Madeira

The Madeira Islands, known originally to the Romans as the Purple Islands, were rediscovered (accidentally) by Portuguese sailors and settled by Portugal in 1418. It is currently an autonomous region.

Positioned in the Atlantic Ocean, about 360 miles directly west of Morocco, Africa, and 540 miles southwest of Lisbon, Portugal. Madeira and Porto Santo are the only inhabited islands.

These islands are a popular year-round resort, famed worldwide for their Madeira wine, embroidery artisans, a perfect climate, striking scenery and beautiful flowers.

Madeira`s Capital (Funchal)

Madeira's almost five-century-old capital is said to have been named 'Funchal' because of the abundance of fennel (funcho) that was growing there.

Funchal is located in a unique area. The amphitheatre of Funchal city begins at the harbour and rises almost 1200 metres high on gentle slopes. This provides a natural shelter and was what once attracted the first settlers.

The harbour and climate combined with an excellent geographical position allowed Funchal to have a rapid population growth.

Today Funchal is a very modern city with over 104,000 inhabitants. This does however mean that traffic congestion in the centre can become sometimes quite stressful. The city can easily be explored by foot and no matter where your hotel is located (as long as it is in the Funchal tourist area) you will find no difficulty in walking into the city centre to delight at its sights and sounds.

Probably the most central point is the Sé Cathedral. Built between 1493 and 1514 by Gil Eanes it represents one of Madeira's numerous treasures.

Geography and climate

Funchal, the capital of Madeira Island, is on the south coast of the principal island, in 32°37.75′N 16°55.3′W / 32.62917°N 16.9217°W / 32.62917; -16.9217. Among Madeira's main cities are: Funchal, Porto Santo also known as Vila Baleira, Ribeira Brava, Machico, Câmara de Lobos, Santa Cruz, and Calheta.

The archipelago lies about 360 miles from the coast of Africa, 535 miles from Lisbon, 240 from Tenerife, and 480 from Santa Maria, the nearest of the Azores.

Madeira Island is the largest island of the group with 741 km², has a length of 30 geographical miles (57 km), an extreme breadth of 13 miles (22 km), and a coastline of 80 or 90 miles. Its longer axis lies east and west, in which direction it is traversed by a mountain chain, the backbone of the island, having a mean altitude of 4000 feet (1220 metres), up to which many deep ravines penetrate from both coasts.

On the south there is very little left of the indigenous laurisilva forest which once clothed the whole island (until the original settlers decided to clear the land for farming by setting most of the island on fire) and gave it the name it bears (Madeira means "wood" in Portuguese), but on the north some of the valleys still contain native trees of fine growth. These laurisilva forests, notably the forests on the northern slopes of Madeira Island, are designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

A long narrow and comparatively low rocky promontory forms the eastern extremity of the island, and here there is to be seen a tract of calcareous sand, known as the Fossil Bed, containing land shells and numerous bodies resembling the roots of trees, probably produced by infiltration.

Its geographical position and mountainous landscape permit a very pleasing climate. Temperatures are about 22 degrees Celsius in the summer and circa 16 degrees Celsius during the winter. With its mild humidity, the weather of the Island is classified as subtropical. Influenced by the Gulf Stream, sea water temperature is 22 degrees Celsius during the summer and 16 in the winter. The islands are of volcanic origin.

Culture and people

The islands are noted as the source of Madeira wine. The islands are also known by the flowers and sub-tropical fruits.

The traditional cake of Madeira is called 'Bolo de mel' which translates as 'Honey Cake' and according to custom is never cut with a knife but broken into pieces by hand. It is a rich and heavy cake.

Visitors to the island will see plentiful examples of handicraft on sale in shops.

There are circa 250,000 inhabitants (1991) in the two main islands, only 4,800 live on Porto Santo Island. The population density is 337 inhabitants per square kilometre in Madeira and 112 in Porto Santo. Most of the early settlers were from the Portuguese regions of the Algarve and Minho. The islands have historical monuments, streets and plazas (praças) with many gardens and typical small towns.

