Faial island, part of The Triangle The Azores, and is separated from Pico Island by a narrow arm of the sea with 8.3 km (4.5 nautical miles) wide.
The island has the approximate shape of an irregular pentagon, with 21 km long east-west direction and a maximum width of 14 km, which corresponds to an area of 172.43 km². The resident population is 15,063 inhabitants (2001), most of which in Horta city where is the Azorean Parliament and headquarters of the only county of the island.
The climate is temperate oceanic, with annual average temperatures ranging between 13 ° C in winter and 22 ° C in summer, with frequent gales and a relative air humidity on average above 79%.
The island is served by Horta Airport, with regular air connections to other islands and to the outside of the archipelago. The Horta Port was an important warehouse in maritime and air connections (seaplanes) and cable submarine in the North Atlantic, maintaining a relevant activity as a commercial port and local scale yachts in crossings between the Americas and Europe.
The island is known locally as Blue Island, a name which was popularized from the description of Raul Brandão in "Unknown Islands".