Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal Jun. 19, 2025

Not far from São Miguel Island in the Azores archipelago of Portugal, you"ll find Vila Franca Islet. This uninhabited green islet sits quietly just south of the town of Vila Franca do Campo. Beneath its serene surface, this gem holds a lively past. First documented in 1537, around the time when settlers from São Miguel began expanding westward, Vila Franca Islet has played many roles throughout its history. It has served as a military fort, a port, a vineyard site and even a lookout for whale-watching.

© ARoxo/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

The mystery of Stonehenge
Angry bird, doting dad
Jun. 19, 2024Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya

More Desktop Wallpapers:

When being in a rut is OK
Dec. 15, 2024Lake Misurina, Dolomites, Italy
Where we go to play
Jan. 14, 2025Village of Zahara de la Sierra, Cadiz, Spain
Oct. 2, 2025Oxbow Bend on the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, United States
Mar. 20, 2026Spring equinox
Mar. 2, 2025Megalong Valley, Blue Mountains National Park, NSW, Australia
Oct. 19, 2025Apples ready for harvest, Minnesota, United States
Oct. 9, 2025Space Week isnt over yet!
Dec. 17, 2023Bohemian waxwings
Apr. 21, 2024Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA
Sep. 30, 2025Koala in the Great Otway National Park, Australia
Like a waterfall, free and wild
Jan. 4, 2024Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
Jun. 12, 2025Big Bend National Park, Texas, United States
Sep. 7, 2024Annas hummingbird
The road less taken?
Jun. 9, 2025Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia
Connecting the dots
Mar. 15, 2025Pacific Rim Whale Festival
Feb. 11, 2026Death Valley National Park, California, United States
Gateway to Iberia
Mar. 25, 2024Happy Holi!
Apr. 11, 2025Tulips, Netherlands
Mar. 19, 2025A black heron canopy hunting in Botswana
Feb. 7, 2024St. James Tidal Pool, Cape Town, South Africa
Feb. 27, 2026International Polar Bear Day
You can take a refreshing dip here any day of the year
Jan. 7, 2025Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand
So fresh, so clean