Madeira Holidays
Maderira Holidays Why not have a vacation on the island of Madeira. It can be a super place to have a vacation in. You may want to see the coastlines, the beaches, the views, the coastlines, the historic sites, the towns, the cities.
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 32°37.75N, 16°55.3W. 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, a breadth of 13 miles 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, considered the backbone of the island from which many deep ravines radiate outward to the coast. Its most famous sea cliff, the Cabo Girão, is the worlds second highest. The highest point on the island is Pico Ruivo, at 1,862 meters.
In the south, there is 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.
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) that was growing there. Funchal is bypassed by a superhighway to the north east and southwest which accesses to Santa Cruz, the Madeira airport and Ribeira Brava.
Machico is a city and a municipality located in the northeastern part of the Madeira Islands.
Islands and main
Islets ;
Madeira Island ; Ilhéu de Agostinho (close east), Ilhéu de São
Lourenço (out east), Ilhéu Mole (northwest)
Porto Santo Island
; Ilhéu de Baixo ou da Cal (south), Ilhéu de Ferro (southwest),
Ilhéu das Cenouras (close north), Ilhéu de Fora (further north),
Ilhéu de Cima (east)
Desertas Islands ; Deserta Grande Island, Bugio
Island, Chão Islet
Savage
Islands (northeast group) ; Selvagem Grande Island, Palheiro da Terra Islet, Palheiro
do Mar Islet
Savage Islands (southwest group) ; Selvagem Pequena Island, Ilhéu
Grande, Ilhéu du Sul, Ilhéu Pequeno,Fora Islet, Alto Islet, Comprido
Islet, Redondo Islet
Norte Islets So thats Madeira Holidays
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