Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
244km²
Area
139km
Coastline
1,053m
Highest point
Pico da Esperança
8,373
People
23°C
Warmest sea
August
1,585km
To the mainland
When to go to São Jorge Island
Best for the beach from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (23 °C) and coolest in March (16 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from July to September.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island of the Azores, Portugal
São Jorge Island is an island in Portugal. It covers 244 km², with 139 km of coastline. Its highest point, Pico da Esperança, rises to 1,053 m. About 8,373 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 1,585 km away.
Getting there
- São Jorge Airport (SJZ)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at SJZ airport (Velas)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- Ferries3 ferry terminals on the island
- 1,585 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on São Jorge Island.
- 2beaches
- 38viewpointsMiradouro de Velas, Miradouro Fajã dos Cubres, Fajã do Ouvidor and 35 more
- 4lighthousesLighthouse of Ponta dos Rosais, Farol da Ponta do Topo, Farao and 1 more
- 3ferry terminalsCalheta, Velas, Velas Ferry Terminal
- 1marinasNúcleo de Recreio Náutico
- 4named peaksPico da Esperança, Pico Montoso, Morro Grande and 1 more
- 5volcanoesPico Morro Pelado, Pico das Caldeirinhas, Pico das Brenhas and 2 more
- 8waterfallsCascata do Poço das Airoses, Cruzal Waterfall and 6 more
- 5ruins and archaeological sitesForte da Ponta das Eiras ou Castelinho, Torre da Urzelina and 3 more
- 1dive centresSão Jorge Dive and Sail Center
- 13waymarked walking routesPRC05SJO Fajã de Além, PR09SJO Fajã dos Vimes - Fragueira - Portal, PR02SJO Serra do Topo - Fajã dos Vimes and 10 more
- 7campsitesParque de Campismo de Velas, Parque de Campismo da Urzelina, Parque de Campismo da Calheta and 4 more
- 26hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 51restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
São Jorge Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside São Jorge Island, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
13mountainsPeakyas
Highest point
1,053m
Pico da Esperança
prominence 1,053 m · according to Peakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
23.1°C
Calheta
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
13 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Pico da Esperançaprominence 1,053 m1,053m
- Morro Pelado1,019m
- Pico do Areeiro (São Jorge)958m
- Pico do Carvão (São Jorge)954m
- Urzelina767m
- Topo Volcanic Complex
- Pico da Barroca
- Pico das Urzes
5 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 422 m above the sea. 18 % of it is below 200 m.
- 5 %0–50 m
- 13 %50–200 m
- 45 %200–500 m
- 37 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Calheta3,773 people
- Velas1,980 people
- Ribeira Seca1,025 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 17 |
| Night low (°C) | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 |
| Sea (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
| Rain (mm) | 84 | 81 | 83 | 64 | 62 | 46 | 28 | 33 | 66 | 91 | 71 | 114 |
| Wet days | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 17 |
| Sun h/day | 3.5 | 4.6 | 5.8 | 7.1 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 9.6 | 9.3 | 7.6 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Wind (km/h) | 27 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 25 | 25 | 28 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.7 | +1.0 | +1.2 | +0.7 | +0.3 | −0.5 | +0.2 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | −0.2 | −0.3 |
| 2021 | −0.2 | −0.6 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | +0.1 | +0.8 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +1.2 | +1.3 | +0.7 |
| 2022 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.5 | −0.1 | +0.1 | −0.7 | +0.4 | +1.4 | +1.0 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | −0.1 |
| 2023 | −0.4 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.6 |
| 2024 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +1.4 | +1.6 | +1.6 | +2.2 | +1.5 | +1.4 | +1.4 | +1.5 |
| 2025 | +1.6 | +1.2 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +1.0 | +0.3 | +1.2 | +0.2 | +0.9 | +0.3 | ±0.0 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Pico Island
Portugal445 km²2,351 m34 km away
Terceira IslandPortugal400 km²1,022 m62 km away
Graciosa IslandPortugal61 km²402 m47 km away
Faial IslandPortugal173 km²1,043 m60 km away
São Miguel IslandPortugal745 km²1,103 m238 km away
Flores IslandPortugal141 km²914 m292 km away
Corvo IslandPortugal17 km²718 m292 km away
Santa Maria IslandPortugal97 km²587 m316 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q743362) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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