MADEIRA - Geography and history
The Madeira Archipelago is an Autonomous Region of the Portuguese Republic with its own legislative and executive bodies. In administrative terms, the territory is divided into 11 municipalities and 53 parishes.
The Autonomous Region of Madeira consists of the inhabited islands of Madeira (737 sq. km) and Porto Santo (42 sq. km), and the uninhabited Ilhas Desertas (14 sq. km) and Ilhas Selvagens (4 sq. km). It is located in the North Atlantic, at South west of Portugal and next to the northwestern coast of Africa, between 30 degrees N and 33 degrees N.
Its capital, Funchal, is the region's main centre of economic development. The region has a temperate and mild climate with a narrow temperature range; it also has a large variety of micro-climates due mainly to altitude and wind exposure. Average air temperatures vary between 16 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius and the average relative air humidity does not exceed 72%.
Its uneven terrain (deep valleys, high mountains and steep cliffs) and natural woodland are extremely valuable from the point of view of science, water resources, the economy, landscape, tourism and culture. The highest places of the island are Pico Ruivo (1 862 metres) and Pico de Areeiro (1818 metres).
History
Opinions as to the use of Madeira have changed somewhat since its discovery in 1419. In the early days of settlement on Madeira, a shortage of man power was soon resolved with a raid on the prisons of Lisbon for a shipload of "degredados". However, long ago the getaway brigade discovered on this island a welcoming population, a wonderful climate, and today it offers increasing and diverse supply of hotels and other tourist accommodation to suit every taste.
Early tourists to Madeira were the passengers of the great ocean going liners. Madeira was an important coaling station, and excursions into the countryside were a pleasant days break from the rolling Atlantic. In 1894 William Reid opened his hotel on the Western edge of Funchal bay, and English tea has been served there ever since.
A collection of the eminent and infamous visited the island during this time, from George Bernard Shaw, who took time off to learn to dance, and Winston Churchill who painted the village of Camara de Lobos. On the back of Mr.Reid's success a number of other hotels followed suit, but beds were limited until the opening of the airport in 1963. Madeira also welcomed its share of exiles from Napoleon who stopped off on his way to St.Helena, to Charles Archduke of Austria, the last of the Habsburg Emperors who died, and was buried, in Monte.
Island landscape and natural beauty
The region's small size, the discontinuity of its territory and its peripheral and insular situation cause substantial additional costs which hinder both imports and exports of traditional products such as bananas, wickerwork, Madeira wine and embroidery. The region's mountainous character has led to the scattering of the population over large areas, it impedes the development of mechanised agriculture and hinders access to inland areas because of the roughness of the terrain. The climate and fertility of the soil provide favourable conditions for producing subtropical fruit and exotic flowers. The region's potential lies mainly in its geographical location, and its typical climate and landscape have contributed a great deal towards developing tourism there. The region's strategic position with regard to the main shipping routes has favoured the establishment of international bodies; an Industrial Free Zone has been created and an Off-Shore Financial Centre and International Centre for the Registration of Ships have been set up.
Concentration of the population and economic activities on the south coast
The region's population density is high, since the areas over 1 000 m in altitude are unpopulated. The population is concentrated in the lower areas, and in particular in the municipalities on the southern coast in Funchal's area of influence where most of the population lives and most secondary and tertiary sector activities are exercised.
This bias in the population's distribution causes problems of urban planning and housing, most of which stem from the population's abandonment of the municipalities of the north and west coasts. There, conditions are less favourable for the settlement of the population, agriculture being the predominant activity. Porto Santo has a low population density and the tertiary sector is predominant on this island.
The current trend is to set up development centres in less populated areas to reduce existing disparities, for example, by increasing investment in tourism, especially on the west coast and on Porto Santo.
The renewal of the road network with the recent construction of expressways, some of which are not yet finished, has played a central role in reducing these imbalances.
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