A group of volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, forming an autonomous region of Portugal.
From Portuguese Açores, meaning 'hawks' or 'goshawks', named by Portuguese explorers who mistakenly identified buzzards on the islands as hawks. The name reflects the islands' rich birdlife that impressed early visitors.
The Azores sit at the junction of three tectonic plates, making them a natural laboratory for studying volcanism and plate tectonics - the islands are literally growing from the ocean floor as new volcanic material is added each year.
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