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Madeira, known originally to the Romans as the Purple Islands, was rediscovered, possibly accidentally, by Portuguese sailors and settled by Portugal as early as 1418 or as late as 1420. The archipelago is considered to be the first discovery of the exploratory period initiated by Henry the Navigator of Portugal. It is a popular year-round resort, famed worldwide for its Madeira wine, a perfect climate, striking scenery, flowers, embroidery artisans, and New Year's Eve celebrations with a spectacular fireworks show, recently considered the biggest fireworks show in the world, by the Guinness World Records.
Geography and climateImage:Botanical garden madeira hg.jpg Botanic Garden in Funchal The Autonomous Region of Madeira is composed of Madeira Island, Porto Santo Island, Desertas Islands and Savage Islands. Funchal, the capital of Madeira Island, is on the south coast of the principal island, in . Other main cities are: Porto Santo Town also known as Vila Baleira, Ribeira Brava, Machico, Câmara de Lobos, Santa Cruz and Santana.
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), from which many deep ravines radiate outward to the coast. The highest point on the island is Pico Ruivo, at 1862 meters (6107 feet)[1]. 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 the valleys 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 °C (72 °F) in the summer and about 16 °C (61 °F) during the winter [2]. With its mild humidity, the weather of the island is classified as subtropical. Influenced by the Gulf Stream, sea water temperature is 22 °C during the summer and 16 °C in the winter. Geologic origin and volcanism
Madeira Island is the top of a massive shield volcano that rises about 6 km from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. The volcano formed atop an east-west rift in the oceanic crust. Construction of the bulk of the volcano began during the Miocene Epoch over 5 million years ago and continued into the Pleistocene until about 700,000 years ago. This was followed by extensive erosion, producing two large amphitheaters open to south in the central part of the island. Volcanic activity later resumed, producing scoria cones and lava flows atop the older eroded shield. The most recent volcanic eruptions were on the west-central part of the island only 6,500 years ago, creating more cinder cones and lava flows. MunicipalitiesImage:Funchal.jpg Funchal by night Just like the districts of mainland Portugal, Madeira is also further subdivided into 11 municipalities:
Capital cityToday Funchal is a modern city with about 140,000 inhabitants. Funchal is located in a unique area; the natural geological features form an "amphitheatre" surrounding the city, which begins at the harbour and rises almost 1200 metres high on gentle slopes. This provides a natural shelter and was what attracted the first settlers. Madeira's capital for more than five centuries, Funchal is said to have been named as such because of the abundance of fennel (funcho - in Portuguese) that was growing there. The harbour and climate combined with an excellent geographical position allowed Funchal to have a rapid population growth. Probably the most central point is the Sé Cathedral. Built between 1493 and 1514 by Pêro Annes in Manueline style it represents one of Madeira's numerous treasures. Culture and peopleImage:AIDAblu-Madeira.jpg The busy Funchal`s port
The islands are noted as the source of Madeira wine. The islands are also known for its flowers, sub-tropical fruits and New Year's Eve celebrations with a spectacular fireworks show, considered the biggest in the world. Traditional pastries in Madeira usually contain local ingredients, one of the most common being mel de cana, literally sugarcane honey - molasses. The traditional cake of Madeira is called 'Bolo de mel', which translates as (Sugarcane)'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 around 250,000 inhabitants (1991) in the two main islands, while 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. BiodiversityMadeira has three endemic birds: Zino's Petrel, Trocaz pigeon and Madeira Firecrest. It is also of importance for other breeding seabirds, including Madeiran Storm-petrel, North Atlantic Little Shearwater and Cory's Shearwater. The Macaronesia region harbours an important floristic diversity. In fact, their forests composition and antiquity are quite similar to the one found in the Tertiary period that has covered the Southern Europe and Northern Africa millions of years ago. The great biodiversity of Madeira is phytogeographically linked to Mediterranean region, Africa, America and Australia, and its phytogeographical interest has been increasing in recent years due to the discovery of some bryophyte epiphytic species with disjunctive distribution. HistoryIt has been conjectured, but on insufficient evidence, that the Phoenicians discovered Madeira at a very early period.[citation needed] Pliny mentions certain Purple 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, "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 tale about two lovers, Robert Machim and Anna d'Arfet in time of the King Edward III of England, 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 before that date by Portuguese vessels under Genoese captains. 