Editing Madeira

{{Short description|Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic}}
{{Hatnote group|
{{Distinguish|Madura}}
{{Other uses}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox political division
| name                          = Madeira
| settlement_type               = [[Autonomous Regions of Portugal|Autonomous Region]] of [[Portugal]] and [[Special territories of members of the European Economic Area#Outermost Regions|outermost region]] of the [[European Union]]
| official_name                 = Autonomous Region of Madeira<br />{{nobold|{{native name|pt|Região Autónoma da Madeira}}}}
| image_flag                    = Flag_of_Madeira.svg
| flag_size                     = 125px
| flag_alt                      = Blue-gold-blue vertical triband with a red-bordered white Cross of Christ.
| flag_link                     = Flag of Madeira
| image_seal                    = File:Coat of arms of Madeira.svg
| seal_size                     = 85px
| seal_alt                      = Blue a pale or charged with the Cross of Christ
| seal_type                     = Coat of arms
| seal_link                     = Coat of arms of Madeira
| nickname                      = Pearl of the Atlantic
| motto                         = {{lang|pt|Das Ilhas as Mais Belas e Livres}}<br />({{langx|en|"Of all islands, the most beautiful and free"}})
| anthem                        = {{lang|pt|[[Hino da Região Autónoma da Madeira]]}}<br />({{langx|en|"Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira"}})<br /> <div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">
[[File:Hino da Região Autónoma da Madeira.ogg|center]]</div>
| song_type                     = Regional anthem
| image_map                     = EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg
| map_alt                       = Location of Madeira
| map_caption                   = Location of Madeira within Portuguese territory (dark green) and the [[European Union]] (light green)
| coordinates                   = {{Wikidatacoord|Q26253|type:isle|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type              = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name              = {{Flag|Portugal}}
| established_title             = [[Portuguese discoveries|Discovery]]
| established_date              = 1418–1419
| established_title2            = Settlement
| established_date2             = {{circa|1425}}
| established_title3            = Autonomous status
| established_date3             = 30 April 1976
| named_for                     = {{langx|en|wood}} ({{langx|pt|madeira}})
| official_languages            = [[European Portuguese|Portuguese]]
| demonym                       = {{langx|en|Madeiran}} ({{langx|pt|Madeirense}})
| capital                       = [[Funchal]]
| largest_city                  = capital
| leader_title1                 = Representative of the Republic
| leader_name1                  = Irineu Barreto
| leader_title2                 = [[Presidents of the Regional Government of Madeira|President of the Regional Government of Madeira]]
| leader_name2                  = [[Miguel Albuquerque]]
| leader_title3                 = President of the Legislative Assembly
| leader_name3                  = Rubina Leal
| legislature                   = [[Legislative Assembly of Madeira|Legislative Assembly]]
| national_representation       = National and European representation
| national_representation_type1 = [[Assembly of the Republic (Portugal)|Assembly of the Republic]]
| national_representation1      = 6 MPs (of 230)
| national_representation_type2 = [[European Parliament]]
| national_representation2      = 1 MEP ([[2024 European Parliament election in Portugal|of 21 Portuguese seats]])
| area_km2                      = 801
| elevation_max_m               = 1,861
| elevation_max_point           = [[Pico Ruivo]]
| elevation_min_m               = 0
| elevation_min_point           = [[Atlantic Ocean]]
| population_census             = 250,769<ref>{{cite web |title=Resident population (No.) by Place of residence, Sex and Age group; Decennial – Statistics Portugal, Population and housing census – 2021 |url=https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&contecto=pi&indOcorrCod=0011166&selTab=tab0 |website=INE |access-date=17 November 2022 |archive-date=11 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111210123/https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&contecto=pi&indOcorrCod=0011166&selTab=tab0 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_census_year        = 2021
| population_density_km2        = 313
| GDP_nominal_year              = 2023<ref name="GDP">{{cite web|access-date=14 January 2025|title=Produto interno bruto (B.1*g) a preços correntes (Base 2021 - €) por Localização geográfica (NUTS - 2024); Anual|url=https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&indOcorrCod=0014131&contexto=bd&selTab=tab2|website=www.ine.pt}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref name="GDP2">{{cite web|access-date=14 January 2025|url=https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&indOcorrCod=0014103&contexto=bd&selTab=tab2|title=Produto interno bruto (B.1*g) por habitante a preços correntes (Base 2021 - €) por Localização geográfica (NUTS - 2024); Anual|website=www.ine.pt}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
| GDP_nominal        = {{increase}} €6.989 billion
| GDP_nominal_per_capita   = {{increase}} €27,369
| Gini                   = 31.1 <!-- number only -->
| Gini_year              = 2023
| Gini_change            = decrease<!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| Gini_ref               = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&indOcorrCod=0004212&contexto=bd&selTab=tab2|language=pt-PT|title=Coeficiente de Gini do rendimento monetário líquido por adulto equivalente (%) por Local de residência (NUTS - 2013); Anual|trans-title=Gini coefficient of net monetary income per adult equivalent (%) by Place of residence (NUTS - 2013); Annual|publisher=National Institute of Statistics|website=ine.pt|access-date=18 May 2025}}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI = 0.829
| HDI_year = 2022
| HDI_change = increase
| HDI_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/PRT/?levels=1+4&years=2022&extrapolation=0|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org |language=en |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref>
| currency                      = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]])
| currency_code                 = EUR
| timezone                      = [[Western European Time|WET]]
| utc_offset                    = ±00:00
| timezone_DST                  = [[Western European Summer Time|WEST]]
| utc_offset_DST                = +01:00
| date_format                   = dd/mm/yyyy ([[Common Era|CE]])
| blank_name_sec1          = Most populated island
| blank_info_sec1          = [[Madeira Island]]
| drives_on                     = right
| calling_code                  = [[Telephone numbers in Portugal|+351 (291)]]
| postal_code_type              = [[Postal codes in Portugal|Postal code]]
| postal_code                   = 90nn-94nn
| iso_code                      = [[ISO 3166-2:PT|PT-30]]
| website                       = [https://www.madeira.gov.pt/ www.madeira.gov.pt]
| blank7_name_sec1              = Usual abbreviation
| blank7_info_sec1              = RAM
| cctld                         = [[.pt]]
}}

'''Madeira''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|d|ɪər|ə}} {{respell|mə|DEER|ə}} {{small|or}} {{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|d|ɛər|ə}} {{respell|mə|DAIR|ə}};<ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Madeira |access-date=19 April 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Madeira |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131135321/https://www.lexico.com/definition/madeira |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 January 2020 |title=Madeira |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Madeira|access-date=18 April 2019 }}</ref> {{IPA|pt-PT|mɐˈðɐjɾɐ|lang}}), officially the '''Autonomous Region of Madeira''' ({{langx|pt|Região Autónoma da Madeira}}), is an [[autonomous Regions of Portugal|autonomous region]] of [[Portugal]]. It is an [[archipelago]] situated in the [[North Atlantic Ocean]], in the region of [[Macaronesia]], just under {{convert|400|km}} north of the [[Canary Islands]], [[Spain]], {{convert|520|km}} west of the [[Kingdom of Morocco]] and {{convert|805|km}} southwest of [[mainland Portugal]].<ref name="Bowler">{{cite book |author=Bowler, John |year=2018 |title=Wildlife of Madeira and the Canary Islands |quote=The Madeira archipelago belongs to Portugal and lies just under 400 km to the north of the Canary Island of Tenerife and 520 km west of Morocco. |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=EqVLDwAAQBAJ&dq=Wildlife+of+Madeira+and+the+Canary+Islands+520+km+morocco&pg=PA5 5] |publisher=Princeton University Press }}</ref><ref name="Beron">{{cite book |author=Beron, Petar |year=2018 |title=Zoogeography of Arachnida |quote=Another archipelago, a Portugal territory, is Madeira, comprising the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, Degeltas, and Selvagens, 520 km from the African coast. |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7LdmDwAAQBAJ&dq=madeira+520+km+morocco&pg=PA363 363] |publisher=Springer }}</ref> Madeira sits on the [[African Plate|African Tectonic Plate]], but is culturally, politically and ethnically associated with Europe, with its population predominantly descended from Portuguese settlers.<ref name="ibpuk">{{cite book |author=Ibpuk |year=2019 |title=Madeira: Doing Business, Investing in Madeira Guide Volume 1 |page=14 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=International Business Publications }}</ref><ref name="Passinhas">{{cite book |author=Passinhas, Sandra |year=2012 |title=Property and Trust Law in Portugal |publisher=Wolsters Kluver }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ays-madeira.com/madeira.html |title=Magical Madeira Island |website=AYS |access-date=13 March 2020 |archive-date=13 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613045644/https://www.ays-madeira.com/madeira.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Its population was 251,060 in 2021. The capital of Madeira is [[Funchal]], on the main island's south coast.

The archipelago includes the islands of [[Madeira Island|Madeira]], [[Porto Santo Island|Porto Santo]], and the [[Desertas Islands|Desertas]], administered together with the separate archipelago of the [[Savage Islands]]. Roughly half of the population lives in Funchal.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mullen |first=Tom |title=Why Madeira Island Is A World Apart |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tmullen/2021/10/24/why-madeira-island-is-a-world-apart/ |access-date=29 October 2022 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=25 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025224210/https://www.forbes.com/sites/tmullen/2021/10/24/why-madeira-island-is-a-world-apart/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The region has political and administrative autonomy through the [[Autonomous Regions of Portugal#Constitution|Administrative Political Statute of the Autonomous Region of Madeira]] provided for in the [[Portuguese Constitution]]. The region is an integral part of the [[European Union]] as an [[Outermost regions of the European Union|outermost region]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:12002E299:EN:HTML |title=EUR-Lex – 12002E299 – EN |publisher=eur-lex.europa.eu |access-date=28 December 2016 |archive-date=16 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516162514/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:12002E299:EN:HTML |url-status=live }}</ref> Madeira generally has a [[#Climate|mild/moderate]] [[subtropical climate]] with [[mediterranean climate|mediterranean]] summer droughts and winter rain. Many [[microclimates]] are found at different elevations.

Madeira, uninhabited at the time, was claimed by Portuguese sailors in the service of Prince [[Henry the Navigator]] in 1419 and settled after 1420. The archipelago is the first territorial discovery of the exploratory period of the [[Age of Discovery]].

Madeira is a year-round resort, particularly for Portuguese, but also British (148,000 visits in 2021), and Germans (113,000).<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1155166/number-of-tourists-in-madeira-by-country/ |title=Tourists in Madeira, Portugal by country 2021 |access-date=16 August 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408172613/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1155166/number-of-tourists-in-madeira-by-country/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is by far the most populous and densely populated Portuguese island. The region is noted for its [[Madeira wine]], [[flora]], and [[fauna]], with its pre-historic [[laurel forest]], classified as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. The destination is certified by [[EarthCheck]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 February 2022 |title=Madeira begins sustainable certification process with EarthCheck {{!}} News {{!}} Island Innovation |url=https://islandinnovation.co/news/madeira-begins-sustainable-certification-process-with-earthcheck/ |access-date=4 December 2023 |website=islandinnovation.co |language=en-US |archive-date=4 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204032959/https://islandinnovation.co/news/madeira-begins-sustainable-certification-process-with-earthcheck/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The main harbour in Funchal has long been the leading Portuguese port in cruise ship dockings, an important stopover for Atlantic passenger cruises between Europe, the [[Caribbean]] and [[North Africa]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://estatistica.madeira.gov.pt/en/download-now-3/economic/turismo-gb/turismo-noticias-gb/tourism-press-release-current-gb/1553-14-02-2018-in-2017-madeira-s-hotel-industry-registered-new-records-in-overnight-stays-and-revenue.html |title=14-02-2018 – In 2017, Madeira's hotel industry registered new records in overnight stays and revenue |publisher=estatistica.madeira.gov.pt |access-date=20 May 2018 |archive-date=22 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522041402/https://estatistica.madeira.gov.pt/en/download-now-3/economic/turismo-gb/turismo-noticias-gb/tourism-press-release-current-gb/1553-14-02-2018-in-2017-madeira-s-hotel-industry-registered-new-records-in-overnight-stays-and-revenue.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, the [[International Business Centre of Madeira]], also known as the Madeira Free Trade Zone, was established in the 1980s. It includes (mainly tax-related) incentives.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibc-madeira.com/en/about-ibc.html |title=About IBC |publisher=ibc-madeira.com |access-date=19 March 2018 |archive-date=19 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319084926/https://www.ibc-madeira.com/en/about-ibc.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
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==History==
{{Main|History of Madeira}}

