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Madeira Situated 978 kilometres from Lisbon, 545 Kilometres from the coast of Morocco and 443 kilometres from the Canary Islands, Madeira occupies a privileged position in the Atlantic. The archipelago of Madeira is of volcanic origin but unlike the other islands in the group are barren, Madeira is lush and verdant, boasting an exceptionally temperate climate and rich agricultural resources. Madeira was discovered in 1419, by three navigators who afterwards received the archipelago as a reward: Bartholomeu Perestrelo (later father-in-law to Christopher Columbus) was made captain of Porto Santo, Tristão Vaz Teixeira of Machico and João Gonçlaves Zarco of Funchal. The Madeira Archipelago is made up of the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, the Desertas and the Selvagens. The group was named after the most important island, which not only devises its importance from its greater size but also from its extraordinary riches. The capital of the Archipelago is the city of Funchal, received its name from a plant named "funcho" which at the time flourished in that area. The name Madeira came from the fact that the island was heavily forested hence the island of Madeira means "The island of Wood". |
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