Graciosa Island, also known as White Island, belongs to the Central Group of the Archipelago of the Azores. The island has an area of 60,84 km² in an oval form. It has a length of 10 km and a width of 7 km.
The landscape of Graciosa (meaning Gracious) mixes the green of the trees with the white of the villages and isolated houses. It has fertile fields that produce cereals, fruit, wine, and cattle.
The "formerones" of Graciosa is a rocky formation of great dimensions located near the Vila de Santa Cruz, with a configuration that resembles a whale.
Of volcanic origin, Graciosa Island has a very pronounced relief in the south, where Cadeira peak reaches 402 meters. It has rare furmas of sulphur. This is pratically a unique phenomenom in the whole world.
Municipalities
Graciosa has only one municipality, Santa Cruz da Graciosa with almost 4,780 inhabitants (2001 census).
The discovery
Graciosa Island was discovered in May, 2nd 1450 Its first settler was from Montemor-o-Velho and his name was Vasco Gil Sodré. He came from Terceira Island and settled forever on Graciosa with his family.
External links
Câmara Municipal da Graciosa (http://www.cm-graciosa.pt/)(in Portuguese)
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