===Ancient===
[[Plutarch]] in his ''[[Parallel Lives]]'' (''Sertorius'', 75 AD) referring to the military commander [[Quintus Sertorius]] (d. 72 BC), relates that after his return to [[Cádiz]], he met sailors who spoke of idyllic Atlantic islands: "The islands are said to be two in number separated by a very narrow strait and lie {{convert|10,000|furlong|km|lk=in|sigfig=2|disp=sqbr}} from Africa. They are called the [[Fortunate Isles|Isles of the Blessed]]."<ref>{{Citation |last=[[Plutarch]] |title=The Parallel Lives: Sertorius, ch. 8 |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/plutarch/lives/sertorius*.html |access-date=19 February 2021 |archive-date=16 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516005749/https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Sertorius%2A.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Archaeological evidence suggests that the islands may have been visited by the [[Viking]]s sometime between 900 and 1030.<ref name="viking">{{cite journal |last1=Rando |first1=Juan Carlos |last2=Pieper |first2=Harald |last3=Alcover |first3=Josep Antoni |title=Radiocarbon evidence for the presence of mice on Madeira Island (North Atlantic) one millennium ago |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |date=7 April 2014 |volume=281 |issue=1780 |pages=3 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2013.3126 |pmid=24523273 |language=en |issn=0962-8452 |quote=The mtDNA haplotypes from current populations of house mouse M. m. domesticus of Madeira, [...] show similarities with those of Scandinavia and northern Germany (but not with the Portuguese mainland). This [...] suggests that northern Europe was the source area, and raises the intriguing possibility that the Vikings could have brought the house mouse to the island, although it should be noted that to date there are no historical references of Viking voyages to Macaronesia. |pmc=4027395 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gündüz |first1=İ. |last2=Auffray |first2=J.-C. |last3=Britton-Davidian |first3=J. |last4=Catalan |first4=J. |last5=Ganem |first5=G. |last6=Ramalhinho |first6=M. G. |last7=Mathias |first7=M. L. |last8=Searle |first8=J. B. |title=Molecular studies on the colonization of the Madeiran archipelago by house mice |journal=Molecular Ecology |date=August 2001 |volume=10 |issue=8 |pages=2023–2029 |doi=10.1046/j.0962-1083.2001.01346.x |pmid=11555245 |bibcode=2001MolEc..10.2023G |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.0962-1083.2001.01346.x |access-date=11 April 2024 |language=en |issn=0962-1083 |quote=Similarities between the sequences found in the Madeiras and those in Scandinavia and northern Germany suggest that northern Europe was the source area, and there is the intriguing possibility that the Vikings may have accidentally brought house mice to the archipelago. |archive-date=15 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015220133/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.0962-1083.2001.01346.x |url-status=live }}</ref>

Accounts by [[Muhammad al-Idrisi]] state that the Mugharrarin ("the adventurers" – seafarers from Lisbon) came across an island where they found "a huge quantity of sheep, the meat of which was bitter and inedible" before going to the more inhabited [[Canary Islands]], in [[Spain]]. This island, possibly Madeira or [[Hierro]], must have been inhabited or previously visited by people for livestock to be present.<ref>Idrisi, La première géographie de l'Occident, NEF, Paris 1999</ref>

===Legend===
During the reign of King [[Edward III of England]], lovers [[Robert Machin|Robert Machim]] and Anna d'Arfet were said to have fled from England to France in 1346. Driven off course by a violent storm, their ship ran aground along the coast of an island that may have been Madeira. Later, this legend was the basis of the naming of the city of [[Machico]] on the island, in memory of the young lovers.<ref>Nicholas Cayetano de Bettencourt Pitta, 1812, pp. 11–17</ref>

[[File:Corbitis Atlas (p.4).jpg|thumb|The fourth and final sheet of the four-sheet Corbitis Atlas (1384–1410)]]

===European exploration===
Madeira appears in several medieval manuscripts, including the ''[[Book of Knowledge of All Kingdoms]]'' from the early 14th century, the [[Medici-Laurentian Atlas]] from 1351, the [[Guillem Soler|''Soleri Portolani'']] from 1380 and 1385 and [[Corbitis Atlas]] from the late 14th century. These texts refer to Madeira as ''Lecmane'', ''Lolegname,'' ''Legnami'' (the isle of wood), ''Puerto'' or Porto Santo, ''deserte'' or deserta, and ''desierta''.<ref>[{{GBurl|id=NVCSLQOcY90C|pg=PR84|q=Lecmane}} ''The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea''], Gomes Eanes de Zurara, Cambridge University Press, 2010, Volume 2, Introduction, pp. lxxxiv, 28 June 2022.</ref> It is widely accepted that knowledge of these Atlantic islands existed before their better-documented discovery and successful settlement by the [[Kingdom of Portugal]].<ref name="DNB">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Fernández-Armesto |first=Felipe |author-link=Felipe Fernández-Armesto |title=Machim (supp. fl. 14th cent.) |volume=1 |encyclopedia=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/17535 |access-date=2 September 2009 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/index/17/101017535/ |archive-date=22 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022225632/http://www.oxforddnb.com/index/17/101017535/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Funchal ( Portugal )13.jpg|thumb|Statue of [[João Gonçalves Zarco]]]]
In 1418, two captains, [[João Gonçalves Zarco]] and [[Tristão Vaz Teixeira]], while exploring the African coast in the service of Prince [[Henry the Navigator]], were driven off course by a storm to an island which they named {{lang | pt | [[Porto Santo Island|Porto Santo]]}} (English: "holy harbour") in gratitude for divine deliverance from a shipwreck.

The following year, Zarco and Vaz organised an expedition with [[Bartolomeu Perestrello]]. The trio travelled to the island of Porto Santo, claimed it on behalf of the Portuguese Crown, and established a settlement. The new settlers observed "a heavy black cloud suspended to the southwest" and upon investigation discovered the larger island they called {{lang | pt | Madeira}}<ref>The discoveries of Porto Santo and Madeira were first described by [[Gomes Eanes de Zurara]] in ''Chronica da Descoberta e Conquista da Guiné''. (Eng. version by Edgar Prestage in 2 vols. issued by the [[Hakluyt Society]], London, 1896–1899: ''The Chronicle of Discovery and Conquest of Guinea''.) French author [[Arkan Simaan]] refers to these discoveries in his historical novel based on Azurara's Chronicle: ''L'Écuyer d'Henri le Navigateur'' (2007), published by Éditions l'Harmattan, Paris.</ref><ref>Nicholas Cayetano de Bettencourt Pitta, 1812, p.20</ref> ({{langx |pt|madeira | translation = wood}}).

===Settlement===

The first Portuguese settlers began colonizing the islands around 1420 or 1425.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dervenn |first1=Claude |translator-last=Hogarth-Gaute |translator-first=Frances |year=1957 |title=Madeira |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ph60AAAAIAAJ |location=London, UK |publisher=[[George G. Harrap and Co.]] |oclc=645870163 |page=20 |access-date=7 June 2016 |quote=And when he returned in May 1420 to take possession of "his" island, it was with his wife and the sons and daughters that the virtuous Constanga had given him. |archive-date=8 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208172728/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ph60AAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The three governors, knights of the [[Military Order of Christ|Order of Christ]] and navigators: João Gonçalves Zarco, Tristão Vaz Teixeira and Bartolomeu Perestrelo, along with their respective families, became the first settlers of the archipelago divided by three captaincies (respectively and Funchal, Machico and Porto Santo). This colonization process began in 1425, by order of King João I, with people of modest means, some former prisoners of the Kingdom and a group of people from the lower nobility, including fishermen and peasant farmers who willingly left Portugal for a new life on the islands, a better one, they hoped, than was possible in a Portugal which had been ravaged by the [[Black Death]], and where the best farmlands were strictly controlled by the nobility.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://visitmadeira.com/pt/o-que-fazer/apaixonados-por-cultura/historia/ |title=História da Madeira |language=pt |website=Visit Madeira |access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref>

Initially, the settlers produced wheat for their own sustenance but later began to export wheat to mainland Portugal.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} In earlier times, fish and vegetables were the settlers' main means of subsistence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/history |access-date=2 October 2021 |website=www.visitmadeira.pt |archive-date=22 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922120537/http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/history |url-status=live }}</ref>

Grain production began to fall and the ensuing crisis forced [[Henry the Navigator]] to order other commercial crops to be planted so that the islands could be profitable.{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}} These specialised plants, and their associated industrial technology, created one of the major revolutions on the islands and fuelled Portuguese industry. Following the introduction of the first water-driven sugar mill on Madeira, sugar production increased to over 6,000 ''arrobas'' (an ''arroba'' was equal to {{convert|11|to|12|kg|lb|disp=or}}) by 1455,<ref name="Crosby2015">{{cite book |author=Alfred W. Crosby |title=Ecological Imperialism, The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900–1900 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5KKNCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA77 |edition=2 |year=2015 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-56987-4 |page=77 |access-date=25 September 2017 |archive-date=6 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106002634/https://books.google.com/books?id=5KKNCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA77 |url-status=live }}</ref> using advisers from [[Sicily]] and financed by [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] capital (Genoa acted as an integral part of the island economy until the 17th century). The accessibility of Madeira attracted Genoese and [[Flanders|Flemish]] traders, who were keen to bypass [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] monopolies.

{{Blockquote|By 1480 [[Antwerp]] had some seventy ships engaged in the Madeira sugar trade, with the refining and distribution concentrated in Antwerp. By the 1490s Madeira had overtaken [[Cyprus]] as a producer of sugar."<ref name="Ponting 2000 482">{{cite book |last=Ponting |first=Clive |author-link=Clive Ponting |title=World history: a new perspective |year=2000 |publisher=Chatto & Windus |location=London |isbn=0-7011-6834-X |page=482 }}</ref>}}

Sugarcane production was the primary engine of the island's economy, which quickly afforded the Funchal metropolis economic prosperity. The production of sugar cane attracted adventurers and merchants from all parts of Europe, especially [[Italians]], [[Basques]], [[Catalans]], and [[Flemish people|Flemish]]. This meant that, in the second half of the fifteenth century, the city of Funchal became a mandatory port of call for European trade routes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 'White Gold' Era |url=http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/history/era-of-white-gold |access-date=2 October 2021 |website=www.visitmadeira.pt |archive-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003001357/http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/history/era-of-white-gold |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=davide |title=Madeira Ruled the Sugar Trade |url=https://www.portuguesemuseum.org/?page_id=1808&category=3&exhibit=&event=184 |access-date=11 November 2021 |language=en-US |archive-date=11 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111232354/https://portuguesemuseum.org/?page_id=1808&category=3&exhibit=&event=184 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Slaves were used during the island's period of sugar trade to cultivate sugar cane alongside paid workers, though slave owners were only a small minority of the Madeiran population, and those who did own slaves owned only a few. Slaves consisted of [[Guanches]] from the nearby Canary Islands.<ref>Godinho, V. M. ''Os Descobrimentos e a Economia Mundial'', Arcádia, 1965, Vol 1 and 2, Lisboa</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=madeira history |url=http://www.sanpedroassociation.com/shist.htm |access-date=11 November 2021 |website=www.sanpedroassociation.com |archive-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003183505/http://www.sanpedroassociation.com/shist.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Barbary corsairs]] from North Africa, who enslaved Europeans from ships and coastal communities throughout the Mediterranean region, captured [[Sack of Madeira|1,200 people in Porto Santo]] in 1617.<ref>Fernando Augusto da Silva & Carlos Azevedo de Menezes, "Porto Santo", ''Elucidário Madeirense'', vol. 3 (O-Z), Funchal, DRAC, p. 124.</ref><ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=5q9zcB3JS40C&pg=PA7 Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters: White Slavery in the Mediterranean, the Barbary Coast and Italy, 1500–1800] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331073518/http://books.google.com/books?id=5q9zcB3JS40C&pg=PA7&dq&hl=en |date=31 March 2015 }}''. Robert Davis (2004). p. 7. {{ISBN|1-4039-4551-9}}.</ref>

Until the first half of the sixteenth century, Madeira was one of the major sugar markets of the Atlantic. Apparently, it is in Madeira that, in the context of sugar production, slave labour was applied for the first time. The colonial system of sugar production was put into practice on the island of Madeira, on a much smaller scale, and later transferred, on a large scale, to other overseas production areas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Systems |first=Wow |title=Sugar Cane and Madeira Island |url=https://blog.madeira.best/sugar-cane-and-madeira-island |access-date=11 November 2021 |website=Madeira Sugar Cane History |language=en |archive-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003012205/https://blog.madeira.best/sugar-cane-and-madeira-island |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sugar mills were gradually abandoned, with few remaining, which gave way to other markets in Madeira.

In the 17th century, as Portuguese sugar production was shifted to Brazil, São Tomé and Príncipe and elsewhere, Madeira's most important commodity product became its wine.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Systems |first=Wow |title=Sugar Cane and Madeira Island |url=https://blog.madeira.best/sugar-cane-and-madeira-island |access-date=3 October 2021 |website=Madeira Sugar Cane History |language=en |archive-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003012205/https://blog.madeira.best/sugar-cane-and-madeira-island |url-status=live }}</ref> Sugar plantations were replaced by vineyards, originating in the so-called ‘Wine Culture’, which acquired international fame and provided the rise of a new social class, the [[Bourgeoisie]].

