Since its discovery in the early 15th century, the Portuguese Azores have played an important part in oceanic navigation. The Azores were a logistical point for the discovery of new worlds, a port of call for ships engaged in trade between Europe, America and India, and a place to lay anchor for the galleons bringing the wealth of the Americas back to the old world. The Azores, located 900 miles from the coast of Portugal and 2,000 miles from America, became a bastion of Portuguese power protecting lines of communications to its newly discovered lands. The Azores became known as the gem in the Atlantic for ocean travelers. The advent of air flight did not diminish the great role of these islands in the twentieth century. Lajes Field on the island of Terceira became the air connection between the old and new worlds - a crossroad in the Atlantic. Lajes Field was a new port of call for weary air travelers and once again a bastion of power for the U.S. global military mission.
Main
phone numbers: 39-351-295-571-110 or DSN 535-1110 (from United
States) 312-545-1110 (from Europe)
