madeira

Funchal is the main town of the Ilha de Madeira. The island is the largest of a small group located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with a land area of 797 square-kilometres, and about 600 km away from the coast of Morocco. It is 56 km long and 19 km wide, but it would take a day to drive around the island due to its volcanic peaks that soar up to 1,862 meters, then in places dropping sharply into the ocean and down another 1,000 metres to the sea bed. Visitors to the island are usually smitten by the impressive rugged beauty of the peaks in comparison to the lush subtropical vegetation around its coastline. Although known about by earlier sailors, the original settlement of people on the island took place in the early 15th century led by the Portuguese explore João Gonçalves Zarco. Sugar cane was grown and by 1514 there were already some 5,000 permanent inhabitants. It became a fought-over prize both for the French and Spanish until 1662 when the Portuguese regained control. By the 1890s, the island had attracted tourists and has since continued to be a very popular location due to the climate never being to hot or too cold.