Macaronesia

Archipelagos in the North Atlantic Ocean

Macaronesia (Portuguese: Macaronésia; Spanish: Macaronesia) is a collection of four volcanic archipelagos in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of North Africa and Europe. Each archipelago is made up of a number of Atlantic oceanic islands, which were formed by seamounts on the ocean floor whose peaks have risen above the ocean's surface. Each of the archipelagos is a distinct political entity: the Azores and Madeira are autonomous regions of Portugal, the Canary Islands is an autonomous community of Spain, while Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony, is a sovereign state and member of the United Nations.

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