With the increase of commercial treaties with England, important English merchants settled on the Island and, ultimately, controlled the increasingly important island wine trade. The English traders settled in the Funchal as of the seventeenth century, consolidating the markets from North America, the [[West Indies]] and England itself. The [[Madeira wine]] became very popular in the markets and it is also said to have been used in a toast during the [[American Revolution|Declaration of Independence]] by the [[Founding Fathers of the United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wine Cicle |url=http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/history/wine-culture |access-date=3 October 2021 |website=www.visitmadeira.pt |archive-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003001405/http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/history/wine-culture |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=USA celebrated independence with Madeira Wine |url=http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/did-you-know-that/usa-celebrated-independence-with-madeira-wine |access-date=3 October 2021 |website=www.visitmadeira.pt |archive-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003002610/http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/did-you-know-that/usa-celebrated-independence-with-madeira-wine |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Sé do Funchal.jpg|thumb|[[Cathedral of Funchal]] with its tower of 15th-century [[Gothic architecture|Gothic style]] in the background]]

As a result of a high demand for the season, there was a need to prepare guides for visitors. The first tourist guide of Madeira appeared in 1850 and focused on elements of history, geology, [[flora]], [[fauna]] and customs of the island.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The early days of Tourism |url=http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/history/the-early-days-of-tourism |access-date=3 October 2021 |website=www.visitmadeira.pt |archive-date=3 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003031706/http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/history/the-early-days-of-tourism |url-status=live }}</ref> Regarding hotel infrastructures, the British and the Germans were the first to launch the Madeiran hotel chain.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}} The historic [[Belmond Reid's Palace]] opened in 1891 as the "Reid's New Hotel"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fachada sul e jardins do Reid's New Hotel (atual Belmond Reid's Palace), Freguesia de São Martinho, Concelho do Funchal |url=https://arquivo-abm.madeira.gov.pt/descriptions/547060 |website=ABM}}</ref> and is still open to this day.

The [[British Empire|British]] first amicably occupied the island in 1801 whereafter Colonel [[William Henry Clinton]] became governor.<ref>{{cite web |title=Officer's presentation sword given to Brigadier General William Henry Clinton from the British Consul and Factory in Madeira, 1802 |url=http://www.nam.ac.uk/online-collection/detail.php?acc=1960-07-49-1 |publisher=[[National Army Museum]] |access-date=15 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817040540/http://www.nam.ac.uk/online-collection/detail.php?acc=1960-07-49-1 |archive-date=17 August 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A detachment of the [[85th Regiment of Foot]] under Lieutenant-colonel [[James Willoughby Gordon]] garrisoned the island.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gordon, Sir James Willoughby, 1st bt. (1772–1851), of Niton, I.o.W |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/gordon-sir-james-1772-1851 |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=15 August 2016 |archive-date=26 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826003156/http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/gordon-sir-james-1772-1851 |url-status=live }}</ref>
After the [[Peace of Amiens]], British troops withdrew in 1802, only to reoccupy Madeira in 1807 until the end of the [[Peninsular War]] in 1814.<ref name="britishempire.co.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/madeira.htm |title=The Map Room: Africa: Madeira |publisher=British Empire |access-date=30 July 2010 |archive-date=20 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120162522/http://britishempire.co.uk/maproom/madeira.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1846 [[James Julius Wood]] wrote a series of seven sketches of the island. In 1856, British troops recovering from [[cholera]], and widows and orphans of soldiers fallen in the [[Crimean War]], were stationed in Funchal, Madeira.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

===World War I===
During the [[Great War]] on 3 December 1916, a [[German U-boat]], {{SMU|U-38}}, captained by [[Max Valentiner]], entered [[Funchal]] harbour on Madeira. ''U-38'' torpedoed and sank three ships, bringing the war to Portugal by extension. The ships sunk were:
* CS ''Dacia'' ({{convert|1856|ST|tonne ST|order=out|disp=or}}), a British cable-laying vessel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/1531.html |title=Cable ship Dacia |work=Ships hit by U-boats – German and Austrian U-boats of World War One – Kaiserliche Marine |publisher=uboat.net |date=13 November 2010 |access-date=13 November 2010 |archive-date=8 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208022226/http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/1531.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Dacia'' had previously undertaken war work off the coast of [[Casablanca]] and [[Dakar]]. It was in the process of diverting the German South American cable into Brest, France.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atlantic-cable.com/Cableships/Dacia/index.htm |last1=Glover |first1=Bill |title=CS Dacia |website=History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications |date=10 July 2015 |access-date=7 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527044910/http://atlantic-cable.com/Cableships/Dacia/index.htm |archive-date=27 May 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[SS Kanguroo|SS ''Kanguroo'']] ({{convert|2493|ST|tonne ST|order=out|disp=or}}), a French specialized "heavy-lift" transport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/3247.html |title=Submarine carrier Kanguroo |website=Ships hit by U-boats – German and Austrian U-boats of World War One – Kaiserliche Marine |publisher=uboat.net |date=13 November 2010 |access-date=13 November 2010 |archive-date=9 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809203212/https://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/3247.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''Surprise'' ({{convert|680|ST|tonne ST|order=out|disp=or}}), a French [[gunboat]]. Her commander and 34 crewmen (including 7 Portuguese) were killed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/5841.html |title=Gunboat Surprise |website=Ships hit by U-boats – German and Austrian U-boats of World War One – Kaiserliche Marine |publisher=uboat.net |date=13 November 2010 |access-date=13 November 2010 |archive-date=16 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616021815/http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/5841.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

After attacking the ships, ''U-38'' bombarded Funchal for two hours from a range of about {{convert|2|mi|km|0|order=flip}}. Batteries on Madeira returned fire and eventually forced ''U-38'' to withdraw.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.madeiraislandnews.com/2016/07/a-bit-of-history.html |title=A bit of History |access-date=16 October 2016 |date=6 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018204354/http://www.madeiraislandnews.com/2016/07/a-bit-of-history.html |archive-date=18 October 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 12 December 1917, two German U-boats, ''[[SM U-156]]'' and ''[[SM U-157]]'' (captained by [[Max Valentiner]]), again bombarded Funchal.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Valentiner |first1=Max |title=300000 tonnen versenkt! Meine U-boots-fahrten |date=1917 |publisher=Ullstein & co. |location=Berlin |page=118 |edition=50. bis 100. tausend. |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015035617763;view=1up;seq=132 |access-date=27 January 2017 |archive-date=20 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920183612/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015035617763;view=1up;seq=132 |url-status=live }}</ref> This time the attack lasted around 30 minutes. The U-boats fired 40 {{cvt|4.7|and|5.9|in|mm|order=flip}} shells. There were three fatalities and 17 wounded; a number of houses and Santa Clara church were hit.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brandão |first1=Miguel |title=German Submarine war in Portuguese Waters: Esposende–a Smuggling Network |journal=British Journal of Military History |year=2016 |page=8 |hdl=10400.26/17890 }}</ref>

The last [[Austria-Hungary|Austrian Emperor]], [[Charles I of Austria|Charles I]], was exiled to Madeira after the war. Determined to prevent an attempt to restore Charles to the throne, the Council of Allied Powers agreed he could go into exile on Madeira because it was isolated in the Atlantic and easily guarded.<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/11/06/107032370.pdf ''The New York Times''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208172702/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/11/06/107032370.pdf |date=8 December 2020 }}, 6 November 1921 (accessed 4 May 2009)</ref> He died there on 1 April 1922 and his coffin lies in a chapel of the [[Church of Our Lady of Monte]].

==Geography==
[[File:Earth from Space- Madeira ESA499422.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of the Madeira archipelago by the Corpernicus Sentinel-2 stellite, with [[Porto Santo]] on the top right, [[Madeira Island|Madeira island]] on the center, and the [[Desertas Islands|Desertas islands]] at the bottom, with the [[Ilhéu Chão|Chao islet]] at the top and [[Deserta Grande Island|Deserta Grande island]] at the bottom. The [[Bugio Island]] and the [[Savage islands]] are not represented.]]
The Madeira archipelago is located {{cvt|520|km|nmi|-1}} from the African coast, {{cvt|805|km|nmi|-1}} from the closest point in the European coast (the Portuguese town of [[Sagres (Vila do Bispo)|Sagres]], in [[Algarve]]) and {{cvt|1000|km|nmi|-1}} from the capital of Portugal, [[Lisbon]] (approximately a one-and-a-half-hour flight).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.madeiraislands.travel/pls/madeira/wsmwdet0.detalhe_conteudo?p_cot_id=59&p_lingua=en&p_sub=1 |title=Madeira Islands Tourism |publisher=Madeiraislands.travel |access-date=30 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100530093231/http://www.madeiraislands.travel/pls/madeira/wsmwdet0.detalhe_conteudo?p_cot_id=59&p_lingua=en&p_sub=1 |archive-date=30 May 2010 }}</ref> Madeira inhabits the extreme south of the [[Tore-Madeira Ridge]], a bathymetric structure oriented along a north-northeast to south-southwest axis that extends for {{convert|1000|km|nmi}}. This structure consists of long geomorphological relief that extends from the abyssal plain to {{cvt|3500|m|ft}}; its highest submersed point reaches a depth of about {{cvt|150|m|ft}} (around latitude 36°N). The origins of the Tore-Madeira Ridge are not clearly established, but may have resulted from a buckling of the [[lithosphere]].<ref>Ribeiro et al., 1996</ref><ref>Kullberg & Kullberg, 2000</ref>

===Islands and islets===
* [[Madeira Island|Madeira]] ({{cvt|740.7|km2|sqmi|0|disp=or}}), including Ilhéu de Agostinho, Ilhéu de São Lourenço, Ilhéu Mole (northwest); Total population: 262,456 (2011 Census).
* [[Porto Santo Island|Porto Santo]] ({{cvt|42.5|km2|disp=or}}), including [[Cal Islet|Ilhéu de Baixo ou da Cal]], Ilhéu de Ferro, Ilhéu das Cenouras, Ilhéu de Fora, Ilhéu de Cima; Total population: 5,483 (2011 Census).
* [[Desertas Islands]] ({{cvt|14.2|km2|disp=or}}), including the three uninhabited islands: [[Deserta Grande Island]], [[Bugio Island]] and [[Chão|Ilhéu de Chão]].
* [[Savage Islands]] ({{cvt|3.6|km2|disp=or}}), archipelago 280&nbsp;km south-southeast of Madeira Island including three main uninhabited islands and 16 islets in two groups: the Northwest Group ([[Selvagem Grande Island]], Ilhéu de Palheiro da Terra, Ilhéu de Palheiro do Mar) and the Southeast Group ([[Selvagem Pequena Island]], Ilhéu Grande, Ilhéu Sul, Ilhéu Pequeno, Ilhéu Fora, Ilhéu Alto, Ilhéu Comprido, Ilhéu Redondo, Ilhéu Norte).
<gallery class="center">
File:Madeira2024OSM.png|Comprehensive map of Madeira's main island.
File:PortoSanto2024OSM.png|Comprehensive map of Madeira's outlying island of Porto Santo.
File:IlhasDesertas2024OSM.png|Map of the ''Ilhas Desertas''.
File:IlhasSelvagens2024OMC.png|Map of the ''Ilhas Selvagens''.
</gallery>

=== Peaks ===
[[File:BicaDaCana2.jpg|thumb|Sights from Bica da Cana showing Madeira's high [[orography]]]]
The ten tallest peaks in Madeira exemplify the island's diverse topography. [[Pico Ruivo]] is the highest at 1,862 metres.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madeira - Peakbagger.com |url=https://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=6601 |access-date=1 April 2024 |website=www.peakbagger.com |archive-date=1 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401214803/https://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=6601 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Madeira Peaks – Visit Madeira {{!}} Madeira Islands Tourism Board official website |url=https://visitmadeira.com/en/where-to-go/madeira/madeira-peaks/ |access-date=1 April 2024 |website=visitmadeira.com |language=en |archive-date=1 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401214803/https://visitmadeira.com/en/where-to-go/madeira/madeira-peaks/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Madeira's mountaintops offer panoramic vistas of rugged terrain and the [[Atlantic Ocean]], attracting [[Hiking|hikers]] and nature enthusiasts seeking stunning views and challenging trails.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madeira Peaks |url=http://www.discoveringmadeira.com/madeira-peaks |access-date=1 April 2024 |website=Discovering Madeira |language=en |archive-date=1 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401214803/http://www.discoveringmadeira.com/madeira-peaks |url-status=live }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! Rank
! Peak Name
! m
! ft
|-
|1.
|[[Pico Ruivo]]
|1862
|6109
|-
|2.
|[[Pico das Torres]]
|1847
|6060
|-
|3.
|[[Pico do Areeiro]]
|1818
|5965
|-
|4.
|Pico do Cidrão
|1801
|5909
|-
|5.
|Pico do Gato
|1780
|5840
|-
|6.
|Pico Grande
|1655
|5430
|-
|7.
|Pico Ruivo do Paul da Serra
|1649
|5410
|-
|8.
|Queimadas
|1500
|4921
|-
|9.
|Pico do Serradinho
|1436
|4711
|-
|10.
|Chao dos Terreiros
|1436
|4711
|}

====Madeira Island====
{{Main|Madeira Island}}
[[File:SMT of the NE Atlantic-Ocean.svg|thumb|upright 1.2|[[Seamounts]] of Northeastern Atlantic between Madeira and continental Portugal with Madeira archipelago on the bottom left corner]]
[[File:Record temperatures in Madeira, Portugal.jpg|thumb|Satelite view the island of Madeira by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satelite. The image shows that deep green [[laurel forest]] (''laurissilva'') survives intact on the steep northern slopes of the island, but in the south, where terrain is gentler, the [[terracotta]] colour of towns and the light green colour of agriculture are more dominant]]

Madeira island is at the top of a massive [[shield volcano]] that rises about {{cvt|6|km|ft}} from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, on the Tore underwater mountain range.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Carracedo |first1=Juan Carlos |title=North-East Atlantic Islands: The Macaronesian Archipelagos |date=1 January 2021 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780081029084000278 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Geology (Second Edition) |pages=674–699 |editor-last=Alderton |editor-first=David |place=Oxford |publisher=Academic Press |language=en |doi=10.1016/b978-0-08-102908-4.00027-8 |isbn=978-0-08-102909-1 |access-date=16 March 2021 |last2=Troll |first2=Valentin R. |s2cid=226588940 |editor2-last=Elias |editor2-first=Scott A. |archive-date=21 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121212110/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780081029084000278 |url-status=live }}</ref> The volcano formed atop an east–west [[rift]]<ref>Geldemacher et al., 2000</ref><ref>Ribeiro, 2001</ref> in the [[oceanic crust]] along the [[African Plate]], beginning during the [[Miocene]] epoch (5&nbsp;million years ago), continuing into the [[Pleistocene]] (700,000&nbsp;years ago).<ref name="GVP">{{cite gvp |vn=382120 |title=Madeira }}</ref> This was followed by extensive [[erosion]], producing two large amphitheatres opening southward in the central part of the island. Volcanic activity later resumed, producing [[scoria cone]]s and [[lava flow]]s atop the eroded shield. The most recent volcanic eruptions were on the west-central part of the island 6,500&nbsp;years ago, creating more [[cinder cone]]s and lava flows.<ref name="GVP" />

It is the largest island of the group with an area of {{cvt|741|km2|sqmi}}, a length of {{cvt|57|km|mi}} (from Ponte de São Lourenço to Ponta do Pargo). It is approximately {{cvt|22|km|mi}} at its widest point (from Ponta da Cruz to Ponta de São Jorge), with a coastline of {{cvt|150|km|-1}}. It has a mountain ridge that extends along the centre of the island, reaching {{convert|1862|m|ft|abbr=off}} at its highest point ([[Pico Ruivo]]), staying below 200 metres along its eastern extent. The primitive volcanic foci responsible for the central mountainous area, consisted of the peaks: Ruivo (1,862 m), Torres (1,851 m), Arieiro (1,818 m), Cidrão (1,802 m), Cedro (1,759 m), Casado (1,725 m), Grande (1,657 m), Ferreiro (1,582 m). At the end of this eruptive phase, reefs encircled the island, its marine vestiges evident in a calcareous layer in the area of Lameiros, in São Vicente. Sea cliffs, such as [[Cabo Girão]], valleys and ravines extend from this central spine, leaving the interior generally inaccessible.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.madeirahelp.com/madeira_geography |title=MadeiraHelp.com |publisher=MadeiraHelp.com |date=22 February 1999 |access-date=30 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731015932/http://www.madeirahelp.com/madeira_geography |archive-date=31 July 2010 }}</ref> Daily life is concentrated in the many villages at the mouths of the ravines, through which the heavy autumn and winter rains travel to the sea.<ref>Robert White, 1851, p. 4</ref>

===Climate===
Madeira has many different bioclimates.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalbioclimatics.org/form/tb_med.htm |title=Mapas bioclimáticos y biogeográficos |website=Globalbioclimatics.org |access-date=2 August 2017 |archive-date=14 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014103938/http://www.globalbioclimatics.org/form/tb_med.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Based on differences in sun exposure, humidity, and annual mean temperature, clear variations distinguish north- and south-facing regions, as well as some islands. The islands are strongly influenced by the [[Gulf Stream]] and [[Canary Current]], giving it mild to warm year-round temperatures. According to the Instituto de Meteorologia (IPMA), the average annual temperature at Funchal weather station is {{convert|19.6|C|F|1}} for the 1981–2010 period. [[Orographic lift|Relief]] is a determinant factor on precipitation levels; areas such as the [[Madeira Natural Park]] can get as much as {{cvt|2800|mm}} of precipitation a year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipma.pt/pt/oclima/normais.clima/1971-2000/#535 |title=Precipitation of Madeira Island |publisher=[[IPMA]] |access-date=8 October 2020 |archive-date=26 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926152417/http://www.ipma.pt/pt/oclima/normais.clima/1971-2000/#535 |url-status=live }}</ref> Madeira hosts lush [[laurel forests]], while [[Porto Santo]], a much flatter island, has a [[semiarid climate]] (''BSh''). In most winters snowfall occurs in the mountains.
{{Weather box
|location = [[Funchal]], capital of Madeira
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|collapsed   = yes
|Jan record high C = 25.5
|Feb record high C = 27.0
|Mar record high C = 30.5
|Apr record high C = 32.6
|May record high C = 34.2
|Jun record high C = 38.7
|Jul record high C = 37.7
|Aug record high C = 38.5
|Sep record high C = 38.4
|Oct record high C = 34.1
|Nov record high C = 29.5
|Dec record high C = 26.5
|year record high C = 38.7
|Jan high C = 19.7
|Feb high C = 19.7
|Mar high C = 20.4
|Apr high C = 20.6
|May high C = 21.6
|Jun high C = 23.4
|Jul high C = 25.1
|Aug high C = 26.4
|Sep high C = 26.4
|Oct high C = 24.9
|Nov high C = 22.6
|Dec high C = 20.7
|year high C = 22.6
|Jan mean C = 16.7
|Feb mean C = 16.6
|Mar mean C = 17.2
|Apr mean C = 17.5
|May mean C = 18.6
|Jun mean C = 20.6
|Jul mean C = 22.2
|Aug mean C = 23.2
|Sep mean C = 23.2
|Oct mean C = 21.8
|Nov mean C = 19.6
|Dec mean C = 17.9
|year mean C = 19.6
|Jan low C = 13.7
|Feb low C = 13.4
|Mar low C = 13.9
|Apr low C = 14.4
|May low C = 15.6
|Jun low C = 17.7
|Jul low C = 19.2
|Aug low C = 20.0
|Sep low C = 20.0
|Oct low C = 18.6
|Nov low C = 16.6
|Dec low C = 15.0
|year low C = 16.5
|Jan record low C = 8.2
|Feb record low C = 7.4
|Mar record low C = 7.7
|Apr record low C = 9.3
|May record low C = 9.7
|Jun record low C = 12.0
|Jul record low C = 14.6
|Aug record low C = 16.3
|Sep record low C = 14.9
|Oct record low C = 13.1
|Nov record low C = 9.8
|Dec record low C = 8.0
|year record low C = 7.4
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 74.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 83.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 60.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 44.0
|May precipitation mm = 28.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 7.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 1.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 2.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 32.9
|Oct precipitation mm = 89.5
|Nov precipitation mm = 88.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 115.0
|year precipitation mm = 627.2
|Jan precipitation days = 12
|Feb precipitation days = 10
|Mar precipitation days = 9
|Apr precipitation days = 8
|May precipitation days = 6
|Jun precipitation days = 3
|Jul precipitation days = 1
|Aug precipitation days = 2
|Sep precipitation days = 6
|Oct precipitation days = 9
|Nov precipitation days = 10
|Dec precipitation days = 13
|year precipitation days = 87
|unit precipitation days = 0.1&nbsp;mm
|Jan humidity = 71
|Feb humidity = 70
|Mar humidity = 68
|Apr humidity = 68
|May humidity = 70
|Jun humidity = 73
|Jul humidity = 73
|Aug humidity = 72
|Sep humidity = 71
|Oct humidity = 71
|Nov humidity = 70
|Dec humidity = 70
|year humidity = 71
|Jan sun = 160.9
|Feb sun = 166.8
|Mar sun = 197.7
|Apr sun = 194.8
|May sun = 208.6
|Jun sun = 194.0
|Jul sun = 232.5
|Aug sun = 236.7
|Sep sun = 210.8
|Oct sun = 194.3
|Nov sun = 165.9
|Dec sun = 151.1
|year sun = 
|Jan percentsun= 50
|Feb percentsun= 54
|Mar percentsun= 53
|Apr percentsun= 50
|May percentsun= 48
|Jun percentsun= 45
|Jul percentsun= 55
|Aug percentsun= 57
|Sep percentsun= 57
|Oct percentsun= 55
|Nov percentsun= 53
|Dec percentsun= 49
|year percentsun=
|source 1 = [[Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.meteo.pt/pt/oclima/normais.clima/1981-2010/009/ |title=Weather Information for Funchal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113054132/http://www.meteo.pt/pt/oclima/normais.clima/1981-2010/009/ |archive-date=13 November 2012 }}</ref>
|source 2 = [[NOAA]] (humidity and some records 1961–1990)<ref name = NOAA >{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-I/PA/08522.TXT |title=Funchal Climate Normals 1961–1990 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=10 March 2017 |archive-date=17 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317190338/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-I/PA/08522.TXT |url-status=live }}</ref> [[German Meteorological Service]] (sunshine 1991–2020)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://opendata.dwd.de/climate_environment/CDC/observations_global/CLIMAT/monthly/qc/sunshine_duration/historical/08522_198606_201712.txt |title=Monthly Averages for Funchal |publisher=DwD |access-date=4 July 2021 |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525163946/https://opendata.dwd.de/climate_environment/CDC/observations_global/CLIMAT/monthly/qc/sunshine_duration/historical/08522_198606_201712.txt |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://opendata.dwd.de/climate_environment/CDC/observations_global/CLIMAT/monthly/qc/sunshine_duration/recent/08522.txt |title=Monthly Averages for Funchal |publisher=DwD |access-date=4 July 2021 |archive-date=20 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720150950/https://opendata.dwd.de/climate_environment/CDC/observations_global/CLIMAT/monthly/qc/sunshine_duration/recent/08522.txt |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

===Biodiversity===
{{see also|Madeira evergreen forests|Laurisilva of Madeira}}

====Endemic plant and animal species====

In the south, little is left of the indigenous subtropical rainforest that once covered the island{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}} (the original settlers set fires to clear the land for farming) and named it (''madeira'' means "wood" in Portuguese). However, in the north, the valleys harbor native trees. These ''[[Laurel forest|laurissilva]]'' [[Laurel forest|forests]], notably those on the northern slopes, are designated as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]. Madeira's paleobotanical record reveals that ''laurissilva'' forest has existed for at least 1.8&nbsp;million years.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Góis-Marques |first1=Carlos A. |last2=Madeira |first2=José |last3=Menezes de Sequeira |first3=Miguel |title=Inventory and review of the Mio–Pleistocene São Jorge flora (Madeira Island, Portugal): palaeoecological and biogeographical implications |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |volume=16 |issue=2 |date=7 February 2017 |pages=159–177 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2017.1282991 |hdl=10400.13/4191 |s2cid=132935444 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Critically endangered species such as the vine ''[[Jasminum azoricum]]''<ref name="IUCN">{{cite iucn |author=Fernandes, F. |date=2011 |title=''Jasminum azoricum'' |volume=2011 |page=e.T162250A5564173 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T162250A5564173.en |access-date=12 November 2021 }}</ref> and the rowan ''[[Sorbus maderensis]]'' are endemic. The [[Madeiran large white]] [[butterfly]] was an endemic [[subspecies]] of the [[large white]] that inhabited the ''laurissilva'' forests but has not been seen since 1977.
{{see also|List of endemic plants of Madeira}}

====Madeiran wall lizard====
{{Excerpt|Teira dugesii|only=paragraphs}}

==== Madeiran wolf spider ====
''[[Hogna ingens]]'', the Deserta Grande wolf spider, is endemic to the Madeira archipelago, specifically [[Deserta Grande Island]]. It is critically endangered. It is considered the largest member of its [[Family (biology)|family]]. Restoration efforts are underway.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Press Association |date=2017-08-08 |title=Bristol zoo gives rare spiders a leg-up with breeding programme |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/09/bristol-zoo-gives-rare-spiders-a-leg-up-with-breeding-programme |access-date=2024-11-03 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

===Birds===
Three species of birds are endemic to Madeira: the [[Trocaz pigeon]], the [[Madeira Chaffinch]] and the [[Madeira firecrest]]. In addition extinct species include the [[Madeiran scops owl]], two [[Rail (bird)|rail]] species, ''Rallus adolfocaesaris'' and ''R. lowei'',<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Alcover |first1=J. |last2=Pieper |first2=H. |last3=Pereira |first3=Fernando |last4=Rando |first4=J. |title=Five new extinct species of rails (Aves: Gruiformes: Rallidae) from the Macaronesian Islands (North Atlantic Ocean) |journal=Zootaxa |volume=4057 |issue=2 |date=2015 |pages=151–190 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4057.2.1 |pmid=26701473 }}</ref> and two [[quail]] species, ''Coturnix lignorum'' and ''C. alabrevis'',<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rando |first1=Juan C. |last2=Alcover |first2=Josep A. |last3=Pieper |first3=Harald |last4=Olson |first4=Storrs L. |last5=Hernández |first5=C. Nayra |last6=López-Jurado |first6=L. Felipe |title=Unforeseen diversity of quails (Galliformes: Phasianidae: ''Coturnix'') in oceanic islands provided by the fossil record of Macaronesia |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=188 |issue=4 |date=April 2020 |pages=1296–1317 |doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz107 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and the [[Madeiran wood pigeon]], a subspecies of the [[common wood pigeon]] and which was last seen in the early 20th century.

A [[Great Auk]] bone is known from the [[Savage Islands|Selvagens]], suggesting this seabird visited at least sporadically.<ref>Pieper, H. (1985). The fossil land birds of Madeira and Porto Santo. Bocagiana. Museu de História Natural do Funchal, N</ref>

====Mice====
Madeira is home to six species of brown mice, believed to be descendants of common European brown mice brought to the island by [[Vikings]] in the 9th century (or conceivably by 15th century Portuguese settlers), but diversified to the point where they cannot interbreed with their ancestral species or with one another. They have essentially the same genes, but rearranged to give different chromosome numbers: the ancestral species has 40 chromosomes, whereas the Madeira species have from 22 to 30.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1038/hdy.2012.107 |title=Origin of the chromosomal radiation of Madeiran house mice: a microsatellite analysis of metacentric chromosomes |last1=Förster |first1=D. W. |last2=Mathias |last3=Britton-Davidian |first3=J. |last4=Searle |journal=Heredity |volume=110 |pages=380–388 |year=2013 |issue=4 |pmid=23232832 |pmc=3607181 |bibcode=2013Hered.110..380F }}</ref> The deep valleys of Madeira are separated by high ground, and the different species of mice do not encounter each other.<ref>{{cite book |isbn=978-0-8153-4552-7 |title=Biochemical Evolution: the Pursuit of Perfection |last=Cornish-Bowden |first=A. |edition=2 |publisher=Garland Science |year=2016 |pages=43–44 }}</ref>

===''Levadas''===
{{Excerpt|Levada (Madeira)}}

==Politics==
{{Main|Politics of Madeira}}

=== Political autonomy ===
Due to its distinct geography, economy, social and cultural situation, as well as the historical autonomic aspirations of the population, the Autonomous Regions of Madeira was established in 1976.<ref name="ConstP">{{citation |title=Constituição da República Portuguesa |url=https://www.parlamento.pt/Legislacao/Documents/constpt2005.pdf |year=2005 |contribution=Art.255 |edition=VII Revisão Constituicional |location=Lisbon, Portugal |publisher=[[Assembly of the Republic (Portugal)|Assembleia da República]] |language=pt |access-date=5 August 2005 |archive-date=21 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521072711/http://www.parlamento.pt/Legislacao/Documents/constpt2005.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Although it is a politico-administrative autonomous region, the Portuguese constitution specifies both a regional and national connection, obliging their administrations to maintain democratic principles and promote regional interests, while reinforcing national unity.

As defined by the [[Constitution of Portugal|Portuguese constitution]] and other laws, Madeira possesses its own political and administrative [[statute]] and has its own [[government]]. The branches of Government are the [[Regional Government of Madeira|Regional Government]] and the [[Legislative Assembly of Madeira|Legislative Assembly]], the latter elected by [[universal suffrage]], using the [[D'Hondt method]] of [[proportional representation]].

The president of the Regional Government is appointed by the Representative of the Republic according to the results of the election to the legislative assemblies.

The [[sovereignty]] of the Portuguese Republic is represented in Madeira by the Representative of the Republic, appointed by the [[President of Portugal|President of the Republic]] on the advice of the [[Government of Portugal|Government of the Republic]]. The tasks of the Representative of the Republic are to sign and order the publication of regional legislative decrees and regional regulatory decrees or to exercise the right of veto over regional laws, should these laws be unconstitutional. Before the sixth amendment to the [[Constitution of Portugal|Portuguese Constitution]] passed in 2006, this responsibility was held by a more-powerful Minister of the Republic, who was proposed by the Government and appointed by the President.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

=== Status within the European Union ===
[[File:EU OCT and OMR map en.png|thumb|270px|Map of the pre-[[Brexit]] European Union in the world, with [[Special member state territories and the European Union|overseas countries and territories (OCT) and outermost regions (OMR)]] for which Madeira is included]]Madeira is an [[Outermost region|Outermost Region]] (OMR) of the [[European Union]], meaning that due to its geographical situation, it is entitled to [[derogation]] from some EU policies.

According to the [[Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union]], both primary and secondary [[European Union law]] applies to Madeira, with possible derogations to take account of its "structural social and economic situation&nbsp;(...) which is compounded by their remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate, economic dependence on a few products, the permanence and combination of which severely restrain their development".<ref name="Article 349 of TFEU">[http://wikisophia.org/index.php?title=Consolidated_version_of_the_Treaty_on_the_Functioning_of_the_European_Union/Part_Seven:_General_and_Final_Provisions Article 349]{{dead link|date=April 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} of the [[Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union]].</ref> An example of such derogation is seen in the approval of the [[International Business Centre of Madeira]] and other state aid policies to help the rum industry.

It forms part of the [[European Union Customs Union|European Union customs area]], the [[Schengen Area]] and the [[European Union Value Added Tax Area]].

=== Foreign relations and defence ===

Foreign affairs and defence are the responsibility of the national government. The Madeira Military Zone is the [[Portuguese Army]]'s command for ground forces stationed in the islands, centering on the 3rd Garrison Regiment based at Funchal.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.exercito.pt/pt/quem-somos/organizacao/ceme/cft/zmm |title=Quartel-General da Zona Militar da Madeira |website=Portuguese Army |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=24 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724122607/https://www.exercito.pt/pt/quem-somos/organizacao/ceme/cft/zmm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.exercito.pt/pt/quem-somos/organizacao/ceme/cft/zmm/rg3 |title=Regimento de Guarnição N.º 3 |website=Portuguese Army |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=24 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724213913/https://www.exercito.pt/pt/quem-somos/organizacao/ceme/cft/zmm/rg3 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Portuguese Navy|Navy]] tasks the patrol vessels [[Flyvefisken-class patrol vessel|''Tejo'' and ''Mondego'']] specifically to Madeira, as well as other vessels as required, in order to patrol [[Exclusive economic zone of Portugal|Portugal's large economic zone]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.marinha.pt/pt/os_meios/patrulhas/Paginas/NRP-TEJO.aspx |title=NRP TEJO |website=Portuguese Navy |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=26 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126223642/https://www.marinha.pt/pt/os_meios/patrulhas/Paginas/NRP-TEJO.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.marinha.pt/pt/os_meios/patrulhas/Paginas/NRP-MONDEGO.aspx |title=NRP MONDEGO |website=Portuguese Navy |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=20 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920120135/https://www.marinha.pt/pt/os_meios/patrulhas/Paginas/NRP-MONDEGO.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.marinha.pt/pt/os_meios/lanchas/Paginas/default.aspx |title=Lanchas |website=Portuguese Navy |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=24 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724212607/https://www.marinha.pt/pt/os_meios/lanchas/Paginas/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.marinha.pt/pt/os_meios/patrulhasoceanicos/Paginas/nrp-figueira-foz.aspx |title=NRP Figueira da Foz |website=Portuguese Navy |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=31 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531033816/https://www.marinha.pt/pt/os_meios/patrulhasoceanicos/Paginas/nrp-figueira-foz.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> To support search and rescue, the [[Portuguese Air Force]] maintains [[Porto Santo Airport#Military air base|a staging base]] on [[Porto Santo Island]] incorporating detachments of [[EADS CASA C-295|C-295]] aircraft and [[AgustaWestland AW101|Merlin]] helicopters.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.emfa.pt/unidade-60-aerodromo-de-manobra-n-3 |title=AERÓDROMO DE MANOBRA N.º 3 |website=Portuguese Air Force |access-date=25 July 2023 |archive-date=23 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723155927/https://www.emfa.pt/unidade-60-aerodromo-de-manobra-n-3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
[[File:Autonome Region Madeira 2020.png|thumb|270px|Municipalities of Madeira]]
Administratively, Madeira is divided into fifty four [[Parishes of Portugal|parishes]] and eleven [[Municipalities of Portugal|municipalities]]:<ref>[http://www.freguesiasdeportugal.com/distritos_portugal/madeira.htm Map of municipalities] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501002928/http://www.freguesiasdeportugal.com/distritos_portugal/madeira.htm |date=1 May 2009 }} at FreguesiasDePortugas l.com</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ccc;"
||'''Municipality'''|| style="text-align:center;" |'''Population'''<br />(2011)<ref name="INE">{{cite web |title=Censos 2021 Resultados Preliminares 2021 |url=https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&contecto=pi&indOcorrCod=0010745&selTab=tab0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604164910/https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&contecto=pi&indOcorrCod=0010745&selTab=tab0 |archive-date=4 June 2023 |access-date=8 August 2021 |publisher=INE}}</ref>|| style="text-align:center;" |'''Area'''||'''Main settlement'''||[[Freguesia|'''Parishes''']]
|-
|[[Funchal]]<ref>Statistics include [[Savage Islands]], which are administered by the parish of [[Sé (Funchal)|Sé]]</ref>|| align="right" | 111,892 || align="right" |{{cvt|75.7|km2|sqmi|sortable=on}}||[[Funchal]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 10
|-
|[[Santa Cruz, Madeira|Santa Cruz]]<ref>Statistics include the mainland parish of Santa Cruz and the islands of the [[Desertas Islands|Desertas]]</ref>|| align="right" | 43,005 || align="right" |{{cvt|68.0|km2|sqmi|sortable=on}}||[[Santa Cruz, Madeira|Santa Cruz]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 5
|-
|[[Câmara de Lobos]]|| align="right" | 35,666 || align="right" |{{cvt|52.6|km2|sqmi|sortable=on}}||[[Câmara de Lobos]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 5
|-
|[[Machico]]|| align="right" | 21,828 || align="right" |{{cvt|67.6|km2|sqmi|sortable=on}}||[[Machico]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 5
|-
|[[Ribeira Brava, Madeira|Ribeira Brava]]|| align="right" | 13,375 || align="right" |{{cvt|64.9|km2|sqmi|sortable=on}}||[[Ribeira Brava, Madeira|Ribeira Brava]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 4
|-
|[[Calheta (Madeira)|Calheta]]|| align="right" | 11,521 || align="right" |{{cvt|110.3|km2|sqmi|sortable=on}}||[[Calheta (Madeira)|Calheta]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 8
|-
|[[Ponta do Sol]]|| align="right" | 8,862 || align="right" |{{cvt|46.8|km2|sqmi|sortable=on}}||[[Ponta do Sol]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 3
|-
|[[Santana, Madeira|Santana]]|| align="right" | 7,719 || align="right" |{{cvt|93.1|km2|sqmi|sortable=on}}||[[Santana, Madeira|Santana]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 6
|-
|[[São Vicente, Madeira|São Vicente]]|| align="right" | 5,723 || align="right" |{{cvt|80.8|km2|sqmi|sortable=on}}||[[São Vicente, Madeira|São Vicente]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 3
|-
|[[Porto Santo (Madeira)|Porto Santo]]<ref>Statistics represent island population; Porto Santo is the second largest island in the archipelago of Madeira</ref>|| align="right" | 5,483 || align="right" |{{cvt|42.4|km2|sqmi|sortable=on}}||[[Vila Baleira]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 1
|-
|[[Porto Moniz]]|| align="right" | 2,711 || align="right" |{{cvt|82.6|km2|sqmi|sortable=on}}||[[Porto Moniz]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 4
|}[[File:Madeira 27 2014.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Partial view of the capital as seen from the mountains above it]]

