Madeira

Madeira, officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira, is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with the Azores). It is an archipelago situated in the north Atlantic Ocean, southwest of Portugal. Its total population was estimated in 2011 at 267,785. The capital of Madeira is Funchal, which is located on the main island's south coast.

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The archipelago is just under 400 kilometres north of Tenerife, Canary Islands. Bermuda and Madeira, a few time zones apart, are the only land in the Atlantic on the 32nd parallel north. It includes the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, and the Desertas, administered together with the separate archipelago of the Savage Islands. 

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Today, it is a popular year-round resort, being visited every year by about 1.4 million tourists, almost five times its population. The region is noted for its Madeira wine, gastronomy, historical and cultural value, flora and fauna, landscapes (laurel forest) that are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and embroidery artisans. 

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I had the opportunity to spend 5 days on this wonderful island of eternal spring. The plan was simple. For each coast 1 day and the 5th day for inland. I had planned not to take a highway on the island, because they are mostly underground! Not a good idea for photographers :). For a first impression the days were enough, for vacation it was too short. The island will definitely see me again.