The island of Madeira, located in the Atlantic Ocean, is part of Portugal and is about 1000 km west of Lisbon. The island is an important tourist destination due to its pleasant climate, beautiful scenery and abundance of flowers and plants.
Madeira, the largest island of the archipelago of the same name, is of volcanic origin. In fact, it is the top of an underwater volcano rising 6 km above the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and is part of the underwater mountain chain Tore. The orogenesis of the archipelago began about 115 million years ago, and the island of Madeira formed about 5 million years ago. The eruptions, which continued throughout the island’s history and paused 6,500 years ago, effectively shaped the area of Madeira.
History
The archipelago was discovered by the Phoenicians in the first millennium BC, Later the islands were mentioned in the works of the ancient Roman scholar Pliny the Elder and the ancient Greek philosopher Plutarch. The former called them Purple Islands, the latter called them Forest Islands. Until the XV century the Madeira Islands remained completely uninhabited.
In 1418 Henry the Navigator – the famous Portuguese colonizer, missionary and crusader sent an expedition to the east coast of Africa. Two ships of the squadron during a storm was nailed to the island, which the sailors in gratitude for salvation from death called Porto Santo, or Sacred Cove.
A year later, in 1419, the Portuguese purposefully returned to the islands and settled them, declaring them the property of the Portuguese kingdom. The duties of governor were performed by a captain-major appointed by the king.
The first settlers were a few poor families and a group of convicts. To build houses, they had to cut down much of the forests – laurisilva – and build “levadas” – canals – because there was little fresh water on the island. The settlers’ main diet consisted of fish, vegetables and fruits. But the first wheat harvest exceeded all expectations. Soon the islanders even began to sell wheat to the mainland, Portugal.
In 1433 the archipelago first appeared on maps under its final name: Madeira. Over time, it acquired an important geopolitical role. Caravels bound for the African coast began to appear in Madeira’s port.
In the middle of the XV century, the greatly increased population of the archipelago cut down the subtropical forests, wheat was replaced by sugar cane and later by Sicilian sugar beets, which proved to be a more profitable commodity. The local climate favored unprecedented yields of these crops. From the XVII century they had to give way to a new commodity, which became the main export of the islands here began to produce madera.
The grapes for this special type of strong amber-colored wine were planted in 1421. The combination of climate and volcanic soil had the most favorable effect on the quality of grapes and wine. In the 17th and 18th centuries, madera became the most common of the fine wines in the colonies of the Western Hemisphere.
During the Napoleonic Wars of 1803-1815, the British carried out the so-called “friendly occupation” of Madeira, which ended in 1814 when the islands were returned to Portugal. During the occupation, the British contributed a lot to the popularization of Madeira all over the world.
In the early XX century, the Germans made an attempt to “quiet colonize” Madeira: under the pretext of building a hospital, they began to import weapons and ammunition to the islands. The islanders managed to avert the threat. The Germans left the island, but returned during World War I: German submarines torpedoed and shelled the port of Funchal, the capital of Madeira, and sank British ships. During World War II, the islands sheltered several thousand refugees from British Gibraltar.
In 1976, following the democratic revolution in Portugal, Madeira was granted political autonomy, and since then the islands have had their own government and legislative assembly.
Nature
Flowers abound here. Orchids, bougainvilleas, lilies, hydrangeas, magnolias, azaleas, geraniums, poinsettias, cannas and wisteria grow on the islands all year round.
Up to a height of 300-600 meters, the surface of the islands is occupied by agricultural land. Above that there are laurel, oak, pine, chestnut and eucalyptus groves.
Due to the mild warm sea climate and frequent rainfall, the flora of Madeira is very diverse and even unique. There are many endemics here. The total number of plant species in Madeira is 1226. Relict tropical forests – laurisilva – are preserved in different places of the island; under their crown grow more than 60 endemics (primarily epiphytes). The forests themselves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Nature is protected on the island. Dozens of gardens and parks have been established here. The main of them – Botanical Garden – is located in the northern district of Funchal. In general, about 2/3 of the island of Madeira has the status of a protected area.
The fauna of the islands is represented mainly by birds and insects, there are no large wild mammals. The most typical bird, the symbol of laurisilva, is the endemic Madeira pigeon. There are also other native birds: the Madeira typhoon and the Madeira kingfisher.
75% of the total species composition of the fauna of Madeira are insects, and 20% of them are endemics, such as the endangered Madeiran cabbage moth and tarantula the size of a man’s palm, inhabiting the desert areas of the islands of Ilhas Desertas.
The inhabitants of coastal waters are similar to those of the Mediterranean, but there are also unique species: black sablefish, lizard fish and several species of turtles. Cetaceans and the monk seal, which the local population calls the “sea wolf”, are also not to be overlooked.
To protect the fauna, the regional government has established the Madeira Natural Park and three nature reserves: Garajão, the only marine reserve in Portugal, and Rocha do Navi and Ponta de São Lourenço.
The economy of the islands is represented by agriculture and tourism. Here is developed tropical agriculture cultivation of bananas, citrus fruits, sugar cane, as well as viticulture and winemaking.
