Millions of years ago, the Atlantic Ocean began to appear, in the process of separating the continents, opening from South to North and allowing the famous Atlantic dorsal ridge to emerge. The Azores were born from volcanic eruptions, linked to this evolution, which continues today. In the middle of the 15th century, before Columbus arrived in America and from the Azores, Corte-Real, Joao Fernandes, the farmer, Pedro de Barcelos and others, were there. Born Simao Fernandes in Terceira, participated, in the service of Sir Walter Raleigh, in 1587, in the attempt to install what became known as the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

Peter Francisco, hero of George Washington’s armies in the wars of independence, was also born on Terceira Island. Episodes of the American Civil War and the arming of the Confederate blockade runners also took place here, in Praia da Vitoria and in Angra. From those adventures until today, to which we can add the American presence at Lajes Air Base and the 1971 and 2003 summits, we can say that there are many reasons to be able to say that, in many ways, North America started here.