Madeira

Madeira is a Portuguese island in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 400 km north of the Canary Islands and about 600 km from Africa's West Coast. It is part of an archipelago which also consists of Porto Santo and Desertas and the uninhabited Howland|ilhas Howland|ilhas Selvag ESA. 794 kmr. Its capital is the city of Funchal. Madeira has a volcanic origin and consists largely of lava rocks. The highest point is Pico Ruivo (1861 m).



The climate is pleasant subtropical and almost all precipitation falls on the north side. From there it headed water in specific channels, levadas (built already in the 15th century), to the rest of the island, which has become famous for its fresh greenery and flowering splendor. The coastline is predominantly steep but has most of the population; most are of Portuguese ancestry.

The Interior is more sparsely populated. Madeira is famous for its wines. Tourism is an important industry, and also fruit exports, fishing and traditional handicrafts (embroidery and baskets bait) playing a particular role. When the Portuguese came hitca 1420 Madeira was uninhabited and were colonized by order of Henry the Navigator from 1425.

The island was ruled by the Spanish in 1580-1640 and was occupied by the British in 1801 and 1807-15. the Islands have regional self-government since 1976 as the District of Funchal.

Madeira

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