Everything about Madeira Islands totally explained
Madeira (or [mɐˈdɐiʀɐ]) is a
Portuguese archipelago in the north
Atlantic Ocean that lies between and . It is one of the
Autonomous regions of Portugal, with
Madeira Island and
Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited
islands. Although it's part of the
African Plate, some 650 km (400 mi) off the coast of
Africa, it belongs politically and culturally to
Europe, some 860 km (535 mi) from the mainland.
Madeira, known originally to the
Romans as the
Purple Islands, was rediscovered, possibly accidentally, by
Portuguese sailors some time between 1418 and 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, noted for its
Madeira wine, flowers, and embroidery artisans, as well as its New Year's Eve celebrations that feature a spectacular
fireworks show, which is the largest in the
world according to the
Guinness World Records.
History
Pre-Portuguese times
Pliny mentions certain Purple Islands, the position of which with reference to the
Fortunate Islands, or
Canaries, may 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.
Portuguese discovery
In 1419 two captains of Prince
Henry the Navigator,
João Gonçalves Zarco and
Tristão Vaz Teixeira, were driven by a storm to the island they named
Porto Santo. They gave this name (meaning Holy Harbour) in gratitude for their rescue from shipwreck. The next year an expedition was sent to populate the island, in which the two captains, together with captain
Bartolomeu Perestrello, took possession of the islands on behalf of the Portuguese crown.
The islands started to be settled circa 1420 or 1425. 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-majors 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, they'd to rough-hew a part of the dense forest of
laurisilva and to construct a large number of canals (
levadas), since in some parts of the island, they'd water in excess while in other parts water was scarce. In the earliest times,
fish constituted about half of the settlers' diet, together with vegetables and fruit. The first local agricultural activity with some success was the raising of
wheat. Initially, the colonists produced wheat for their own sustenance, but later began to export wheat to Portugal.
The discoveries of Porto Santo and Madeira were first described by Gomes Eannes de
Azurara in
Chronica da Descoberta e Conquista da Guiné. (Eng. version by Edgar Prestage in 2 vols. issued by the Hakluyt Society, London, 1896-1899:
The Chronicle of Discovery and Conquest of Guinea.)
Arkan Simaan relates these discoveries in French in his novel based on Azurara's Chronicle:
L’Écuyer d’Henri le Navigateur, published by Éditions l’Harmattan, Paris.
Portuguese Madeira
However, in time grain production began to fall. To get past the ensuing crisis
Henry decided to order the planting of
sugarcane - rare in
Europe and, therefore, considered a
spice - promoting, for this, the introduction of
Sicilian beets as the first specialized plant and the technology of its agriculture. Sugarcane production became a leading factor in the island's economy, and increased the demand for labour. Genoese and Portuguese traders were attracted to the islands. Sugarcane cultivation and the sugar production industry developed until the
17th century.
Since the 17th century, Madeira's most important product has been its
wine, sugar production having since moved on to
Brazil,
São Tomé and Principe, and elsewhere. Madeira wine was perhaps the most popular luxury beverage in the colonial Western Hemisphere during the 17th and 18th centuries. The
British Empire occupied Madeira as a result of the
Napoleonic Wars, a friendly occupation which concluded in 1814 when the island was returned to
Portugal, and the British did much to popularise Madeira wine.
When, after the death of king
John VI of Portugal, his usurper son
Miguel of Portugal seized power from the rightful heir, his niece
Maria II, and proclaimed himself 'Absolute King', Madeira held out for the Queen under the governor
José Travassos Valdez until Miguel sent an expeditionary force and the defence of the island was overwhelmed by crushing force. Valdez was forced to flee to England under the protection of the Royal Navy (September 1828).
In 1921, the last
Austro-Hungarian Emperor
Charles I was deported to Madeira, after an unsuccessful
coup d'état. He died there one year later and is buried in
Monte (Funchal).
In
July 1 1976, following the
democratic revolution of 1974, Portugal granted political autonomy to Madeira. The region now has its own government and legislative assembly.
Geography and climate
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.
The archipelago lies about 360 miles from the coast of Africa, 535 miles from
Lisbon, 230 miles from
Gran Canaria, and 480 miles from
Santa Maria, the nearest of the
Azores.
Madeira Island is the largest island of the group with an area of 741 km², a length of 30 geographical miles (57 km), a breadth of 13 miles (22 km) at its widest point, and a coastline of 80 to 90 miles. Its longer axis lies east and west, along which lies a mountain chain with a mean altitude of 4,000 feet (1,220 metres), considered the backbone of the island from which many deep ravines radiate outward to the coast. Its most famous cliff, the
Cabo Girão, is one of the biggest in
Europe. The highest point on the island is
Pico Ruivo, at 1,862 meters (6,107 feet).
