The eastern part of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre is found in the region between the Azores and the Cape Vede Islands. A study of the gyre structure in the area east of 35¿W between 8¿N and 41¿N is presented. The geostrophic flow field determined from historical temperature-salinity data sets by objective analysis indicates seasonal variations in shape but not significant changes in the magnitude of volume transports. The eastern part of the gyre has a larger east-west and smaller north-south extension in summer compared with the winter season. The center shifts by about 2¿ latitude to the south from winter to summer. Long-term temperature time series (6.5 years) from a mooring near the Azores are consistent with these results, showing always a consistent temperature increase at the beginning of the year which is apparently due to the displacement of the northeastern part of the gyre. A comparison between the mean flow fields and fields obtained from individual zonal sections indicates large deviations north and south of the gyre but small deviations within the gyre.