History

It has been conjectured, but on insufficient evidence, that the Phoenicians discovered Madeira at a very early period. Pliny mentions certain Purple or Mauretanian Islands, the position of which with reference to the Fortunate Islands or Canaries might seem to indicate Madeira islands. Plutarch (Sertorius, 75 AD) referring to the military commander Quintus Sertorius (d. 72 BC), relates that after his return to Cadiz following a military reverse in Mauretania, "he met seamen recently arrived from Atlantic islands, two in number, divided from one another only by a narrow channel and distant from the coast of Africa 10,000 furlongs. They are called Isles of the Blest." The estimated distance from Africa, and the closeness of the two islands, seem to indicate Madeira and Porto Santo.

There is a romantic story, of doubtful truth, to the effect that two lovers, Robert Machim and Anna d'Arfet, fleeing from England to France in 1346, were driven off their course by a violent storm, and cast on the coast of Madeira at the place subsequently named Machico, in memory of one of them. On the evidence of a portolan dated 1351, preserved at Florence, Italy, it would appear that Madeira had been discovered long previous to that date by Portuguese vessels under Genoese captains.

The northern coast of Madeira in Santana

In 1419 two of the captains of Prince Henry the Navigator, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, were driven by a storm to the island called by them Porto Santo, or Holy Port, in gratitude for their rescue from shipwreck. The next year an expedition was sent to populate the island, and, Madeira being described, they made for it, and took possession on behalf of the Portuguese crown.

The islands started to be settled circa 1432 or 1433. In September 23, 1433, the name ILHA DA MADEIRA (Madeira Island or "island of the forest") appears in a map, by the first time, in a document.

In 1921, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Charles I was deported to Madeira, after an unsuccessful coup d'état. He died there one year later.

In 1976, following the democratic revolution of 1974, Portugal granted autonomy to Madeira.

Levadas

The island of Madeira is wet in the northwest but dry in the southeast. In the 16th century the Portuguese started building levadas (aqueducts) to carry water to the agricultural regions. There are over 1350 miles of levadas including 25 miles of tunnels and they provide a remarkable network of walking paths.

Two of the best most popular levadas to hike are the Levada do Caldeiro Verde and the Levada Caldeirao do Inferno which should not be attempted by hikers prone to vertigo or without torches and helmets. The Levada do Canical is a much easier walk, running 7.1 miles from Maroços to the Canical Tunnel. It is known as the mimosa levada because mimosa trees are found all along the route.

Postage stamps

In 1868, Portugal issued postage stamps for Madeira, consisting of the current stamps of Portugal overprinted "MADEIRA". This continued until 1928, when a series for Madeira was issued; but this was the last to be produced until 1980 (stamps of Portugal having been valid in Madeira since 1898), when Portugal began issuing stamps inscribed "Portugal Madeira" that were valid in both Madeira and Continental Portugal, similar to those issued for the Azores.

Transportation

The Islands have two airports, one in Santa Cruz on the Island of Madeira and the other in the city of Vila Baleira on Porto Santo Island. Flights to the islands are mostly made from Lisbon, but there are also direct flights from other major European cities. European Union citizens of the Schengen Treaty area can enter the islands freely, while those from other regions need identification. Transportation between the two main islands is done by plane or by ferries which allow for the transportation of vehicles. Visiting the interior of these islands is now very easy, due to large developments on the islands during Portugal's economic boom. There are modern roads, reaching all points of interest on the islands, there's also a good transportation network.

Islands and main Islets

Madeira Island
Porto Santo Island
Deserta Grande Island
Selvagem Grande Island (Savage Islands)
Bugio Island
Selvagem Pequena Island (Savage Islands)
Selvagens' Fora Islet
Desertas' Chão Islet