The development of agriculture on the islands would be impossible without the simplest water supply system, “levadash” – troughs on the slopes of mountains, through which water is brought down to the plantations. This system, built several centuries ago, is one of Madeira’s tourist attractions. Its length exceeds 1400 kilometers.
Tourism remains the most important sector of the islands’ economy. Up to one million tourists come here every year. They spend 5-6 days here, exploring the islands, diving, sport fishing. Most tourists stay in Funchal, the capital and the main port of the island. The city was named in honor of fennel – an essential oil plant with the smell of mint, which grows here a lot.
The architecture of the island’s capital is in the classic old colonial style. The city’s sights are also mostly from the colonial period, such as the Gothic-style Catholic cathedral built in 1514.
General Information
- Autonomous region of the Portuguese Republic.
- Consists of two inhabited islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and two groups of small uninhabited islands, Ilhas Desertas and Selvagens.
- Origin: volcanic.
- Location: North Atlantic Ocean.
- Remoteness: 1000 km southwest of Portugal, 500 km west of Africa.
- Date of political independence: September 4, 1976 (from Portugal).
- Form of government: president, government and legislative assembly.
- Administrative center: Funchal (Madeira Island) – 111,892 inhabitants (2011).
- Administrative division: 10 municipalities.
- Language: Portuguese.
- Ethnicity: Portuguese.
- Religion: Catholicism.
- Currency: euro
- Major population centers: Câmara di Lobos, Mascico.
- Main rivers: Ribeira da Metade, Faia da Nogueira, Sidrao, São Vicente.
- Port: Funchal.
- The most important airport: Funchal Madeira International Airport.
- Total area: 801 km2.
- Area of individual islands: Madeira – 740.7 km2, Porto Santo – 42.5 km2, Ilhas Desertas – 14.2 km2, Selvagens – 3.6 km2.
- Dimensions of Madeira Island: length – 55 km, width – 22 km.
- Population: 267,302 (2011).
- Population density: 333.7 people/km2.
- Highest point: Mount Piku Ruivu (1862 m).
- Coastline length: 150 km.
Economy
- GDP (PPP): €6.361 billion (2008).
- Industry: food (winemaking, sugar), construction (including building materials), cottage industries.
- Agriculture: plant growing (viticulture, technical crops (sugar cane, sugar beet), bananas, mangoes, floriculture); cattle breeding (cattle breeding, sheep breeding, goat breeding).
- Fishing (tuna and swordfish).
- Services: tourism, transportation, financial (special economic zone).
Climate and weather
- Subtropical Mediterranean.
- Average temperature in January: +16°C.
- Average temperature in July: +22°C.
- Average water temperature: +18 – +22°C.
- Average annual precipitation: about 650 mm (Funchal).
- Relative humidity: 60-65%.
Attractions
- Cult buildings: Cathedral (Funchal, 1514), Church of Our Lady (Mashiku, XV c.);
- Statue of the Sacred Heart of Christ (Canisal, early 20th century);
- Museums: of ecclesiastical art. Christopher Columbus House Museum (Porto Santo Island), modern art, natural history, Madera Wine Museum, ethnographic;
- Madeira Natural Park;
- Gardens: Botanical, Quinta das Cruzis, Quinta Magnolia, Paleiro, Monti Palace, Quinta da Boa Vista, Orchid, Imperial, Municipal, Panoramic, Santa Luzia, Rosarium Quinta do Arco;
- Parks: Santa Catarina, Monti, Funchal Ecological Park, Ribeiro Frio Forest Park, Keimadas Forest Park; Laurisilva Relict Forest;
- Valley of 25 Fountains;
- Caves (Grutas, São Vicenti);
- Natural volcanic basins (Porto Moniz);
- Madeira Aquarium (Porto Moniz, XVIII c.);
- Waterfalls (Poldassera);
- Madeira Regional Parliament (“Assembly”) (Funchal, 16th century);
- Customs House (Funchal. XVI c.);
- Fortress-Palace of St. Lawrence (Funchal, XVI c.);
- Forts do Picu and Santiago (Funchal. XVII-XVIII cc.);
- Triangular houses with thatched roofs (Câmara di Lobos, Ponta do Sol, São Vicenti, Santana);
- Mercado dos Lavradores market.
Fun Facts
- There are about 20 microclimates in the Madeira Islands.
- Visitors to the islands are not advised to yawn and stretch in public places, question the historical greatness of Portugal and compare the Portuguese to the Spanish.
- On New Year’s Eve, Madeira hosts a grand fireworks display, considered one of the most spectacular in the world. In 2007, the pyrotechnic show even made it into the Guinness Book of Records.
- Since 1850, the traditional transportation of Funchal has been wooden toboggans or “carro de sesto”, which means “wicker basket”. They move by sliding down a 2-kilometer-long street winding down the mountainside. The sled is pushed by two men wearing boots with thick rubber soles. In his time E. Hemingway called this descent “intoxicating”, and although the speed of the sled is not high, only 16 km/h, but the instability of toboggan on the turns and the race against the clock make this entertainment extreme. The time of descent is 10 minutes. This transport first appeared in Funchal to transport firewood, but later, on the advice of British holidaymakers, it became an attraction.
