Madeira Islands Portugal

Madeira Islands  

The Madeira Islands of Portugal are located 600 kilometers west of Morocco and nearly 1,000 kilometers from Lisbon. The archipelago consists of two main, populated islands and several uninhabited ones. They are also one of two autonomous regions of Portugal, the other being the Azores Islands. Madeira is most well known for its wine and weather and has become a popular vacation spot for many Portuguese and Europeans. It is an ideal place to visit and even have a home, with year round great weather and plenty of culture.

The Madeira Archipelago consists of the two main islands, Madeira and Porto Santo. The entire population is approximately 250,000, with all but about 5,000 of those on Madeira. The largest city and capital is Funchal, with some 100,000 residents. It is located on the southeast side of the island in a natural amphitheatre and harbor. Most of the population lives on the south side of the island, where it is sunnier and warmer.

Madeira is a rugged island, rising from sea level to a high of 1,862 meters at Pico Ruivo. There is a mountain ridge running through most the island from east to west, which is about 60 kilometers long. The widest point from north to south is about 22 kilometers. On the southwest coast was once a subtropical rainforest which was cleared by early settlers, but on the north coast there are still many trees and forests. The forests gave the island its name, as Madeira means wood in Portuguese. The remaining forests have been declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

The climate of Madeira is nice virtually the entire year. Because of its location in the sub-tropics it has an all year appeal. Rarely does the temperature average more or less than a few degrees from 20° C at any time of the year. The northwest side of the island of Madeira gets a substantial amount of rainfall and is a bit cooler, while the southeast side is much drier and warmer. The coastline is fairly rugged, but on Porto Santo is a 9 kilometer long white sand beach.

The economy of this small island set is based mainly a variety of businesses and industries, but the most important are probably tourism and production of the namesake wine. Madeira has set up a Free Industrial Zone that provides incentives to small and medium sized businesses. This has helped to increase this sector of the economy in recent years, particularly in the service industries and businesses.

The island of Porto Santo is completely devoted to tourism, with its pristine sandy beach and ideal climate. There are several large hotels and resorts on this small island, located about 40 kilometers to the northeast of Madeira. Snorkeling and touring the island on bikes are two popular activities. There is daily ferry service from Funchal as well as flights between the two islands.

The northern side of Madeira is more rural, devoted more to farming. This is where the grapes for Madeira wine are mostly grown, and other fruits and flowers as well. The island is known for its tropical and exotic fruits and flowers. Because the northern side is much wetter than the southern side, a system was developed to bring water across the island. Levadas were built, beginning in the 16th century, to bring the water to Funchal and other towns. These waterways and canals also provide wonderful hiking opportunities for those who like to explore the island, as there are nice paths alongside them.

Funchal is the center for most activity on the island. Most of the service sector businesses are located in and around the city, and there is much to see and do as well. The history goes back several centuries and there are many old buildings and historical sites to see. There are actually two top tier professional football teams from Madeira, Maritimo and Nacional, which both play in Funchal. Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Madeira and played for Nacional before moving on.

Outside of Funchal, other towns on the island include Santa Cruz, with a population of 33,000 and Camara de Lobos, with a population of 35,000. Both of these towns are on the southern side of the island, relatively close to the capital. The largest town on the northern side is Santana, with about 8,500 residents.

Property on Madeira is not cheap, but there are some smaller, less expensive apartments that can be found as well as many properties that do cost a bit. The island is limited in size and it is a popular place for year round vacationers. The greatest amount of reasonably priced apartments are to be found in and around Funchal. There are a lot of recently constructed apartment buildings that have small but nice units for sale, beginning at around €60,000.

Larger apartments are going to cost more, but one of the nice things about Madeira is that much of the construction has been completed in recent years and is nice and up-to-date. There are also some villas and houses available outside of Funchal, but prices for these can be much higher. Madeira is not an inexpensive place, but for those who want a home on this island, or its partner Porto Santo, it is a wonderful place to live or visit.

Getting to Madeira is relatively easy, particularly since the runway at Madeira Airport (FNC) was rebuilt in 2003. The airport has daily flights to and from Lisbon and Porto, from which you can get connections to just about anywhere. There are also a number of carriers that have direct flights to Madeira, including several discount airlines such as Easyjet and Thomsonfly. Porto Santos has its own airport with daily flights to and from Madeira.