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 wood") appears in a map, by the first time, in a document. The three captain-donees had led, in the first trip, the respective families, a small group of people of the minor nobility, people of modest conditions and some old prisoners of the kingdom. To gain the minimum conditions for the development of agriculture, he had to rough-hew a part of the dense forest of laurisilva and to construct a great number of canal (levadas), since in some parts of the island he had water in excess while in other parts this became scarce. In the earliest times, fish constituted the main one half of subsistence of the settlers as well as the vegetable-fruit products. The first local agricultural activity with great relief was the raising of wheat. Initially, the colonist produced wheat for his own subsistence but, later, this started to be a product of exportation for the kingdom of Portugal. However, inexplicably, the grain production began to fall. To get past the new crisis Henry decided to order the planting in the island of Sugarcane - rare in Europe and, therefore, considered a spice - promoting, for this, the introduction of Sicilian beats as the first specialized plant and the technology of its agriculture. The sugar production attracted to the island Jewish, Genoese and Portuguese traders. The culture of the sugarcane was par excellence a leading factor of the island's economy. The production of sugar grew in such a way that there was a great need of man power. The culture of the sugarcane and the industry of the sugar production would develop until the 17th century, following it industry of the transformation - upright prop - making the extraction of the juice for, later, to come to become annealing of meles as then it was called to the phase of the refinement. From 17th century the most important product of the Madeira exploration, will be the wine, since the culture of the sugarcane was, however, stimulated in Brazil and São Tomé and Principe. 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 July 1 1976, following the democratic revolution of 1974, Portugal granted political autonomy to Madeira. The region has now its own government and legislative assembly. EconomyImage:Casino funchal hg.jpg Madeira`s Casino, Funchal Image:Funchal ( Portugal )06.jpg Madeira`s port The setting-up of the Free Industrial Zone has led to the installation, under more favourable conditions, of infrastructures, production shops and essential services for small and medium-sized industrial enterprises. The Free Zone of Madeira, also called the Madeira International Business Centre, being a tax-privileged economic area, provides an incentive for companies, offering them financial and tax advantages via a whole range of activities exercised in the Industrial Free Zone, the Off-Shore Financial Centre, the International Shipping Register organisation, and the International Service Centre. The services sector makes the largest contribution to the formation of the regional gross value added as opposed to the agricultural sector, for which the share has continuously declined in the regional economy. Over the last few years, the regional economy has managed to open up and establish more internal and external competitiveness, so that its companies have become internationalised. The largest industries are associated with the activities of food, beverages (and especially Madeira wine) and construction. Tourism, one of the main activitiesTourism is an important sector in the region's economy since it contributes 20% to the region's GDP, providing support throughout the year for commercial, transport and other activities and constituting a significant market for local products. The share in Gross Value Added of hotels and restaurants (9%) also highlights this phenomenon. The island of Porto Santo, with its 9 km long beach and its climate, is totally devoted to tourism. Over the past decade it has recorded a substantial increase in its hotel accommodation capacity. The Madeira has considerable potential since the necessary infrastructure has been established and adequate investment incentives introduced for expanding its hotel and catering structure in a controlled manner, without disturbing the socio-economic and environmental balance, and without neglecting the conservation of its nature, which is one of tourists' main reasons for visiting Madeira. Visitors are from the European Union, with Germany, United Kingdom, Scandinavia and Portuguese tourists providing the main contingents. The average annual occupancy rate was 57.4% in 2001, reaching its maximum in March and April, when it exceeds 70%. Levadas
TransportImage:Flughafen Madeira 1.jpg New impressive international airport of Madeira The Islands have two airports, one in Santa Cruz (known as Funchal Airport (FNC)) 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 and Porto, but there are also direct flights from other major European cities and other countries, like Brazil, Venezuela and South Africa. Funchal airport was infamous for its runway built on a high embankment, falling away abruptly to the sea and with difficult upwinds causing to uplift the aircraft when landing. It was a short runway, but now has been extended to support Boeing 747-400 (one of the biggest airliners today). The largest airliners to use the airport were the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. Recently the runway has been realigned and extended to 2.7km, allowing almost any modern airliner to visit the island. European Union citizens of the Schengen Treaty area can enter the islands freely, while those from other regions need identification. Transport 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 and there is also a good transportation network. Postage stampsIn 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. Famous peopleThe following people were either born or have lived part of their lives in Madeira:
Islands and main IsletsMadeira Islands
Desertas Islands (Madeira)Selvagem Islands (Madeira)Also known as the Dry Salvages.
See also
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