Madeira island also known as the "floating garden of eden" or the "pearl of the atlantic", is approximately 57 km in length and 22 km wide. Its tallest pinnacle, Pico Ruivo, is 1861 m high. The archipelago is closer to Africa, at a stretch of 545 km from the shoreline of Morocco, than it is to Europe, at a distance of 1000km off the coast of the Algarve.
The islands natural beauty lies in its amazing landscape. Contoured by a volcano that became dead about 6500 years ago, Madeira Island is now modeled with beautiful scenery of sheer green mountains, sloping down into lush valleys, terraced with vineyards and appealing gardens, giving one breathtaking outlook of jagged shorelines, volcanic sea pools, caves, mountain trails and Nevada pathways. Its awe-inspiring vegetation persists to captivate all those closely drawn to countryside. This archipelago which is a portion of the bio-geographical area of Macaronesia, has the largest "Laurissliva" forest in the world, distinguished by UNESCO as World Natural Heritage in 1999. Inside these forests run the much-publicized "Nevada walks" which can be seen all over the island. This is a nature lovers utopia, which has made Madeiralegendary.
Madeira island additionally got a name for winemaking going back to the exploration period of time, when Madeira island was a regular harbor of call for ships going from Europe to the East Indies. The winemaking in Madeira unveiled from unsold shipment of wine returning to the island after an afar expedition, that it had acquired a particular taste. What had occurred was, to prohibit the wine from spoiling, neutral grape liqueur were combined to the wine. On the faraway sea trips the wine was exposed to locomotion and a bunch of heat which helped convert the wines aftertaste of the wine. Madeira island is now recognized for its exceptional wine making method which enterprises boiling the wine up to temperatures as high as 60 deg.C (140 deg.F) for an extended period of time and intentionally exposing the wine to some level of oxidation. As a result of this exceptional method, Madeira island wine is a very capable-bodied wine that can be really promising even after being aired.
Madeira island was re-discovered in 1419 by Joao Goncalves Zarqa of Portugal. He was bound to land on the island after being knocked by a blizzard, while exploring the western seacoast of Africa. Since the island was concealed by dense woodland it, he named it "Ilha da Madeira" which means "Island of Wood". Soon the archipelago was populated and was lit on fire, as it was toense to cut down for occupation. They say that the blaze endured for 7 years, until all, as from for a small northern division, not converted into cinders. But the established fact is that this was not one imminence everlasting fire which ended for 7 years. The first colonists where again and again putiing fires for 7 years sothat they could get a passage to all sections of the archipelago.
Madeira through its history has received many famous tourists. The best honored of recent being Sir Winston Churchill. He spent some time on the island in 1950, improving from bad health. The island has formed some acknowledged celebrities of its own. The best well-known existing is Cristiano Ronaldo, the footballer.
The good weather of region the island has during the whole year is what brings voyagers to the archipelago. With common summer temperatures around 22 – 25 deg. Celsius and winter normal temperatures of 16 – 18 deg. Celsius, makes this archipelago an ideal holiday destination. The archipelago is surrounded by a Gulf stream which causes the water temperatures change around 22 deg. Celsius in the summer to 18 deg. Celsius in the winter.
