Topics related to any of the islands of the Madeira Archipelago or of the Savage Islands are appropriate for this category.
Madeira is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, situated about 250 miles north of the Canary Islands, about 450 miles off the coast of Morocco, and 500 miles southwest of the mainland of Portugal. Madeira is an autonomous territory of Portugal and includes the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, and the Desertas.
The Savage Islands, about 200 miles south, are a separate archipelago, but administered by Madeira. The Savage Islands are known also as the Selvagens Islands or, as translated into English, as the Salvage Islands or the Dry Salvages. The Savage Islands are made up of two main islands and some smaller islets, the islands being Selvagem Grande and Selvagem Pequena. The Savage islands are about 135 miles north of the Canary Islands, and 375 miles off the coast of Morocco.
Writing in 75 AD, Plutarch describes islands that are thought to have been a reference to the Madeira islands, and there is evidence that the islands were visited by the Vikings, but their discovery wasn't recorded until 1418, when two Portuguese sea captains came upon Porto Santo in a storm. The following year, an expedition organized for that purpose discovered the larger island of Madeira also and claimed the archipelago for Portugal.
Portuguese began settling the islands, which were otherwise uninhabited, in the 1420s. Portuguese settlers grew grain, and then sugarcane on the islands. African slaves were brought from mainland Africa to cultivate the crops.
In 1617, Barbary corsairs from North Africa captured 1,200 people, including Portuguese, to sell on the slave market. Soon afterward, Portugal quit its sugarcane production on the islands, and its economy shifted to wine.
The British occupied the islands for about a year in 1801, withdrawing in 1802, returning in 1807, and remaining until the conclusion of the Peninsular War in 1814. During World War I, three Portuguese ships were sunk by a German U-boat in Funchal Harbour in 1916 and then bombarded Funchal for two hours. In 1917, two German U-boats bombarded Funchal, this time for about thirty minutes.
Throughout the British occupation, Portugal did not cede its claim to the islands. Following a revolution in 1974, Portugal granted political autonomy to Madeira. In recognition, July 1 is celebrated as Madeira Day on the islands. The Madeira islands have their own government and legislature, although they remain a Portuguese territory.
With a population of about 250,000, Madeira is organized into eleven municipalities. Funchal is the capital and principal city of the Madeira Islands. Other municipalities include Santa Cruz, Câmara de Lobos, Machico, Ribeira Brava, Calheta Ponto do Sol, Santana, São Vicente, Porto Santo, and Porto Moniz. The islands also house thousands of legal immigrants from several countries.
Madeira has been a recipient of significant aid from the European Union. Otherwise, its economy is largely based on tourism, particularly whale watching, and it has recently been offering tax incentives, infrastructure improvements, production facilities, and services for small and medium-sized industries.
The Savage Islands were discovered in 1436 by a Portuguese navigator. Despite their proximity to the Canary Islands, the Savage Islands are not believed to have been inhabited or even visited before the Portuguese explorations. The Portuguese made an attempt to settle the Savage Islands in 1436, but that settlement is thought to have failed, as the oldest record of a settlement there was from 1463, when the islands were only sparsely settled and were the property of the Order of Christ, a Portuguese successor to the Knights Templar.
By the 1500s, they were owned by a family from Madeira, but it is unknown how they came about the acquisition. Not much use was made of them, however. Between the 1400s and the 1800s, the islands were used for the collection of shells and mollusks, as a waypoint in fishing expeditions and goats were kept on Selvagem Grande. The islands gained a reputation as a place where pirates were to have buried their treasures, leading to numerous treasure hunts, but none are known to have been successful.
In 1904, the islands were sold to Luis Rocha Machado, a Portuguese citizen, and the Permanent Commission of International Maritime Law gave sovereignty over the Savage Islands to Portugal in 1938. Today, the islands serve as a Nature Reserve, its only permanent population being the wardens who staff Madeira Nature Park, including a research station on Selvagem Grande, and the Zino Family, descendants of Paul Alexander Zino, a British ornithologist, born on Madeira, who took part in a 1963 expedition to the Savage Islands, and built a home there.
Recommended Resources
This holiday guide to the island and archipelago of Madeira presents a historical overview, as well as facts and discussion about island geography, its nature reserves, politics, and other facts. An interactive map of the islands suggests places to visit or things to do while in Madeira, and a photo gallery, recommendations within various regions of the archipelago as to things to do or see, places to stay, transportation options, and special offers.
https://www.madeira-a-z.com/
The tour company provides guided tours and walks, wildlife vacations, and birdwatching trips in the Madeira archipelago, with a specialization on natural science areas that cover the biodiversity and geodiversity of Madeira, Porto Santo, and Desertas Islands. Packaged tours are highlighted, with photos and details of each, and the birds and other elements of nature in Madeira are included.
http://www.birdsandcompany.com/
Located in Funchal, Portugal, on Madeira Island, off the coast of Africa, Blandy's Wine Lodge offers, of course, wine purchases, as well as wine tastings, hosted tours and events, a bar, bistro, and wine lodge. Purchased in the 1800s, each of its rooms in the wine lodge has its own character, and the wines have differing aging profiles based on their location in the lodge, also featuring artifacts such as letters from Churchill, coins from Blandy's Bank, and a wooden lager dating to the 1600s.
http://www.blandyswinelodge.com/
Available in several languages, the site offers photos and a profile of the Madeira archipelago, including the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo, highlights of the Laurissilva Forest as well as the islands' natural parks and gardens, beaches, and natural swimming pools. Points of interest, restaurants, wineries, and health facilities are introduced, along with a calendar of events.