===Funchal===
{{Excerpt|Funchal}}

===Sister Jurisdictions===
Madeira Island has the following sister jurisdictions:
:{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Aosta Valley]], [[Italy]] (1987)<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2021-03-21 |title=Acordos de geminação nunca passam do papel {{!}} Funchal Notícias {{!}} Notícias da Madeira – Informação de todos para todos! {{!}} Notícias da Madeira e do Porto Santo |url=https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/03/21/acordos-de-geminacao-nunca-passam-do-papel/ |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=Funchal Notícias |language=pt-BR}}</ref>
:{{flagicon|Jersey}} [[Jersey]] (1998)<ref name=":2" />
:{{flagicon|South Africa}} [[Eastern Cape]], [[South Africa]]<ref name=":2" />
:{{flagicon|South Korea}} [[Jeju Province]], [[South Korea]] (2007)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moura |first=Sara |title=Madeira e Jeju reafirmam geminação |url=https://ccmm.madeira.gov.pt/index.php/publicacoes/noticias/3502-madeira-e-jeju-reafirmam-geminacao |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=ccmm.madeira.gov.pt |language=pt-pt}}</ref>
:{{flagicon|Gibraltar}} [[Gibraltar]] (2009)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cm-funchal.pt/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=210%3Agibraltar&catid=79%3Asister-cities&Itemid=331 |title=Gibraltar |access-date=21 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302141854/http://www.cm-funchal.pt/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=210%3Agibraltar&catid=79%3Asister-cities&Itemid=331 |archive-date=2 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Excerpt|Demographics of Madeira|only=paragraphs|paragraphs=1}}

===Diaspora===
{{Main|Portuguese diaspora}}
Madeirans migrated to the United States, [[Venezuela]], [[Brazil]], [[Guyana]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], [[South Africa]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago]].<ref>"[http://uwispace.sta.uwi.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2139/38296/1420673.pdf?sequence=1 Madeiran Portuguese Migration to Guyana, St. Vincent, Antigua and Trinidad as well as South Africa: A Comparative Overview] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806153041/http://uwispace.sta.uwi.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2139/38296/1420673.pdf?sequence=1 |date=6 August 2016 }}" (PDF). Jo-Anne S. Ferreira, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine</ref><ref>"[http://www.madeira-a-z.com/what-to-do/emigration.html Madeira and Emigration] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801152515/http://www.madeira-a-z.com/what-to-do/emigration.html |date=1 August 2016 }}"</ref> Madeiran immigrants in North America mostly clustered in [[New England]] and [[mid-Atlantic states]], Toronto, Northern California, and [[Hawaii]]. The city of [[New Bedford]] is especially rich in Madeirans, hosting the Museum of Madeira Heritage. The annual Madeiran and Luso-American celebration, the [[Feast of the Blessed Sacrament]], the world's largest celebration of Madeiran heritage, regularly draws crowds of tens of thousands to the city's Madeira Field.
[[File:Portuguese immigrant family in Hawaii during the 19th century.jpg|thumb|Many [[Portuguese Americans|Portuguese]] immigrants in [[Hawaiian Islands|Hawaii]] were of Madeiran origin]]
In the 1846 famine, over 6,000 inhabitants migrated to [[British Guiana]]. In 1891 they numbered 4.3% of the population.<ref>"[http://www.guyana.org/special/portuguese.html Portuguese emigration from Madeira to British Guiana] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918073124/http://www.guyana.org/special/portuguese.html |date=18 September 2013 }}"</ref> In 1902 5,000 Portuguese people, mostly Madeirans, lived in [[Honolulu]], Hawaii. By 1910 this grew to 21,000.<ref name="Library of Congress Hawaii">{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/portam/chron4.html |title=Portuguese Immigrants in the United States: Chronology, 1900–1919 |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=26 August 2017 |archive-date=6 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206023025/http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/portam/chron4.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

1849 saw an emigration of Protestant religious exiles from Madeira to the United States, by way of Trinidad and elsewhere in the [[West Indies]]. Most of them settled in [[Illinois]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/portam/exiles.html |title=Protestant Exiles from Madeira in Illinois |work=loc.gov |access-date=30 December 2017 |archive-date=9 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109082430/http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/portam/exiles.html |url-status=live }}</ref> with financial and physical aid of the American Protestant Society, headquartered in New York City. In the late 1830s physician and Presbyterian minister Reverend [[Robert Reid Kalley]], from Scotland made a stop at Funchal, Madeira on his way to a mission in China, with his wife, so that she could recover from an illness. Kalley and his wife stayed on Madeira where he began preaching the Protestant gospel and converting islanders from Catholicism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.orgsites.com/il/jaghs/_pgg5.php3 |title=Portuguese Immigration To Jacksonville in 1849 |work=orgsites.com |access-date=15 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116082621/http://www.orgsites.com/il/jaghs/_pgg5.php3 |archive-date=16 January 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Eventually, he was arrested and imprisoned for his religious conversion activities. Another Scottish missionary, William Hepburn Hewitson, took on Protestant ministerial activities in Madeira. By 1846, about 1,000 Protestant Madeirenses, who were discriminated against and the subjects of mob violence because of their religious conversions, chose to immigrate to Trinidad and elsewhere in the West Indies in answer a call for sugar plantation workers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z1M0AQAAMAAJ&q=Gonsalves+Illinois+portuguese&pg=PA580 |title=History of Sangamon County, Illinois |year=1881 |access-date=16 November 2020 |archive-date=8 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208172703/https://books.google.com/books?id=z1M0AQAAMAAJ&q=Gonsalves+Illinois+portuguese&pg=PA580 |url-status=live }}</ref> The exiles did not fare well there. The tropical climate was unfamiliar and they found themselves in serious economic difficulties. By 1848, the American Protestant Society raised money and sent Rev. Manuel J. Gonsalves, a Baptist minister and a naturalized U.S. citizen from Madeira, to work with Rev. Arsénio da Silva, who had emigrated with the exiles from Madeira, to arrange to resettle those who wanted to come to the United States. Rev. da Silva died in early 1849. Later in 1849, Rev. Gonsalves was then charged with escorting the exiles from Trinidad to settle in Sangamon and Morgan counties in Illinois on land purchased with funds raised by the American Protestant Society. Accounts state that anywhere from 700 to 1,000 exiles came to the United States at this time.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/historicalency2bate |page=[https://archive.org/details/historicalency2bate/page/678 678] |quote=The Portuguese Colony. |title=Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois |publisher=Munsell Publishing Company |last1=Bateman |first1=Newton |last2=Selby |first2=Paul |year=1906 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=viQQAAAAIAAJ&q=Gonsalves+Illinois+portuguese&pg=PA26 |title=The Christian World |year=1850 |access-date=16 November 2020 |archive-date=8 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208172704/https://books.google.com/books?id=viQQAAAAIAAJ&q=Gonsalves+Illinois+portuguese&pg=PA26 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Several large Madeiran communities continue around the world, including in the UK and [[Jersey]].<ref>"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/jersey/voices/funchal.shtml BBC – Jersey Voices] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925065410/http://www.bbc.co.uk/jersey/voices/funchal.shtml |date=25 September 2015 }}"</ref> The [[Portuguese British]] community, made up mostly of Madeirans, celebrate [[Madeira Day]].

In Venezuela the Madeiran Portuguese settled in cities such as [[Caracas]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Dinneen |first=Mark |date=1 June 2015 |title=El transnacionalismo de los inmigrantes: los portugueses y luso-venezolanos en Caracas |url=http://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1012-70892015000100003&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es |journal=Terra |language=es |volume=31 |issue=49 |pages=49–69 |issn=1012-7089 |access-date=3 June 2023 |archive-date=3 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603111020/http://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1012-70892015000100003&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es |url-status=live }}</ref> and rural areas of the interior. According to figures from the 1990s, around 70% of the Portuguese diaspora in that country was made up of Madeirans and their descendants, initially dedicated to activities such as [[agriculture]], but later, due to the lack of government support, the emigrants concentrated on [[commerce]]<ref name=":0" /> in the large Venezuelan cities. Among the companies founded by Madeirans are the supermarkets Central Madeirense, Excelsior Gama, Supermercados Unicasa and Automercados Plaza, and many renowned bakeries.<ref name=":0" /> A state in Venezuela called [[Portuguesa (state)|Portuguesa]] was named after its large Portuguese population.

===Immigration===
Madeira is part of the [[Schengen Area]].

Due to its growing popularity, Madeira’s population has grown, reaching 253,259 in 2022, of whom the majority are locals. But Madeira has, for many years, witnessed a rising foreign population. As of 31 December 2022, immigrants in the region totaled 11,793 people, representing an increase of 13.3% compared to 2021. “Nationals from Venezuela (19.7%), the United Kingdom (11.8%), Germany (9.4%) and Brazil (9.2%) continue to represent the main foreign communities in the region<ref>{{Cite web |title=27-10-2023 – DREM releases the publication "Demographic Statistics of the Autonomous Region of Madeira 2022" and updated the time series |url=https://estatistica.madeira.gov.pt/en/download-now-3/social-gb/popcondsoc-gb/demografia-gb/demografia-noticias-gb/4203-27-10-2023-drem-releases-the-publication-demographic-statistics-of-the-autonomous-region-of-madeira-2022-and-updated-the-time-series.html |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=estatistica.madeira.gov.pt |archive-date=19 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319150029/https://estatistica.madeira.gov.pt/en/download-now-3/social-gb/popcondsoc-gb/demografia-gb/demografia-noticias-gb/4203-27-10-2023-drem-releases-the-publication-demographic-statistics-of-the-autonomous-region-of-madeira-2022-and-updated-the-time-series.html |url-status=live }}</ref>”, according to the DREM (Madeira Statistics Department).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pearls |first=of Portugal |date=12 February 2024 |title=Madeira: Get to know Portugal's Atlantic Pearl |url=https://www.pearlsofportugal.com/living-in-portugal/madeira-island-portugal-atlantic-pearl/ |access-date=19 March 2024 |website=The best of Portugal on one site |language=en-US |archive-date=19 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319150028/https://www.pearlsofportugal.com/living-in-portugal/madeira-island-portugal-atlantic-pearl/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Economy==
The [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) reached nearly 7 billion euros in 2023, accounting for 2.6% of Portugal's economic output. GDP per capita was of 27,370 euros or 73% of the EU27 average. The GDP per employee was 71% of the EU average.<ref name="GDP"/><ref name="GDP2"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018 |website=Eurostat |access-date=7 March 2020 |archive-date=17 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417095003/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Madeira embraced [[Bitcoin]] by implementing policies that exempt Bitcoin investors from paying personal income taxes in the region. Madeira Regional Government President Miguel Albuquerque confirmed the inauguration of a business hub focused solely on Bitcoin and related innovations. Speaking in a dialogue with Prince Filip Karađorđević of [[Serbia]] at Bitcoin Amsterdam 2023, he framed the move as a significant step toward technological advancements and international partnerships.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2022-05-08/madeira-bitcoin-adoption-announced/66857 |title=Madeira Bitcoin adoption announced |website=The Portugal News |archive-date=4 October 2023 |access-date=20 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004035354/https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2022-05-08/madeira-bitcoin-adoption-announced/66857 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Madeira International Business Center===
[[File:Funchal mountains view.jpg|thumb|View of Madeiran mountains from Funchal]]
[[File:Canical.jpg|thumb|[[Caniçal]] on the left and Madeira Free Trade (Industrial) Zone on the right]]

{{Main|International Business Centre of Madeira|l1=International Business Center of Madeira}}

The [[International Business Centre of Madeira|Madeira International Business Center]] (MIBC) [[free trade zone]] has led to additional infrastructure, production shops and essential services for small and medium-sized industrial enterprises. MIBC comprises three sectors of investment: the Industrial Free Trade Zone, the International Shipping Register – MAR and International Services. Madeira's tax regime has been approved by the European Commission as legal State Aid and its deadline was extended through 2027. MIBC was created formally in the 1980s as a tool of regional economic policy.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} It consists of (mainly tax) incentives, granted with the objective of attracting investment into Madeira.

