Henry the Navigator* was neither a sailor nor a navigator. He did, however, sponsor many exploratory sea voyages. In 1415, his ships reached the Canary Islands, which had already been claimed by Spain. In 1418, the Portuguese came upon the Madeira Islands and established a colony at Porto Santo.
===================================================================(in the North Atlantic Ocean) The Madeira Islands, an archipelago of volcanic origin, belonging to Portugal, comprises two inhabited islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and two uninhabited groups, the Desertas and the Selvagens. In a region known as Macaronesia, the islands are the summits of mountains that have their bases on an abyssal ocean floor. The regional capital, Funchal, is located on Madeira Island.
+ Madeira Island, the largest of the group, is 34 miles (~55 km) long, has a maximum width of 14 miles (~22 km), and a coastline of about 90 miles (~144 km); it rises in the center to Ruivo Peak (6,106 feet [1,861 meters] above sea level). The greater part of the interior -- above 3,000 feet (900 meters) -- is uninhabited and uncultivated; communities of scattered huts are usually built either at the mouths of ravines or upon slopes that descend from the mountains to the coast.
+ Officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira, this is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (the other being the Azores). Geologically dramatic, bursting with exotic color and warmed all-year-round by the Atlantic sun, Portugal’s most enchanting island is a place that keeps all its subtropical holiday promises. Pearl of the Atlantic, island of eternal spring … Madeira well deserves its fanciful nicknames and the affection visitors and locals feel for this volcanic island that offers so much. Repeatedly voted Europe's (and even the world's) top island destination, Madeira is a diverse place when it comes to vacationing. Black sand beaches, the frothing Atlantic, towering rock walls, and gushing streams and irrigation channels make this an outdoor nirvana. Yet, it is also a place of gentler pleasures such as wine tasting, visiting botanical gardens, and watching embroiderers (and wicker weavers) at work. Hiking the levada irrigation channels seems to be the top activity, with tens of thousands pulling on hiking boots to discover Madeira's secret interior.
+ The capital city of Funchal (shown here) was settled in the 15th century and is a colorful collection of gardens, religious sites, and quirky tourist attractions like the thatched-roof Madeira Story Center. Hike to the summit of Pico Ruivo and you’ll feel like you have climbed through the clouds. (Unwind over a glass of Madeira wine, an historic fortified beverage that is musky and subtly sweet.)
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*Henry the Navigator, the Portuguese byname for Henrique, infante (prince) de Portugal, duque (duke) de Viseu, senhor (lord) da Covilhã, was the Portuguese prince noted for his patronage of voyages of discovery among the Madeira Islands and along the western coast of Africa.
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