HORTA

horta, the capital of an administrative district comprising the islands of pico, fayal, flores and corvo, in the portuguese archipelago of the azores. pop. (1900) 6574. horta is a seaport on the south-east coast of fayal. it is defended by two castles and a wall, but these fortifications are obsolete. the harbour, a bay 2 m. long and nearly 1 m. broad, affords good anchorage in 5 to 20 fathoms of water, but is dangerous in south-westerly and south-easterly winds. it is the headquarters of profitable whale, tunny, bonito and mullet fisheries. its exports include sperm-oil, fruit, wine and grain. between 1897 and 1904 the port annually accommodated about 140 vessels of 220,000 tons, mostly of british or portuguese nationality.