Terceira Island

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Terceira Island

island, Portugal

Also known as: Ilha Terceira

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Portuguese:: Ilha Terceira

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Terceira Island, island, part of the Azores archipelago of Portugal, in the North Atlantic Ocean. It occupies an area of 153 square miles (397 square km).

Terceira (The Third) was so called because it was the third island in the Azores to be discovered by the Portuguese. The chief town and port is Angra do Heroísmo, which was formerly capital of the Azores. Its town centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. The only other town of importance is Praia da Vitória, with a breakwater-protected bay, which handles supplies for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) air base at Lajes on the northeast coast of the island. Terceira’s economy is basically agricultural, supplemented by a growing tourist trade.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher.