Madeira, officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira, is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in a region known as Macaronesia, just under 400 kilometres (250 mi) to the north of the Canary Islands and 520 kilometres (320 mi) west of Morocco. Madeira is geographically located in the African Tectonic Plate, even though the archipelago is culturally, economically and politically European. Its total population was estimated in 2016 at 289,000. The capital of Madeira is Funchal, which is located on the main island's south coast.
Praia is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde. Located on the southern coast of Santiago island, within the Sotavento Islands group, the city is the seat of the Praia Municipality. Praia is the economic, political, and cultural center of Cabo Verde.
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a population of 111,892, making it the sixth largest city in Portugal, and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries. Because of its high cultural and historical value, Funchal is one of Portugal's main tourist attractions. It is also popular as a destination for New Year's Eve, and it is the leading Portuguese port on cruise liner dockings.
The Madeira Football Association is the regional governing body for the all football competitions in the former Portuguese district of Funchal, including both Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island. It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the autonomous region.
Machico is a municipality, parish and city in the southeast part of the island of Madeira, in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. The easternmost municipality on the island, it is also the third most populous area; its population was 21,828. The town, proper, had a population of 10,894 in 2001.
Câmara de Lobos is a municipality, parish and town in the south-central coast of the island of Madeira. Technically a suburb of the much larger capital city of Funchal, it is one of the larger population centres and an extension of the Funchal economy.
João Gonçalves Zarco was a Portuguese explorer who established settlements and recognition of the Madeira Islands, and was appointed first captain of Funchal by Henry the Navigator.
Porto Grande Bay, also Mindelo Bay, is a bay on the north coast of the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde. The main city of São Vicente, Mindelo, is situated at the bay. The Porto Grande Bay is a natural harbour. It stretches between the headlands Ponta João Ribeiro in the northeast and Ponta do Morro Branco in the west. To the northwest it opens towards the Canal de São Vicente, the channel between the islands São Vicente and Santo Antão. The small rocky islet Ilhéu dos Pássaros lies north of the bay.
The history of Madeira begins with the discovery of the islands by Portugal in 1419. There is no record of anyone living on the islands at that time. Portugal began colonizing the island in 1420.
The Diocese of Funchal was created originally on 12 June1514, by bull Pro excellenti præeminentia of Pope Leo X, following the elevation of Funchal from a village to the status of city, by King Manuel I of Portugal. The new diocese was a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lisbon.
The Madeira islands and Funchal have an extensive public transportation system. Travel between the two main islands is by plane or by ferries, the latter also allowing for the transportation of vehicles. Visiting the interior of the islands is now easy, due to major road developments, known as the Vias rápidas, on the islands during Portugal's economic boom.
Reinaldo Oudinot was a French military engineer from the 18th century, who became most famous for his hydraulic works on the Portuguese harbours of Porto, Aveiro, Leiria and Funchal. Even though he was born and educated in France, he started his career in Portugal, where he developed several projects on different fields such as: architecture, urban planning, hydraulic engineering and agriculture development. In 1803, he was to become one of the most ranked engineers on the Portuguese army as he was promoted to Brigadier of the Royal Engineers.
Naviera Armas is a Spanish company, founded in the 1940s, which operates a number of ferry services in Spain. The company mainly operates in the Canary Islands, with additional routes connecting the Canary Islands and the north African coast to the Spanish mainland. As of August 2019, the company operates a fleet of 11 ferries and 5 fast ferries.
Maximiano de Sousa, commonly known as Max, was a Portuguese Fado singer. Max was one of the most popular Fado singers from the 1940s until well after his death in 1980.
The 2011–12 Taça da Liga was the fifth edition of the Portuguese Taça da Liga. The first matches were played on 31 July 2011. The final was played on 14 April 2012, with Benfica defeating Gil Vicente 2–1 to win their fourth consecutive Taça da Liga.
On the island of Madeira, a large number of different sports are practiced, both outdoor and indoor the various facilities available throughout the island.
Sousa Group is a Portuguese private business group based in Funchal, Madeira. It is a maritime-port, logistics, energy and tourism operator and is considered the largest Portuguese shipowner.
