Macaronesia
Macaronesia is a modern invented collective name for several groups of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean near Europe and North Africa. The name comes from the Greek for "blessed islands", a term used by ancient geographers for islands to the west of the Straits of Gibraltar.Though Iceland forms a volcanic island astride the mid-Atlantic ridge, it is not considered part of Macaronesia.
These isolated islands have a unique biogeography. Much of their endemic biota is seriously endangered or extinct.
Macaronesia consists of five archipelagos:
- Azores, (Portugal)
- Canaries, (Spain)
- Cape Verde, (Republic of Cape Verde)
- Madeira, (Portugal)
- Savage Isles (Ilhas Selvagens), (Portugal). The Ilhas Selvagens lie between Madeira and the Canaries.