Azores Officially Colonized by Portugal

1432

Goncalo Velho Cabral led the first permanent settlers to the Azores archipelago, nine volcanic islands scattered across a thousand miles of the mid-Atlantic. Sugar, wheat, and woad dye were planted in the rich volcanic soil; cattle were released to graze the green slopes. The Azores became Portugal's essential mid-ocean waystation and the last possible landfall for westbound caravels setting sail into unknown waters toward whatever lay beyond.