Below is a description and potted history of the island.
Madeira (island),
archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, located about 1,100 km (700 mi)
south-west of Portugal, an autonomous region of that country. The
islands are located off the coast of Morocco, north of the Canary
Islands, and south-west of the Portuguese capital Lisbon. The
Madeiras consist of two inhabited islands, Madeira and Porto Santo,
and two uninhabited island groups, the Desertas and the Selvagens.
The islands have a total area of 794 sq km (307 sq mi), with Madeira
Island by far the largest at 55 km (34 mi) long and 22 km (14 mi)
wide. The capital and largest city is Funchal (population, 1991,
126,021), located on Madeira Island.
Funchal, on the south coast of the island of Madeira, capital of
Madeira District, on Funchal Bay. Industries here include wine production,
sugar and flour milling, fruit canning and the manufacture
of cigarettes and soap. Fish, fruit, and the famous Madeira wines,
as well as embroideries and lace, are exported worldwide. The city, sometimes
called the Pearl of the Ocean, is well known as a winter resort
thanks to its mild climate. It is the site of remains of 16th and
17th century forts and of the 15th century cathedral of Santa Clara,
which contains the tomb of João Gonçalves Zarco, discoverer of
Madeira and founder of Funchal. Founded in 1421 and chartered in
1508, the island was under Spanish rule from 1580 to 1640 and was occupied
by the British in 1801 and 1807. Population (1987 estimate) 44,100.
Madeira means "wood" in the Portuguese language and the
archipelago was named after its large forests and dense vegetation.
The Madeiras have lush tropical and semi-tropical plant life and
extensive gardens, and are famous for their mild, pleasant climate.
The islands are summits of submarine volcanoes, Madeira Island
features a mountainous topography; the island's highest point is
Ruivo de Santana Peak, 1,861 m (6,106 ft) high.
The islands are relatively sparsely settled-the Desertas and
Selvagens groups are too rocky and narrow for habitation. The
majority of the people live on Madeira Island, which has about
250,000 inhabitants. Ports Santo, 42 km (26 mi) north-east of
Madeira Island, had an estimated population of 5,000 in the
mid-1990s.
The Madeira Islands were known in Roman times and it is
believed the Genoese in the mid-14th century knew of their
existence. The islands were rediscovered by the Portuguese explorer
João Gonçalves Zarco in 1418. Shortly thereafter, Prince Henry the
Navigator began colonisation of the islands and established sugar
plantations. These plantations became the prototype for the
plantation system developed for the Portuguese colonies in the
Americas after 1550. Funchal was founded in 1421. The importance of
Madeira wine to the local economy surpassed that of sugar beginning
in the late 17th century. A British colony of merchants and
entrepreneurs established themselves on Madeira around this time,
and eventually came to dominate the island's linen, wine, banking,
export, and tourism industries. During the Napoleonic Wars British
forces occupied and administered the islands as part of the British
Empire; the British later evacuated the islands. Large tourist
hotels and other facilities have been constructed in or near Funchal
in the latter half of the 20th century.
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