Back in the day, Madeira was considered quite a luxurious holiday destination, not available to some average Joe Bloggs. Though clearly that’s not the case anymore and more of us, common folk, can enjoy a nice holiday trip to Madeira. Meaning, where exactly? The name rings a bell, yet the actual details ring hollow. So what is Madeira? Where is it located?
Madeira is a famous island belonging to Portugal, though that’s not all. Madeira, the island of just over 740 square kilometres, is one thing. Madeira as an entire archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean is another. The archipelago includes several islands, including the largest Madeira and slightly less recognisable Porto Santo, as well as several small islets. To the south-east of Madeira, there is also a small group of uninhabited desert islets.
All the islands of the archipelago have a combined population of around 250,000. Due to its location, Madeira has a subtropical climate. It’s an ideal destination in winter, as there are parts of the island that have never experienced snowfall and winter daytime temperatures reach around 20 degrees Celsius.
Madeira can be reached by plane, landing at Madeira Airport which handles international traffic. The archipelago also has a small Porto Santo airport and harbour.
Geographically, Madeira is a part of Macaronesia located off the coast of Africa, quite close to the famous Canary Islands, which are a Spanish archipelago and not a Portuguese one.
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