Not many places on earth get the opportunity to be discovered twice, but the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo have.
These two islands together with Desertas and Selvagens islands make up what is called the Archipelago of Madeira. They are found 1000 kilometers southwest of Lisbon, Portugal and half that distance from the African continent. Since their discovery around 1419 and founded in 1425 by João Gonçalves Zarco, little was known about these islands but in the last decade have quickly become the major tourist attractions in the Atlantic Ocean. João Gonçalves, with a special permission from the Portuguese government, used prisioners from the prisions and enticed settlers from the poorest regiones like Algarve to colonize Madeira.
The Airport on Madeira in the town of Santa Cruz on the east side is just an hour flight from Lisbon and also serves the other island of Porto Santo with smaller planes. This archipelago is really something special to enjoy.
Funchal was named the capital of Madeira in 1425 and is located on the south side. Under the rule of João Gonçalves, Funchal prospered into being a very important sugar cane producer and by the year 1508, it changed its position from town to city and sugar canes were carved onto the coats of arms as its main symbol. Being as ocean travel was becoming more popular, especially among the greedy and pirates, Funchal was attacked and robbed. This fact made this enticing stopover react and built its city in a semi-circular way so that all the building would be looking and watching the sea. Even today there are houses and buildings that face the waterfront ‘ just to keep on eye on things’.