http://www.madeiraallyear.com/en/
Headquartered in Madeira, Portugal, the tour company is focused on outdoor activities and, in particular, two tourist areas: daily activities such as canyoning, climbing, bike tours, jeep tours and others, as well as group and incentive programs like team building, sport shooting and radical recreational activities. Examples of what the company can offer are given, including a portfolio, and contact data.
http://www.discoveryisland-madeira.com/
International Business Centre of Madeira
Known as Sociedade de Desenvolvimento da Madeira in Portuguese, IBC is made up of three sectors of investment on the Madeira islands: the industrial free trade zone, the international shipping register, and the international services. The company formation is set out, along with ship formation, tax benefits, its promotional agenda, legislative matters, supporting services, local entities, and double taxation treaties. Various documents are available for downloading.
https://www.ibc-madeira.com/en
The Madeira Island portal offers free website hosting for Madeira Island websites, message boards on topics relating to the island, for those who have family roots on the island, and for the exchange of memories and travel information about the island. User pages before 1999 are archived, and other topics include island events, travel tips, bus services, and churches in Madeira, and a link to other Madeira sites.
http://www.madeinmadeira.com/
Booking tours and vacation holidays on the islands of Madeira, the tour company highlights its services and service providers, presented in English and Portuguese. A guide to Madeira guest accommodations, restaurants, health care facilities, shopping venues, real estate, and other businesses and services is presented, with their locations shown on an interactive map. Photographs and useful travel information are included.
https://madeira.best/
Highlighting the natural beauty of the Madeira archipelago, the site discusses the volcanic origins of the islands, including a geologic map, photos, illustrations and description of various rock formations, island mushrooms, and reptiles. Suggestions for nature walks throughout the island are offered, and shown on an interactive map. Other resources include weather information and a blog.
http://madeiraislands.net/
Madeira is a territory of Portugal, but it is much nearer to mainland Africa, its closest neighbor is the Canary Islands. Presented in several languages, this guide to the island archipelago offers a profile of the islands, several photographs, and a guide to traveling to the islands, by air or boat, including packaged tours. Several guest accommodations are featured, and bookings may be made through the site.
http://www.madeira-portugal-guide.com/
Eating out on the Madeira archipelago is the focus of this restaurant guide. Listed dining establishments can be found through an interactive map of the islands, or by browsing city categories, which include a brief description of the city or region, as well as restaurant names, address, contact information, web addresses, cuisine, and specialities. New listings may be submitted to the directory, and advertising options are available.
http://www.madeira-restaurants.com/
Based in Funchal, Madeira, the taxi company offers all types of taxi services on Madeira Island, including airport transfers and services to various destinations on the island, as well as guided and non-guided island excursions. Besides its regular taxi vehicles, the company also has six-seater minivans for families or groups. Price charts are posted on the site, along with contacts. The site also includes an overview of the watercourses, with adjacent footpaths, that are found on the island.
http://www.madeirataxitours.com/
Madeira Tourism Taxi & Airport Transfers
Travel arrangements once you have arrived at the Portuguese territory of Madeira, an island archipelago off the coast of Africa, can be arranged online, by email, or by telephone. Once booked, representatives will be waiting for their guests at the Madeira Airport. Private transports or shared minibus transfers are available, as well as limousine services if desired. A price list, terms and conditions, and a guide to Madeira hotels are presented.
https://www.madeira-in.com/
Wind Birds offers packaged tours to the Portuguese Madeira islands, accommodating groups up to eight on land and up to twelve on the sea, with local guides who speak English and are knowledgeable about Madeira culture, history, and nature. Tours include whale and dolphin watching, a Laurel forest tour, and tours of Madeira wines, of birds and landscapes, an annual New Year’s fireworks cruise, and private custom tours.
https://madeira.tours/
Operating on Madeira Island, the certified Mountain Bike company provides guided bicycling tours of the island, including transport on its mini-bus, with tower bike carrier, and featuring all-mountain, endurance, downhill, or just easy riding experiences. Examples of its packaged tours are provided, including prices and the amount of time required. A gallery of photographs is included.
http://www.madeiramtb.com/
Specializing in recycling and waste management, the company is based in the Camacho parish of Madeira Island, a Portuguese territory off the coast of Africa. General information about the advantages of recycling are noted, along with recycling tips, and a profile of the company, its services, policies, and service area. License data and contacts are included.
http://madeira-recycling.com/en/
A tourism guide to the islands of Madeira, the site offers a guide to its capital city, Funchal, including photographs, video, webcams, maps, and its attractions and events, as well as a directory of maps of the islands, weather information, contemporary and historical photos, digital postcards, and suggestions for hotels and other accommodations, car rentals, and airport transfers. Hotels may be booked online.
http://www.madeira-web.com/
Originally an association of individual Madeira wine producing company who joined together to enhance their purchasing and production abilities, founded in 1913, the association has since become a partnership that includes a shipping family from Portugal, with Blandy's Madeira at the head. General information about the company and its brands is presented, along with accolades and a gallery of photographs.
https://www.madeirawinecompany.com/
Highlighting tourism opportunities on the Madeira archipelago, the online magazine offers a guide to island hotels and other accommodations, including cottages, apartments, and camping sites. Maps of the islands are published, and available real estate is recorded. Other resources include car hires, taxis, and walking trails. Wines, produced from local grapes, are highlighted, and an online discussion forum is included.
http://www.madeira-island.com/
The Selvagens are a small rocky archipelago about 160 miles south of Madeira and 80 miles north of the Canary Islands. Never inhabited for any length of time, except by researchers, the islands are a reserve today. Maps and general information about the islands are set forth, with information about bird protection on the islands, a photo gallery, trip reports, bird sounds, and other resources.
http://selvagens.seawatching.net/
