguese, Cape Verde became independent from Portugal on July 5th, 1975.
What is the meaning of Macaronesia?
Macaronesia is the name for the cluster of 4 archipelagos in the North Atlantic that belong to different countries and the name derives for the Greek that means ‘islands of the fortunate'.
What is Portugal’s new travel destination “Cruise in the Atlantic Islands”?
On October 27th, 2023, Portugal became officially part of the International Association of Ports of the Macaronesia Islands. The Association promotes the Atlantic cruise route under the brand “Cruise in the Atlantic Islands” (CAI) that represents a market of around 3 million passengers.
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