Key facts
- Etymology
- Portuguese for peak
- Location
- Atlantic Ocean
- Archipelago
- Azores
- Area
- 444.97 km (171.80 sq mi)
- Area rank
- 3rd largest island in Portugal
- Coastline
- 151.84 km (94.349 mi)
- Highest elevation
- 2,351 m (7713 ft)
- Highest point
- Mount Pico
- Autonomous region
- Azores
- Municipalities
- Lajes do Pico Madalena São Roque do Pico
- Demonym
- Picoense , Picaroto
- Population
- 13,883 (2021)
- Pop density
Article
Pico Island (Ilha do Pico, Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈiʎɐ ðu ˈpiku]) is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores. The landscape features an eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In the tradition of the Portuguese poet, Raul Brandão, Pico is referred to as the Ilha Preta ("Black Island"), for its black volcanic soils, which nourish its UNESCO-designated vineyards that once allowed the development of the island's economy. Pico is the second largest and, geologically speaking, the most recently formed island of the Azores, being around 300,000 years old.
History