Macaronesia is the collective name for several groups of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean near Europe and North Africa: Azores (Portugal), Canary Islands (Spain), Cape Verde (Cape Verde), Madeira, including Desertas Islands (Portugal), Savage Islands (Portugal). The name Macronesia comes from the Greek for "fortunate islands", a term used by Ancient Greek geographers for islands to the west of the Straits of Gibraltar. The islands of Macaronesia are volcanic in origin, and are thought to be the product of several geologic hotspots.