Madeira Island tourist informormation from Madeira24.com

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Madeira Archipelago
    The Archipelago of Madeira consists of two populated islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and two small groups of unpopulated island, Desertas and Selvagens. The Desertas Islands consists of three islands and the Selvagens is about nine islands and islets. Visitors can cruise around these island on one of the many boat tours offered in Madeira.

    Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal making it the most southern end of Europe, even if it is part of the African Plate. Madeira received autonomy from Portugal in the late 1970's and is one of the only Portuguese colonies to have remained a part of it's mother country.

    Madeira's capital city is Funchal and has a population of about 100,000 people.   The capital is situated on the south coast of Madeira and is a big cruise destination in the Atlantic Ocean. Other large cities include Porto Santo, Machico, Ribeira Brave, Santa Cruz, Santana and Camara de Lobos.
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32Â°22.3N/16Â°16.5W & 33Â°7.8N/17Â°16.65W

The Archipelago of Madeira is the result of volcanic activity in the Atlantic Ocean millions of years ago. It can be found about 580 km (360 mi) west African coast of Morocco, 860 km (535 mi) southwest of Lisbon and 370 (230 mi) north of The Canaries.

   The island of Madeira is the largest of the islands wtih a surface area of 741 kmÂ² (460 miÂ²), 56km (35 mi) long and 21 km (13 mi) wide.

    The resident population of Madeira and Porto Santo number around 245,000 inhabitants. The residence of Porto Santo number around 4,500. Over a third of the population is concentrated in the capital of Funchal.

The majority of the population have roots tracing back to the Minho and Algarve areas of Portugal. To learn more about the history of Madeira and its people, click here!

Madeirans are known for their fun loving and festive spirit. The island holds great festivals all year round but the most notable, among many others, would be the New Year's fire works spectacular and Carnival.


    Madeira has been known through out the centuries for different reasons. After colonization by the Portuguese in the 16th century, it became one of the biggest suppliers of sugar cane to Europe. Towards the end of the 17th century, the arrival of the famous Madeira Wine vine changed the direction of the islands industrial focus. Madeira wine is now the best known product on the island and, by far, the most exported.

    It has recently become one of the most preferred tourist destinations in the Atlantic Ocean, amongst Portuguese, English and German.   Over one million tourists come every year to experience the extraordinary nature and rich culture of this gorgeous island
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Madeira Archipelago