What are the Madeira Islands called?

What are the Madeira Islands called?

Madeira Islands, Portuguese Arquipélago da Madeira, archipelago of volcanic origin in the North Atlantic Ocean, belonging to Portugal. It comprises two inhabited islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and two uninhabited groups, the Desertas and the Selvagens.

Where is the Madeira Archipelago?

Atlantic Ocean
The Madeira Archipelago is located in the Atlantic Ocean in the African plate, 978 km south of Portugal, approximately 33 degrees north latitude, and about 700 km west of the African coast. Almost the same latitude as Casablanca and is 450 km north of the Canary Islands, and has a total area of 796 km2.

What language do the Madeira Islands speak?

European Portuguese is spoken throughout Madeira, but English is also widely spoken.

Is the island of Madeira Spanish or Portuguese?

Portuguese
Madeira is a Portuguese island, and is the largest and most populous of the Madeira Archipelago.

What is Madeira island famous for?

wine
Madeira is famous for the wine that bears its name and, today, is produced in a number of varieties. Vineyards on the island were once managed by Jesuit priests. Madeira can be a dry table wine, a sweet dessert wine, or rich after-dinner drink.

Is Madeira Europe or Africa?

Are the Madeira Islands part of Europe or Africa? Although politically, they are part of Portugal, the Madeira Islands are closer to Africa than Europe, so geographically they are part of the African continent.

How do you pronounce the word archipelago?

I thought that archipelago was pronounced with the stress on the penultimate syllable (ar-kih-puh-LAH-go), but all the dictionary and pronunciation sites I’ve consulted say it is pronounced with the stress on the antepenultimate syllable (ar-kih-PEL-uh-go).

Why is Madeira called Madeira?

A year after the discovery of Porto Santo they arrive on Madeira Island in 1419. Its name is believed to have been assigned by Zarco, who dubbed the island of ‘Madeira’ (“wood” in English) due to the abundance of this raw material. Around 1425, King João I ordered the colonization of the islands.

What archipelago mean?

An archipelago is an area that contains a chain or group of islands scattered in lakes, rivers, or the ocean.

How many islands is an archipelago?

Location (total number of islands) Name of the archipelago Number of islands, islets, reefs, coral reefs and cays
Canada Canadian Arctic Archipelago 36,563
Canada Thirty Thousand Islands 30,000 (approx.)
Stockholm archipelago, Sweden (34,316) Stockholm archipelago 28,945
Southeast Asia Malay Archipelago 25,000 (approx.)

How many islands make an archipelago?

Are there snakes on Madeira?

Madeira is a subtropical island that differs from other locations with similar climates in a very special way. The island has virtually no pests and is free of dangerous insects and bugs. Wild animals are limited to rabbits and birds. There are no snakes and no swarms of irritating mosquitoes!