Has Madeira always been Portuguese?

Madeira, originally uninhabited, was claimed by Portuguese sailors in the service of Prince Henry the Navigator in 1419 and settled after 1420. The archipelago is considered to be the first territorial discovery of the exploratory period of the Age of Discovery.



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Article. Madeira is a group of volcanic islands in the North Atlantic which were colonised by the Portuguese from 1420. The settlement and distribution of land rights on the uninhabited islands was a model the Portuguese Crown would copy in other colonial island groups and in Brazil.

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The archipelago was uninhabited until 1419, when the Portuguese navigator João Gonçalves Zarco landed in Madeira. However, Greeks, Romans, Phoenicians and Arabs surely would pass by Madeira, during his expeditions across the North Atlantic. The arrival, in 1419, the first Portuguese ships have been fortuitous.

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Quantitatively, Portuguese, North Africans (Algerians), Spaniards and Canary Islanders (in this order) are the most important parental populations to Madeirans.

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Many emigrated illegally to escape military service and avoid the wars in the colonies (Angola and Mozambique), and also because they could not afford the high cost of the emigration process by legal means.

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Madeira is located on the eastern coast of Atlantic Ocean, about 600 km distant from Maroko and 1000 km from Portugal. Even though Madeira is closer to Africa than it is to Europe, it belongs to Portugal as one of its two autonomous regions.

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Machico is the oldest town on the island, where, explorers Joao Goncalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira walked for the first time on Madeiran soil.

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Then, in the beginning of the first millennium BC, Celtic tribes invaded and intermarried with the local Iberians, creating what is now known as the Celtiberians. The Lusitanians, who inhabited the interior region of Portugal since the Iron Age, are considered the forefathers of the Portuguese nation.

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Language in Madeira European Portuguese is spoken throughout Madeira, but English is also widely spoken.

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The Physalia physalis species is currently occurring in large quantities, particularly in the Azores (Faial, Terceira and S. Miguel islands) and Madeira, where it has also been seen, albeit in smaller quantities. In the Azores (island of S.

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Madeira is renowned for its landscapes, lore—and its legendary wine, which graced the tables of America's Founding Fathers.

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The average standard of living tends to be a bit lower than in mainland Portugal, and the local autonomous government gives generous subsidies coming from the tourist industry revenues and from the Portuguese national budget. Go where the locals go and everything will be cheap.

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In reality, the Laurel forest which occupies about 20% of the island, and where most Levadas/hikes go across, is not very sensitive to the dry months and it is kept lush and green by the fogs and humidity that typically occur in the region, any time of the year. Same applies to most of the North Coast.

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The fastest ferry crossing to Madeira Islands is via the Porto Santo to Funchal ferry, in approximately 2h 30m.

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The favorable climate of the island also contributed to the land thrive, and wheat production has become one of the greatest wealth of the island. This cereal was exported on a large scale for the Portuguese possessions on the African coast, giving thus the first cycle of Madeira economic history.

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For them the island has everything: safe towns and cities, good food, happy people. The locals themselves confirm this. “It's hard to be sad when the sun is shining... very few people in Madeira are depressed,” says Peter, our high-energy canyoning guide from Epic Madeira.

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Together with the islands of Porto Santo and Desertas and the Selvagens—Madeira forms an autonomous region of the country of Portugal.

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Are there Muslims in Madeira? According to a quick Google search there are about 1000 of them, and according to the tour guide, 25 Syrian refuges came to stay there as well until they wanted to go back home.

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