Travel-Island.com - Interesting Madeira Island

<body> <h2>Madeira Island travel report and photos - Travelogue and pictures of Madeira. Interesting facts about Madeira Island - Azores, Atlantic Ocean.</h2> <p>Madeira is a popular year-round resort, famed worldwide for their Madeira wine, New Years' Eve celebrations with a spectacular fireworks show, a perfect climate, striking scenery, embroidery artisans and its flowers.<br> <br> Madeira, known originally to the Romans as the Purple Islands, was rediscovered (accidentally[citation needed]) by Portuguese sailors and settled by Portugal in 1418. It is currently an autonomous region. Madeira and Porto Santo are the only inhabited islands.<br> <br> These islands are a Portuguese autonomous archipelago in the north Atlantic Ocean that lies between 32°22.3'N 16°16.5'W and 33°7.8'N 17°16.65'W.<br> <br> Funchal, the capital of Madeira Island, is on the south coast of the principal island, in 32°37.75'N 16°55.3'W. Other main cities are: Porto Santo also known as Vila Baleira, Ribeira Brava, Machico, Câmara de Lobos, Santa Cruz, and Caniço.<br> <br> 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.<br> <br> 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).<br> <br> 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.<br> <br> 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.<br> <br> 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. With its mild humidity, the <a href="http://www.travel-island.com/weather/forecast.php?config=&config=&forecast=pass&pass=tafINT">weather</a> 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. The islands are of volcanic origin.<br> <br> Madeira's capital with more than 5 centuries, is said to have been named 'Funchal' because of the abundance of fennel (funcho) that was growing there.<br> <br> Today Funchal is a modern city with over 120,000 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.<br> <br> The harbour and climate combined with an excellent geographical position allowed Funchal to have a rapid population growth.<br> <br> 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.</p> </body>