
The islands are highly influenced by the Canary Current and the Gulf Stream and experience a mild climate with an average annual temperature of 19.5 ☌. Madeira has several bioclimates and there are differences in temperature and humidity between the archipelago’s northern and southern regions, which are located at different altitudes. Covering a total area of 2.73 km 2, the archipelago includes the two principal islands of Selvagem Grande and Selvagem Pequena and 16 uninhabited islets that are divided into the Northeast and Southwest groups. Situated about 280 km to the south of the Madeira Islands and about 165 km to the north of the Canary Islands are the Savage Islands. This small archipelago encompasses an area of 14.2 km 2. Situated about 25 km to the southeast of Madeira Island is the small Desertas Archipelago, which consists of the three rocky islets of Bugio, llhéu de Chão, and Deserta Grande. Located in the island’s northeastern part is Pico do Facho which rises to an elevation of 517 m and is the highest point on the island. This island is situated about 43 km to the northeast of the main Madeira Island. The L evadas are long irrigation channels that carry freshwater from the northern part of the island to the farms that are located in the island’s southern part.Ĭovering a total area of 42.17 km 2, Porto Santo Island is the second-largest island in the Madeira Archipelago. Located along the island’s southern coast is the tall sea cliff called Cabo Girão, which rises to an elevation of 580 m. The island is also famous for its elevated sea cliffs. Madeira is rugged and mountainous and features a mountain ridge that extends along the island’s center and rises to an elevation of 1,862 m at Pico Ruivo, which is the highest mountain peak on the island. Madeira Island is about 57 km long and has a maximum width of 22 km. These are Funchal, Câmara de Lobos, Calheta, Machico, Porto Moniz, Ponta do Sol, Porto Santo, Ribeira Brava, Santana, São Vicente, and Santa Cruz. There are 11 municipalities within the Madeira Islands.

Geography Ponta do Pargo, Madeira Island, Portugal. It is the top of a massive submerged shield volcano that rises about 6 km from the Atlantic Ocean floor. Occupying a total area of 740.7 km 2, Madeira is the largest and the most populous island of the Madeira Archipelago. The Madeira Islands cover a total area of 801 km 2 and comprise the two inhabited islands of Madeira and Porto Santo and the two uninhabited island groups of Desertas and Savage. Located on the southern coast of the principal island of Madeira is Funchal, the capital and the largest city of the Madeira Archipelago.


Together with the Azores Islands and the Canary and Cape Verde Islands, the Madeira Archipelago forms a part of Macaronesia. The Portuguese archipelago of Madeira is located about 520 km to the west of the Kingdom of Morocco and about 1,000 km to the southwest of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. Where Is The Medeira Archipelago? Map of Macaronesia with the Madeira Islands in the north. The famous Madeira wine is the most important product of the island. Other economic activities include fishing, handicrafts, woodworking, sugar processing, and tourism. Madeira island’s name, Ilha da Madeira (island of wood), refers to the large dense forests that covered major portions of the island during its early settlement.Īgriculture is a major economic activity on the Madeira and Porto Santo islands. The archipelago is a part of the Autonomous Region of Madeira and along with the Azores Archipelago and continental Portugal, it forms the Republic of Portugal. The Madeira Archipelago comprises the volcanic islands of Madeira, Desertas, and the Porto Santo located in the North Atlantic Ocean.