Favorable operational and fiscal conditions were approved by the European Commission under Article 299 of the [[Treaty on European Union]]. The MIBC is integrated in the Portuguese and EU legal systems and is regulated and supervised by Portuguese and EU authorities in a transparent and stable business environment, clearly distinguished from so-called "tax havens" and "offshore jurisdictions". In 2015, the EC authorized a state aid regime for companies incorporated between 2015 and 2020 and extended the regime of tax reductions through 2027. The tax regime is outlined in Article 36°-A of the Portuguese Tax Incentives Statute. Available data demonstrates that this programme aided the local labor market, through the creation of qualified jobs and for professionals who have returned to Madeira; increased productivity; expanded business tourism from the visits of investors and their clients and suppliers, and other sectors such as real estate. Telecommunications and other services benefit from a larger client base. Companies attracted by MIBC represent over 40% of revenue in terms of corporate income tax for the Government of Madeira and nearly 3.000 jobs. Salaries there are above average in comparison with the wages paid in other sectors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibc-madeira.com/about_ibc.aspx?ID=51 |title=International Business Centre of Madeira – About IBC |work=ibc-madeira.com |access-date=16 January 2014 |archive-date=17 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117073225/http://www.ibc-madeira.com/about_ibc.aspx?ID=51 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Regional government ===
{{Update section|date=February 2025}}
Madeira has been a significant recipient of [[European Union]] funding, totaling €2&nbsp;billion. In 2012, it was reported that despite a population of just 250,000, the local administration owed some €6&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/portugal/9191749/Billions-of-euros-of-EU-money-yet-Madeira-has-built-up-massive-debts.html |title=Billions of euros of EU money yet Madeira has built up massive debts |access-date=10 July 2016 |date=7 April 2012 |last1=Freeman |first1=Colin |archive-date=10 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810080943/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/portugal/9191749/Billions-of-euros-of-EU-money-yet-Madeira-has-built-up-massive-debts.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Portuguese treasury (IGCP) assumed Madeira's debt management between 2012 and 2015. The region works with the central government on a long-term plan to reduce debt levels and commercial debt stock. [[Moody's]] noted that the region made significant fiscal consolidation efforts and that its tax revenue collection has improved. Tax revenues increased by 41% between 2012 and 2016, helping the region to reduce its deficit to operating revenue ratio to 10% in 2016 from 77% in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-changes-outlook-to-positive-on-the-ratings-of-Azores--PR_371628 |title=Moody's changes outlook to positive on the ratings of Azores and Madeira; ratings affirmed |date=5 September 2017 |publisher=Moody's |access-date=19 March 2018 |archive-date=19 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319085134/https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-changes-outlook-to-positive-on-the-ratings-of-Azores--PR_371628 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{Quote box|width=28.5%|quote=Pearl of the Atlantic, island of eternal spring... Madeira well deserves its fanciful nicknames and the affection visitors and locals alike feel for this tiny volcanic island that offers so much.|source=''[[Lonely Planet]]''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/portugal/madeira |title=Madeira travel |website=Lonely Planet |access-date=25 June 2021 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408172612/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/portugal/madeira |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
[[File:Madeira Beach (163610932).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Praia da Calheta|Calheta Beach]]]]

[[Tourism in Portugal|Tourism]] is an important sector in the region's economy, contributing 20%<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/portugal/7301442/Madeira-floods-tourists-urged-not-to-cancel-holidays.html |title=Telegraph article |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=23 February 2010 |access-date=8 March 2015 |last1=Govan |first1=Fiona |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402135257/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/portugal/7301442/Madeira-floods-tourists-urged-not-to-cancel-holidays.html |url-status=live }}</ref> to the region's GDP, providing support throughout the year for commercial, transport and other activities and constituting a significant market for local products. The share in Gross Value Added of hotels and restaurants (9%) also highlights this phenomenon. The island of Porto Santo, with its {{convert|9|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} beach and its climate, is entirely devoted to tourism.

Visitors are mainly from Europe, with Portuguese, British, German and French tourists providing the main contingents (2021).<ref name="auto"/> The average annual occupancy rate was 60.3% in 2008,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://estatistica.gov-madeira.pt/DRE_SRPC/EmFoco/Servicos/Turismo/emfoco.pdf |title=Statistics from DRE of Madeira tourism (2008) |access-date=30 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100805142224/http://estatistica.gov-madeira.pt/DRE_SRPC/EmFoco/Servicos/Turismo/emfoco.pdf |archive-date=5 August 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> reaching its maximum in March and April, when it exceeds 70%.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

The best time to visit Madeira is during spring and autumn for mild weather and fewer crowds, making it ideal for outdoor activities. Summer is perfect for beach lovers but can be crowded, while winter offers mild temperatures and fewer tourists, making it ideal for experiencing the island’s waterfalls.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Best Time to Visit Madeira: Tips and Insights by Sergio - Madeira, Portugal - Rexby |url=https://www.rexby.com/s.x.traveler/t/the-best-time-to-visit-madeira-tips-and-insights |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=www.rexby.com |language=en}}</ref>

==== Whale watching ====
[[Whale watching]] has become very popular in recent years. Many species of dolphins, such as [[common dolphin]], spotted dolphin, [[striped dolphin]], [[bottlenose dolphin]], [[short-finned pilot whale]], and whales such as [[Bryde's whale]], [[Sei whale]],<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-7WOmSkjhE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/I-7WOmSkjhE |archive-date=28 October 2021 |title=Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis off Madeira, Portugal |date=3 January 2013 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore }}</ref> [[fin whale]], [[sperm whale]], [[beaked whale]]s can be spotted near the coast or offshore.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.madeirawindbirds.com/en/tours/madeira_half_day_dolphin_watching.html |title=Madeira whale and Dolphin watching |publisher=madeirawindbirds.com |date=30 August 2010 |access-date=10 December 2010 |archive-date=26 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100826074354/http://www.madeirawindbirds.com/en/tours/madeira_half_day_dolphin_watching.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Sustainable development===
Electricity on Madeira is provided solely through EEM (Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira, SA, which holds a monopoly for the provision of electrical supply on the autonomous region) and consists largely of fossil fuels, but with a significant supply of seasonal hydroelectricity from the levada system, wind power and a small amount of solar. Energy production comes from conventional thermal and hydropower, as well as wind and solar energy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Miguel |first1=Miguel |last2=Nogueira |first2=Teresa |last3=Martins |first3=Florinda |date=1 October 2017 |title=Energy storage for renewable energy integration: the case of Madeira Island, Portugal |journal=Energy Procedia |series=4th International Conference on Energy and Environment Research ICEER 2017 |volume=136 |pages=251–257 |doi=10.1016/j.egypro.2017.10.277 |issn=1876-6102 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2017EnPro.136..251M |hdl=10400.22/10795 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The Ribeira dos Soccoridos [[hydropower]] plant, rated at 15MW, utilises a [[pumped hydropower]] reservoir to recycle mountain water during the dry summer.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Madeira |series=Islands of the Future |network=[[Netflix]] |date=2014 |season=1 |number=2 |time=48:03 }}</ref>

[[Battery storage power station|Battery technologies]] are being tested to minimise Madeira's reliance on fossil fuel imports.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-08-03/a-deluge-of-batteries-is-about-to-rewire-the-power-grid |title=A Deluge of Batteries Is About to Rewire the Power Grid |last=Stringer |first=David |date=3 August 2019 |website=Bloomberg |access-date=21 August 2019 |archive-date=21 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821030907/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-08-03/a-deluge-of-batteries-is-about-to-rewire-the-power-grid |url-status=live }}</ref> Renault SA and EEM piloted the Sustainable Porto Santo—Smart Fossil Free Island project on Porto Santo to demonstrate how fossil fuels can be entirely replaced with renewable energy,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.power-technology.com/news/renault-aims-power-portuguese-island-entirely-renewable-energy/ |title=Renault aims to power Portuguese island entirely by renewable energy |last=Casey |first=JP |date=22 February 2018 |website=Power Technology {{!}} Energy News and Market Analysis |language=en-GB |access-date=21 August 2019 |archive-date=21 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821002546/https://www.power-technology.com/news/renault-aims-power-portuguese-island-entirely-renewable-energy/ |url-status=live }}</ref> using a 3.3 MWh battery. Madeira operates a 15 MW 1-hour [[lithium iron phosphate]] battery with [[black start]] capability.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Murray |first1=Cameron |title=Fluence 16.4MWh BESS inaugurated in Madeira, Portugal |url=https://www.energy-storage.news/fluence-16-4mwh-bess-inaugurated-in-madeira-portugal/ |website=Energy Storage News |date=17 November 2022 |access-date=17 November 2022 |archive-date=17 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117232258/https://www.energy-storage.news/fluence-16-4mwh-bess-inaugurated-in-madeira-portugal/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the first half of 2022, 33% of the electricity consumed on the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira was sourced from renewable energy, a milestone achieved through a collaborative initiative co-funded by the European Union (EU).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=3 July 2023 |title=How did Madeira become the EU's poster child for renewable energy? |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/07/03/how-did-madeira-become-the-eus-poster-child-for-renewable-energy |access-date=29 September 2023 |website=euronews |language=en |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029085456/https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/07/03/how-did-madeira-become-the-eus-poster-child-for-renewable-energy |url-status=live }}</ref>

Central to this accomplishment are the centuries-old stone pipes known as levadas, spanning thousands of kilometers and dating back to the fifteenth century. These levadas efficiently transport rainwater from northern regions to the south, serving various purposes such as human consumption, agriculture, and electricity production.<ref name=":1" />

The Socorridos hydroelectric power station, fueled by water conveyed through the levadas, stands as the island's principal hydraulic system, providing power consistently throughout the year. A significant aspect of the EU-funded multi-million euro project involved enhancing water storage capacity, including the construction of a 5.4-kilometer tunnel and additional mountain tunnels, presenting formidable engineering challenges.<ref name=":1" />

Wind power complements the system, facilitating the movement of stored water uphill during peak demand periods. The treated water serves dual purposes—human consumption and agriculture—while also functioning as a renewable energy source. Nuno Jorge Pereira, Water Production Director for Wood, Water, and Waste (ARM), elucidates the strategic use of water volumes to adapt to energy production levels.<ref name=":1" />

This €34.7 million project, with €17.3 million co-financed by the European Cohesion Policy, not only mitigates concerns about drought but also earned acclaim as one of the best EU co-funded projects in the EGIOSTAR Awards.<ref name=":1" />

The optimized Socorridos plant has notably alleviated water-related challenges for local farmers.<ref name=":1" />

===Transport===
{{Main|Transport in Madeira}}
[[File:Večerní Funchal z přístavního mola.JPG|thumb|A ferry makes daily trips between Madeira and [[Porto Santo]].]]
The islands have two airports, [[Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport]] and [[Porto Santo Airport]], on the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo respectively. From Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport the most frequent flights are to [[Lisbon]]. There are also direct flights to over 30 other airports in Europe and nearby islands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ana.pt/en-US/Aeroportos/Madeira/Funchal/Departures/DestinationsandAirlines/Pages/DestinationsandAirlines.aspx |title=Madeira > Departures > Destinations and Airlines > Destinations and Airlines |access-date=10 July 2016 |date=July 2016 |archive-date=11 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811032025/http://www.ana.pt/en-US/Aeroportos/Madeira/Funchal/Departures/DestinationsandAirlines/Pages/DestinationsandAirlines.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

Transport between the two main islands is by plane, or ferries from the Porto Santo Line,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.portosantoline.pt/ |title=Porto Santo Line |last=Administrator |access-date=10 July 2016 |archive-date=1 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701110835/https://www.portosantoline.pt/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the latter also carrying vehicles. Visiting the interior of the islands is now easy thanks to construction of the ''Vias Rápidas'', major roads that cross the island. Modern roads reach all points of interest on the islands.

Funchal has an extensive public transportation system. Bus companies, including [[Horários do Funchal]], which has been operating for over a hundred years, have regularly scheduled routes to all points of interest on the island.

==Culture==
===Music===
{{Main|Music of Madeira}}
[[File:Madeirenses.jpg|thumb|Bailinho da Madeira]]
[[Folklore]] music in Madeira is widespread and mainly uses local musical instruments such as the [[Machete (musical instrument)|machete]], [[rajão]], [[brinquinho]] and [[cavaquinho]], which are used in traditional folkloric dances like the {{lang|pt|bailinho da Madeira}}.

Emigrants from Madeira also influenced the creation of new musical instruments. In the 1880s, the [[ukulele]] was created, based on two small guitar-like instruments of Madeiran origin, the [[cavaquinho]] and the [[rajão]]. The ukulele was introduced to the [[Hawaiian Islands]] by [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] immigrants from Madeira and Cape Verde.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nidel |first=Richard |title=World Music: The Basics |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |page=[https://archive.org/details/worldmusic00rich_0/page/312 312] |isbn=978-0-415-96800-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/worldmusic00rich_0/page/312 }}</ref> Three immigrants in particular, Madeiran cabinet makers Manuel Nunes, José do Espírito Santo, and Augusto Dias, are generally credited as the first ukulele makers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Roberts |first=Helen |title=Ancient Hawaiian Music |publisher=[[Bernice P. Bishop Museum]] |year=1926 |pages=9–10 }}</ref> Two weeks after they disembarked from the ''[[Ravenscrag (ship)|SS Ravenscrag]]'' in late August 1879, the ''Hawaiian Gazette'' reported that "Madeira Islanders recently arrived here, have been delighting the people with nightly street concerts."<ref>{{cite web |last=King |first=John |title=Prolegomena to a History of the 'Ukulele |publisher=Ukulele Guild of Hawai'i |year=2000 |url=http://www.ukuleleguild.org/history.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040803005054/http://www.ukuleleguild.org/history.php |archive-date=3 August 2004 |url-status=usurped |access-date=2 February 2016 }}</ref> The Madeiran band [[Napa (band)|NAPA]] represented Portugal in the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2025|2025 Eurovision Song Contest]] with the song [[Deslocado]].