In the south, there's very little left of the indigenous
laurisilva subtropical rainforest which once covered the whole island (the original settlers set fire to the island to clear the land for farming) and gave it the name it now bears (
Madeira means "wood" in
Portuguese). However, in 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, on which lies a tract of calcareous sand known as the Fossil Bed. It contains land shells and numerous bodies resembling the roots of trees, probably produced by infiltration.
Madeira Island's geographical position and mountainous landscape result in a very pleasant climate which varies between the north side, south side, and smaller islands groups like Porto Santo and Savages. The mean annual temperature on the coastline can reach more than 20°C in the south. With its mild humidity, the weather of the island is classified as oceanic subtropical and with its low rain level, desertic on the Savages. Influenced by the
Gulf Stream, sea water temperature varies between 26°C during the summer and 17°C in the winter.
Islands and main Islets
Municipalities
Just like the districts of mainland Portugal, Madeira is also further subdivided into 11
municipalities:
| Municipalities |
Population(2006) (External Link ) |
Area (km²) |
Main city/town |
Freguesias |
| Funchal |
100,847 |
75.7 |
Funchal |
10 |
| Câmara de Lobos |
35,150 |
52.6 |
Câmara de Lobos |
2 |
| Santa Cruz |
32,696 |
68.0 |
Santa Cruz |
5 |
| Machico |
21,321 |
67.6 |
Machico |
5 |
| Ribeira Brava |
12,523 |
64.9 |
Ribeira Brava |
4 |
| Calheta |
11,856 |
110.3 |
Calheta |
8 |
| Santana |
8,491 |
?? 136.3 ?? |
Santana |
2 |
| Ponta do Sol |
8,189 |
46.8 |
Ponta do Sol |
3 |
| São Vicente |
6,063 |
80.8 |
São Vicente |
3 |
| Porto Santo (Island) |
4,388 |
42.4 |
Vila Baleira |
1 |
| Porto Moniz |
2,762 |
82.6 |
Porto Moniz |
4 |
| Total |
244,286 |
768.0 |
Total |
47 |
Capital city
Today
Funchal is a modern city with about 100,000 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) 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.
Geological 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, on an underwater mountain range called Tore, which stands on the African plate. 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.
Biodiversity
Madeira has three
endemic birds:
Zino's Petrel, the
Trocaz pigeon and the
Madeira Firecrest.
It is also of importance for other breeding
seabirds, including the
Madeiran Storm-petrel,
North Atlantic Little Shearwater and
Cory's Shearwater.
The
Macaronesia region harbours an important floral diversity. In fact, the archipelago's forest composition and maturity are quite similar to the forests found in the
Tertiary period that covered
Southern Europe and
Northern Africa millions of years ago.
The great
biodiversity of Madeira is phytogeographically linked to the
Mediterranean region,
Africa,
America and
Australia, and interest in this phytogeography has been increasing in recent years due to the discovery of some epiphytic bryophyte species with non-adjacent distribution.
Madeira also has many endemic species of fauna – mostly invertebrates but also some vertebrates such as the native bat, some lizards species, and some birds as already mentioned.
These islands have more than 200 species of land molluscs (snails and slugs), some with very unusual shell shape and colours.
Levadas
The island of Madeira is wet in the northwest but dry in the southeast. In the 16th century the Portuguese started building levadas to carry water to the agricultural regions. The most recent was made in the 1940s. Madeira is very mountainous, and building the levadas was often difficult. Many are cut into the sides of mountains, and it was also necessary to dig 25 miles of tunnels.
Today the levadas not only supply water to the southern parts of the island but provide
hydro-electric power. There are over 1350 miles of levadas and they provide a remarkable network of walking paths. Some provide easy and relaxing walks through beautiful countryside, but others are narrow, crumbling ledges where a slip could result in serious injury or death.
Two of the most popular levadas to hike are the
Levada do Caldeirão Verde and the
Levada do Caldeirão do Inferno which shouldn't be attempted by hikers prone to vertigo or without torches and helmets. The
Levada do Caniçal is a much easier walk, running 7.1 miles from
Maroços to the
Caniçal Tunnel. It is known as the
mimosa levada because
mimosa trees are found all along the route.
Economy
The setting-up of the
Free Industrial Zone has led to the installation, under more favourable conditions, of infrastructure, 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
Tourism 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.
Development in Madeira is considered to have potential since the necessary infrastructure has been established and adequate investment incentives have been introduced for expanding its hotel and catering structure in a controlled manner. Conservation of its nature is important as it's one of tourists' main reasons for visiting Madeira.
Visitors are mainly from the
European Union, with
German,
British,
Scandinavian 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%.
Transport
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.
In the past Funchal airport was infamous for its runway, which was short and was built on a high embankment but which fell away abruptly to the sea and was often troubled by difficult upwinds which tended to uplift aircraft when landing. In the past the largest airliners that were able to use the airport were the
Airbus A320 and
Boeing 737, but recently the runway has been realigned and extended to 2.7km, enabling almost any modern airliner to visit the island, including the
Boeing 747-400, one of the biggest airliners today.
