Velas. Port

The village of Velas, which we see on the screen, is located on the southern coast of the island of São Jorge. Near it, there is an airport, and for tourists and inhabitants of the Azores who prefer seaways to aviation, there is a large port in Velas, which you can see in the center of the screen. Porto de Velas was originally conceived as a sea gate to the island, but over time, the port became a fishing place and then a tourist destination.

The village was founded in the middle of the 15th century, when the Church of St. George was built here, by order of Heinrich the Navigator. After many years of French attacks, Velas finally got its own fort, Nossa Senhora do Pilar, to protect not only its territory, but the whole island.

Another Azores island is seen in the background of the image — Pico, with its homonymous mountain, the peak of which is the highest point in Portugal.