===Cuisine===
[[File:Patella vulgata Madeira 1.jpg|thumb|"Lapas", the true limpet species ''[[Patella vulgata]]'']]
Because of the geographic situation of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean, the island has an abundance of fish of various kinds. The species that are consumed the most are espada ([[black scabbardfish]]), [[Thunnus|blue fin tuna]], [[swordfish]], [[white marlin]], [[Atlantic blue marlin|blue marlin]], [[albacore]], [[bigeye tuna]], [[wahoo]], [[Marlin|spearfish]], [[skipjack tuna]] and many others are found in the local dishes as they are found along the coast of Madeira.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fish that can be found in Madeira Archipelago undersea |url=https://www.madeirabirds.com/fish_madeira_archipelago_undersea |website=Madeira Birdwatching |access-date=20 January 2018 |date=10 October 2006 |archive-date=21 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121000031/https://www.madeirabirds.com/fish_madeira_archipelago_undersea |url-status=live }}</ref> Espada is usually fried in a batter and accompanied by fried banana ([[Espada com banana]]) and sometimes a passionfruit sauce.<ref name="goas">{{Cite web |date=22 September 2022 |title=A Comprehensive Guide to Food and Drink in Madeira |url=https://goaskalocal.com/blog/madeiras-best-restaurants |website=Go Ask A Local. |language=en-US |access-date=19 December 2022 |archive-date=19 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219032118/https://goaskalocal.com/blog/madeiras-best-restaurants |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bacalhau]] is also popular, as it is in [[Continental Portugal|Mainland Portugal]].

[[File:Black scabbardfish, São Vicente, Madeira.jpg|thumb|Black scabbardfish ''(espada)'', São Vicente, Madeira]]

There are many different meat dishes on Madeira, one of the most popular being [[espetada]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/recipes/espetada-beef-brochettes/ |title=Madeira Espetada |publisher=theworldwidegourmet.com |access-date=30 August 2010 |archive-date=24 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624013706/http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/recipes/espetada-beef-brochettes/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Espetada is traditionally made of large chunks of beef rubbed in garlic, salt and bay leaf and marinated for 4 to 6 hours in Madeira wine, red wine vinegar and olive oil then skewered onto a [[bay laurel]] stick and left to grill over smouldering wood chips. These are so integral a part of traditional eating habits that a special iron stand is available with a T-shaped end, each branch of the "T" having a slot in the middle to hold a [[brochette]] (espeto in Portuguese); a small plate is then placed underneath to collect the juices. The brochettes are very long and have a V-shaped blade in order to pierce the meat more easily. It is usually accompanied with the local bread called [[bolo do caco]]. A traditional holiday dish is "Carne de Vinho e Alhos", which is most closely associated with the pig slaughter that was held a few weeks before Christmas. A big event, traditionally it was attended by everyone in the village. The dish is made of pork which marinates for three days in white wine, vinegar, salt, and pepper and is then cooked with small potatoes, sliced carrots, and turnip. Another common meat dish is “Picado" – cubed beef cooked in a mushroom sauce and accompanied by fries.<ref name="goas"/>

Other popular dishes in Madeira include [[açorda]], [[feijoada]] and [[Carne de Vinha d' Alhos|carne de vinha d'alhos]].

Traditional pastries in Madeira usually contain local ingredients, one of the most common being ''mel de cana'', literally "sugarcane honey" ([[molasses]]). The traditional cake of Madeira is called ''[[Bolo de Mel]]'', which translates as (Sugarcane) "Honey Cake" and according to custom, is never cut with a knife, but broken into pieces by hand. It is a rich and heavy cake. The cake commonly known as "[[Madeira cake]]" in England is named after [[Madeira wine]].

[[Malasada]]s are a local confection which are mainly consumed during the [[Carnival of Madeira]]. [[pastel de nata|Pastéis de nata]], as in the rest of Portugal, are also very popular.

[[Milho frito]] is a popular dish in Madeira that is similar to the Italian dish [[polenta]] fritta. [[Açorda]] Madeirense is another popular local dish.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Madeira is known for the high quality of its [[cherimoya]] fruits.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/images/prod_imagens/frescos/docs/CE_Anona_Madeira.pdf |title=Caderno de Especificações – Anona da Madeira – Denominação de Origem |year=1998 |website=Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses |publisher=Agripérola, Cooperativa Agrícola CRL |access-date=18 March 2019 |language=pt |trans-title=Specification Notebook – Anona da Madeira – Denomination of Origin |archive-date=8 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208172714/https://tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/images/prod_imagens/frescos/docs/CE_Anona_Madeira.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/pt/cat/frutos-frescos/940-anona-da-madeira-dop |title=Anona da Madeira DOP |website=Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses |publisher=Direção-Geral de Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural |access-date=18 March 2019 |language=pt |archive-date=6 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106195935/https://tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/pt/cat/frutos-frescos/940-anona-da-madeira-dop |url-status=live }}</ref> The Annona Festival is traditional and held annually in the parish of Faial. This event encourages the consumption of this fruit and its derivatives, such as liqueurs, puddings, ice cream and smoothies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitmadeira.pt/pt-pt/o-que-fazer/eventos/pesquisa/festa-da-anona |title=Festa da Anona |year=2019 |website=Visit Madeira |publisher=Direcção Regional do Turismo da Madeira |access-date=18 March 2019 |language=pt |trans-title=The Annona Festival |archive-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112085936/http://www.visitmadeira.pt/pt-pt/o-que-fazer/eventos/pesquisa/festa-da-anona |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Beverages ===
[[File:Vino D Oliveiras.JPG|thumb|left|Bottles of Madeira labelled by the different grape varieties used to produce the many styles of wine]]
[[File:CORAL.jpg|thumb|Coral Beer, produced since 1872<ref name="ecm.pt">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ecm.pt/en/portfolio_page/coral-branca/ |title=Coral Branca |access-date=11 May 2020 |archive-date=16 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216001416/https://www.ecm.pt/en/portfolio_page/coral-branca/ |url-status=live }}</ref> in the Island's main brewery, has achieved several [[Monde Selection]] medals]]
[[Madeira wine]] is a [[fortified wine]] produced in the Madeira Islands; varieties may be sweet or dry. It has a history dating back to the [[Age of Exploration]] when Madeira was a standard [[Port#Port of call|port of call]] for ships heading to the [[New World]] or [[East Indies]]. To prevent the wine from spoiling, neutral [[grape spirit]]s were added. However, wine producers of Madeira discovered, when an unsold shipment of wine returned to the islands after a round trip, that the flavour of the wine had been transformed by exposure to heat and movement. Today, Madeira is noted for its unique winemaking process that involves heating the wine and deliberately exposing the wine to some levels of [[oxidation]].<ref name="Sotheby pg 340–341">T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 340–341 Dorling Kindersley 2005 {{ISBN|0-7566-1324-8 }}</ref> Most countries limit the use of the term ''Madeira'' to those wines that come from the Madeira Islands, to which the [[European Union]] grants [[Protected designation of origin]] (PDO) status.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_packaging/l21303_en.htm |title=Labelling of wine and certain other wine sector products |publisher=Europa (web portal) |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=20 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120003136/http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_packaging/l21303_en.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
A local beer called Coral is produced by the [[Madeira Brewery]], which dates from 1872. It has achieved 2 [[Monde Selection]] Grand Gold Medals, 24 Monde Selection Gold Medals and 2 Monde Selection Silver Medals.<ref name="ecm.pt" /> Other alcoholic drinks are also popular in Madeira, such as the locally created [[Poncha]], Niquita, Pé de Cabra, and Aniz, as well as Portuguese drinks such as [[Macieira Brandy]], [[Licor Beirão]].

Laranjada is a type of [[carbonation|carbonated]] soft drink with an orange flavour, its name being derived from the Portuguese word ''laranja'' ("orange"). Launched in 1872 it was the first soft drink to be produced in Portugal, and remains very popular to the present day.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} [[Brisa drink]]s, a brand name, are also very popular and come in a range of flavours.

===Sport===
{{Main|Sport in Madeira}}

[[Image:Fotbal-1875.JPG|right|250px|thumb|Monument in [[Camacha]], celebrating the first ever organised football game in Portugal]]

[[Association football|Football]] is the most popular sport in Madeira and the island was indeed the first place in Portugal to host a match, organised by [[United Kingdom|British]] residents in 1875.<ref>Madeira: The islands and their Wines – Page 17 "The son of William Hinton, Harry Hinton was educated in England and as an 18-year-old student, brought the first football to Madeira in 1875. The first game of football in Portugal was played near the Hinton family quinta in Camacha."</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/did-you-know-that/the-first-football-match-in-portugal |title=The first football match in Portugal |website=Visitmadeira.pt |access-date=20 June 2021 |archive-date=23 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023102133/http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/madeira/did-you-know-that/the-first-football-match-in-portugal |url-status=live }}</ref> The island is the birthplace of international star [[Cristiano Ronaldo]] and is home to two prominent teams, [[C.S. Marítimo]] and [[C.D. Nacional]], the latter of which he played youth football for before leaving to join [[Sporting CP]].

As well as football, the island is also home to professional sports teams in [[basketball]] ([[CAB Madeira]]) and [[handball]] ([[Madeira Andebol SAD]], who were runners up in the [[2018–19 EHF Challenge Cup#Final|2019 European Challenge Cup]]).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.record.pt/modalidades/andebol/detalhe/madeira-sad-perde-final-da-taca-challenge-para-o-csm-bucareste |title=Madeira SAD perde final da Taça Challenge para o CSM Bucareste |website=Record.pt |access-date=20 June 2021 |archive-date=21 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621112355/https://www.record.pt/modalidades/andebol/detalhe/madeira-sad-perde-final-da-taca-challenge-para-o-csm-bucareste |url-status=live }}</ref> Madeira was also the host of the [[2003 World Men's Handball Championship|2003 World Handball Championship]].

The [[Rally Vinho da Madeira]] is a rally race held annually since 1959, considered one of the biggest sporting events on the island<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/what-to-do/events/search/madeira-wine-rally |title=Madeira Wine Rally |website=Visitmadeira.pt |access-date=20 June 2021 |archive-date=17 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917184915/http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/what-to-do/events/search/madeira-wine-rally |url-status=live }}</ref> It was part of the [[European Rally Championship]] from 1979 to 2012 and the [[Intercontinental Rally Challenge]] from 2006 to 2010.

Other popular sporting activities include [[golf]] at one of the island's two courses (plus one on [[Porto Santo]]), [[surfing]], [[scuba diving]], and [[hiking]].

===Postage stamps===
{{Main|Postage stamps and postal history of Madeira}}
Portugal has issued postage stamps for Madeira during several periods, beginning in 1868.

==See also==
<!--{{Main|Outline of Madeira}}-->
* "[[Have Some Madeira M'Dear]]"
* [[Geology of Madeira]]
* [[List of birds of Madeira]]
* [[Madeira Islands Open]], an annual European Tour golf tournament
* [[Surfing in Madeira]]
*Islands of [[Macaronesia]]
**[[Azores]]
**[[Cabo Verde]]
**[[Canary Islands]]

{{Portal bar|Portugal|Geography}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book |last=Pitta |first=Nicholas Cayetano de Bettencourt |year=1812 |title=Account of the Island of Madeira |location=London |publisher=C. Stewart Printer |hdl=2027/hvd.hxjfzu}}
* {{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/madeiraoldnew00koebuoft |last=Koebel |first=William Henry |author-link=William Henry Koebel |year=1909 |title=Madeira: Old and New |location=London |publisher=Francis Griffiths}}
* {{cite book |url={{GBurl |id=Ph60AAAAIAAJ}} |last=Dervenn |first=Claude |translator-last=Hogarth-Gaute |translator-first=Frances |year=1957 |title=Madeira |location=London |publisher=George G. Harrap and Co.}}
* {{cite book |last=Walvin |first=James |year=2000 |title=Making the Black Atlantic: Britain and the African Diaspora |location=London |publisher=Cassell}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Madeira}}
* [https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1756/the-portuguese-colonization-of-madeira/ ''World History Encyclopedia'' – The Portuguese Colonization of Madeira]. {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521091457/https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1756/the-portuguese-colonization-of-madeira/ |date=21 May 2021 }}.
* {{Wikiatlas|Madeira}}
* [https://www.madeira.gov.pt/ Madeira's Government Website]. {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102142343/https://www.madeira.gov.pt/ |date=2 November 2018 }}.
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle= Madeira |volume= 17 | pages = 280&ndash;283 |short= 1}}

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