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, the latter also allowing for the transportation of vehicles. Visiting the interior of the islands is now very easy, due to major road developments, known as the Via Rapids, on the islands during Portugal's economic boom. Modern roads reach all points of interest on the islands. The old, curving mountain roads are still an excellent way to tour the island. Funchal has an extensive public transportation system. Bus companies, including Horarios do Funchal which has been operating for over one hundred years, have regularly scheduled routes to all points of interest on the island.
Society and Culture
Demographics
When the Portuguese discovered the island of Madeira in 1419, it was completely uninhabited by humans, with no
aboriginal population at all. The island was settled by
Portuguese people, especially farmers from the
Minho region, meaning that
Madeirans, as they're called, are ethnic Portuguese, though they've developed their own distinct regional identity and cultural traits.
The region has a total population of just under 250,000 inhabitants, the majority of whom live on the main island of Madeira where the population density is 337/km²; meanwhile only around 4,500 live on the
Porto Santo Island where the population density is 112/km².
Notable Madeirans
The following people were either born or have lived part of their lives in Madeira:
Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos, former Archbishop of the former Portuguese colonial enclave Goa (in India)
Alberto João Jardim, President of the Regional Government
Ana da Silva, founding member of the post-punk band The Raincoats
António de Abreu, military and navigator
Artur de Sousa Pinga, former CS Marítimo and FC Porto football player
Catarina Fagundes, Olympic athlete for windsurf
Christopher Columbus, Explorer
Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United and Portugal midfielder
Dionísio Pestana, president of the Pestana Group
Fátima Lopes, Fashion designer
Fábio Machado, Mandolinist
Francisco de Vasconcelos, Poet
Henrique Franco, Painter
Jaime Ornelas Camacho, first and former President of the Regional Government
Jardim Gonçalves, entrepreneur and founder of BCP
João Fernandes Vieira, military in Brazil and Angola
João Rodrigues, Olympic athlete for windsurf
Joe Berardo, Portuguese millionaire, and art collector
José Travassos Valdez, 1st Count of Bonfim, governor in 1827-1828
José Vicente de Freitas, military and politician
Karl of Austria, Austrian monarch
Luís Jardim, Producer of music
Manuel Nunes, Progenitor of the Ukulele
Marcos Freitas International table tennis player
Manoel Dias Soeyro or Menasseh Ben Israel (1604–1657), Sephardi Rabbi and publisher
Moisés Henriques, former Australian Under-19 Captain and current NSW Blues cricketer
Nadia Almada, a winner of the British reality show Big Brother
Paul Langerhans, German pathologist and biologist
Rigo 23, Artist
Stephanie Ferreira, H&M's top models
Teodósio Clemente de Gouveia, Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
Vânia Fernandes, portuguese singer and that represent Portugal in Eurovision 2008
Virgilio Teixeira, Actor
Zita Teixeira, Ursuline Sister, South Africa, Botswana and Australia
André Antoine Bernard, French revolutionary, ended his life at Funchal
Culture
The islands are noted as the source of Madeira wine. The islands are also known for their exotic flowers, sub-tropical, tropical fruits and New Year's Eve celebrations with a spectacular fireworks show, considered the biggest in the world.
This island now produces also banana, mangoes, papaws, guyabas, pinneapple, sugar cane, avocados, passionflower, coffee and many other fruit and specialty crops. In their gardens, inhabitants also grow coconut palms (Cocos nucifera), rubber trees, and other "exotic" plants.
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. The islands have historical monuments, streets and plazas (praças) with many gardens and typical small towns.
Sports
Madeira has two football teams in the Portuguese Liga, Portugal's top league, Marítimo of Funchal and Nacional. The Manchester United and Portugal footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Madeira and played for Nacional before going to Sporting Lisbon. Marítimo has also nurtured other great players such as Pepe, now at Real Madrid, Tonel, now at Sporting and Manduca, who was transferred to Benfica.
Marítimo has also enjoyed various campaigns in the UEFA Cup having recorded famous results against teams such as Juventus, Leeds and Rangers. In 2003-04 Nacional has achieved 4th place in the Portuguese League, their best classification ever.
In recent years Madeira has had a considerable amount of success in professional basketball, with CAB Madeira having won numerous titles, especially their female team. CAB are often seen competing in European competition such as the FIBA EuroCup, and former stars include Filipe da Silva and ex-Los Angeles Lakers player Ike Nwankwo.
Madeira Andebol SAD, the island's only professional handball team is one of the most successful in the country, while rally car racing, fishing and golf are other popular sports played on the island.
Rugby union is also played on the island to a minor degree.
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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Madeira Islands'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://madeira.totallyexplained.com">Madeira Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
