Madeira is a Portuguese island located in the middle of the north Atlantic Ocean, it is an autonomous region having its own parliament and government. The archipelago is composed of the island of Madeira, Porto Santo and the uninhabited Desertas and Selvagens. Lying in the Atlantic Ocean, 545 Kms from north Africa and 978 Kms from Lisbon, Madeira covers an area of 741 sq. Kms. - 57 Kms long and 22 Kms wide.

The island was discovered in the 15th Century, when two sea captains João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, working for Prince Henry the Navigator, were blown off course on their journey around the African coast, and after many days at sea, found land on a small island that they named Porto Santo. The year was 1419. Prince Henry immediately organised the colonisation of the island. Cyprus and Cretan vines were planted on the island, as well as sugar cane from Sicily. The resulting wine and sugar of fine quality attracted the attention of merchants from all over Europe, and made the island famous and it was the British who became the main merchants and exporters from the island. Madeira became a natural stopping point on the long sea voyages to Africa and India, even today many cruise ships make Madeira a port of call. Since then the island became extremely popular with tourists and tourism, which now represents the most important industry on the island.

Madeira has a temperate climate with mild winters, exhibits beautiful land- scapes with some of natures rarest treasures an island of green mountains and flowers, of sun, beauty, happiness and hospitality. This is why they call Madeira the Pearl of the Atlantic.

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