Flores Island

Flores Island is an island of the Western group of the Azores. It has an area of 143 km², a population of approximately 3907 inhabitants, and, together with Corvo Island of the western archipelago, lies within the North American Plate. The nearby Monchique Islet is the westernmost point of Portugal. It has been referred to as the Ilha Amarelo Torrado by marketing and due to the association with poet Raul Brandão, but it is well known for its abundance of flowers, hence its Portuguese name of Flores.HistorySome early accounts existed of the " islands of the Azores and two islands of Flores", but no "official discovery" occurred until the mid-15th century. The island of Flores was discovered in the late summer of 1452 by the navigator Diogo de Teive and his son João de Teive, and first noted by the pilot Pêro Velasco to Christopher Columbus during his voyages. For his reward, Teive received the concession of the sugar monopoly on Madeira.The earlier names of the island were São Tomás and Santa Iria . The island's charter passed to Fernão Telles de Meneses when little was accomplished in populating the islands, except for disembarking some sheep . The death of Fernão Telles was to initiate exploration and settlement on the island, as his widow would contract the Flemish nobleman Willem van der Haegen to explore Flores and Corvo.