Terceira Island

Terceira
Native name:
Ilha da Terceira
Location of the island of Terceira in the archipelago of the Azores
Geography
LocationAtlantic Ocean
Coordinates38°43′40″N 27°12′48″W / 38.72778°N 27.21333°W / 38.72778; -27.21333
ArchipelagoAzores
Area400.28 km2 (154.55 sq mi)[1]
Coastline127.56 km (79.262 mi)[1]
Highest elevation1,021.2 m (3350.4 ft)[1]
Highest pointSerra de Santa Bárbara
Administration
Autonomous RegionAzores
Capital and largest cityAngra do Heroísmo (pop. 13,000)
Demographics
DemonymTerceirense
PopulationDecrease 53,244 (2021)[2]
LanguagesPortuguese
Ethnic groupsPortuguese
Additional information
Time zone

Terceira (Portuguese pronunciation: [tɨɾˈsɐjɾɐ]) is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago, about a third of the way across the North Atlantic Ocean at a similar latitude to Portugal's capital Lisbon, and the island group is an insular part of Portugal. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 53,311 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km².

Terceira is the location of the Azores' oldest city, Angra do Heroísmo, the historical capital of the archipelago and UNESCO World Heritage Site; the seat of the judicial system (Supreme Court); and the main insular Portuguese Air Force base, Base Aérea nº 4 at Lajes, with a United States Air Force detachment.

Terceira island has two main sea ports, one at Angra do Heroísmo and the other at Praia da Vitória, and a commercial airport integrated with the flight operations at Base Aérea nº 4. The Portuguese bullfight is popular on the island, coming in two variations: the traditional equestrian bullfight (in the ring) and the popular "touradas à corda" that occur in the streets.

  1. ^ a b c "Geografia Terceira". Azores Government. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  2. ^ "INE - Plataforma de divulgação dos Censos 2021 – Resultados Preliminares". censos.ine.pt. Retrieved 9 November 2021.