 
|
|
MADEIRA, an island
filled with trees and flowers, where the summers are mild and winters are soft. An island of sun and pleasure,
of history and beauty. About 600 miles South West of Lisbon, millions of years ago a volcano erupted and from there
emerged an island. This island was the first discovery of Henry the Navigator and because of its large variety
of trees; he named the Island Madeira (Wood). He sent Joao Goncalves Zarco to first set foot on the island in 1419.
Because of its exceptional climate, plants and flowers from other parts of the world came to enrich the local flora,
to name some you can find the Bird of Paradise, Jacarandas with its voluptuous deep blue flowers in spring, the
tipuana, the multicoloured bougainvillea or the several varieties of begonias, as well as the different coloured
orchids. Funchal,
its capital, was officially named a town in the middle of the 15th century and raised to city by King Manuel I
in 1508. |