Map of Madeira
The Autonomous Region of Madeira, commonly known as Madeira (from the Portuguese madeira, «wood», adapted to Spanish as Madera, now in disuse), is an Atlantic archipelago belonging to Portugal, constituted as an outermost region of the European Union. It consists of two inhabited islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and three smaller uninhabited islands, collectively called Desertas Islands, which, together with the Savage Islands, form the Autonomous Region of Madeira, an autonomous Portuguese region, less than 500 km from Tenerife, 860 km from Lisbon, and 770 km from the nearest island of the Azores. All of volcanic origin; the island of Madeira is formed by a mountain massif that descends abruptly to the sea from the 1862 meters of altitude of the Ruivo Peak, the highest point of the island, followed by the Pico de Arieiro (1810 m).
The main economic activity of the region is tourism, receiving many visitors from Europe throughout the year, who seek the mildness of its climate. Among other famous travelers who passed through the island the Empress Sissi, the Emperor Charles I of Austria, who died in Funchal in 1924, the emperors Maximilian and Carlota in 1864 while on the way to Mexico and Winston Churchill. Its capital and main city is Funchal (103 961 inhabitants), located on the south coast of the island. The population of Madeira is 260,000 inhabitants.
