Madeira Island
Madeira island is the main island (740,7 km²) of the Portuguese archipelago with the same name. Madeira is located on the Atlantic ocean West of the African coast. together with Porto Santo; the Deserted islands. The “capital” of the island and the region is the city of Funchal.
Madeira is an Island of volcanic origin. The weather is subtropical that together with its unique landscapes make the island an ideal place for tourism. Highly appreciated for innumerable reasons, such as having an exotic flora, the establishments comfort/conditions, the authenticity of our folklore and culture, the breathtaking landscapes and ofcourse the levada walks.
The island is on of the largest of Macaronesia. The 500 year old funchal city , main urban center and harbour of the island is located in the south coast ( 32º38’N , 16º55’W).
Madeira is approximately 660km off the African coast, 980 km from Lisbon, 400km from Gran canary and 880 km from the island of Santa Maria nearest of the Azores archipelagos.
For its latitude and situation, the Madeira Island presents all the characteristics of a subtropical island. The medium yearly Temperature varies around and above 20ºC .
The sea water temperature varies between 26 on summer and 17 on winters. The dominating winds come from West and northwest in the winter and northeast in the summer.
The island is very mountainous with deep valleys between the peaks and cliff edges around most of the island, that has an extension of around 160 km. The medium altitude is of 1300 meters, being the highest points in Pico Ruivo (1862m), Pico das Torres (1850m) and Pico do Arieiro (1818m).
The thin sand beaches are black and rare, as most beaches are a conglomeration of small volcanic rocks. At the extreme east, the Ponta de Sao lourenço forms a stretched cape relatively elevated that goes as far as two small islands. In the south coast, west of Funchal, you may find Cabo Girão, one of the largest sea cliffs in the world; it rises from 560 to 589 meters above sea level.
Before the arrival of Portuguese colonizers in the XV century, the island was uninhabited. Today the island population is of around 260 thousand inhabitants, mostly of Portuguese nationality.
Funchal alone holds around half the population of Madeira. The dominant religion is catholic Funchal being the center of the diocese.
More than half the population is focused on just 7% of the island especially in the south coast.