I am in countdown to go home for four weeks already :) I always liked going to Madeira but I never felt like this before… the anticipation that I will go there tomorrow, that I will open the window of my room and see the ocean is killing me!
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But let me tell you a bit more about Madeira Island.
In this picture you can see its localization in the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands and two groups of unpopulated islands called the Desertas and Selvagens Islands. Although located in the African Plate, some 650 km off the North African coast, Madeira belongs and has always belonged ethnically, culturally, economically and politically to Europe, some 955 km from the European mainland.
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The total area is 828km2, the total population is 260.000, has a coastline of 80 to 90 miles. Its most famous sea cliff, the Cabo Girão, is the world's second highest. The highest point on the island is Pico Ruivo, at 1,862 meters.
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In the south, there is very little left of the indigenous laurisilva subtropical rainforest which once covered the whole island (the original settlers set fire to the island to clear the land for farming) and gave it the name it now bears (Madeira means "wood" in Portuguese). However, in the north, the valleys contain native trees of fine growth. These laurisilva forests, notably the forests on the northern slopes of Madeira Island, are designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Madeira Island's geographical position and mountainous landscape result in a very pleasant climate which varies between the north side, south side, and smaller islands groups like Porto Santo and Savages. The mean annual temperature on the coastline can reach more than 20°C in the south. With its mild humidity, the weather of the island is classified as oceanic subtropical and with its low rain level, desertic on the Savages. Influenced by the Gulf Stream, sea water temperature varies between 26°C during the summer and 17°C in the winter.
The capital city (my home, photo below) is called Funchal with about 120,000 inhabitants. Funchal is located in a unique area; the natural geological features form an "amphitheatre" surrounding the city, which begins at the harbour (Porto de Funchal) and rises almost 1200 meters high on gentle slopes.
More curiosities: Tourism contributes 20% to the region's GDP; Cristiano Ronaldo is originally from Madeira; Madeira is a popular year-round resort, noted for its Madeira wine, flowers, and embroidery artisans, as well as its New Year's Eve celebrations that feature a spectacular fireworks show, which is the largest in the world according to the Guinness World Records; the island now produces banana, mangoes, papayas, guavas, pineapple, sugar cane, passion fruit, coffee and many other fruits and specialty crops. There are also coconut palms, rubber trees and other "exotic" semi-tropical plants.
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So for all of this, I guess you understand why I cannot wait to go home :)
Main source of information: Wikipedia
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