Occupying a unique position in the very centre of the Azores group, São Jorge is the long thin cigar-shaped island that completes the district of Angra do Heroísmo, though closer in fact to the island of Pico (11 miles away) than to Terceira (23 miles). A range of high volcanic peaks forms the backbone of São Jorge, offering a magnificent view of the entire central group of islands. The highest point of the island is Pico da Esperanca (3,450 ft). The coasts are mainly precipitous, some of the cliffs rising over 1,500 ft from the sea. Unlike the other islands in the group, there are no deep calderas here.
Utterly different from Graciosa’s gentle landscape, São Jorge is very nearly as fertile. It’s an island of hill pastures and cattle grazing on rich green meadows, dairy produce being the mainstay of the local economy. Indeed, agriculture is virtually the only source of income for the 11,000 islanders, which is the principal cause of continuing emigration. São Jorge presently comes second in the depopulation stakes, behind only Santa Maria. Every town and village has a splendid green backcloth against which to display the quaint charm of its churches and cottages, with dense vegetation covering all but the tallest peaks. Despite obvious problems of location in such mountainous terrain, São Jorge has opened an airport just a few years ago to attract more visitors.
