It is common for many visitors to the island, even those who have seen here for a long time, do not know how many islands the Madeira archipelago has.
The Madeira archipelago is located in the Atlantic Ocean between 30° and 33° north latitude, 978 km southwest of Lisbon and about 700 kilometres from the African coast, almost the same latitude as Casablanca, relatively close to the Strait of Gibraltar.
Although it is normally considered a European territory, geographically the archipelago is already located on the continental shelf of Africa. Its nearest maritime neighbour is the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands.
How many islands does the Madeira archipelago have?
1. Madeira Island
Islands of the Madeira Archipelago: Madeira Island – Image 2
The island of Madeira is the main island of the Madeira archipelago, situated in the Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the Portuguese coast, annexed to the European Union. It is, together with Porto Santo, Desert islands and Selvagens Islands, the Madeira archipelago and the Autonomous Region of Madeira, which has as its capital the city of Funchal.
Madeira Island has volcanic origin, 742.4 km², extensive endemic flora, native and exotic, and its typicalLy Mediterranean climate is largely on the south side passing to a Temperate climate at higher quotas. The economy is widely focused on tourism.
2. Porto Santo Island
Islands of the Madeira Archipelago: Porto Santo Island – Image 3
Porto Santo is a municipality Portuguese that occupies the entire island of Porto Santo, Autonomous Region of Madeira, based in a village with a different name from the municipality, the city of Vila Baleira. It is 42.48 km² of area.
It is one of the six municipalities of Portugal that have a single parish, which has the same name. The nearest municipality is Machico, on the island of Madeira, located to the southwest. It is often referred to as a Golden Island by madeirans.
3. Desert Islands
Islands of the Madeira Archipelago: Desert Islands – Image 4
The Desertas Islands are a subarchipelago of the Archipelago of Madeira, Portugal of volcanic origin, situated southeast of Madeira Island. They are the Desert Islands Nature Reserve, also classified as a biogenetic reserve by the Council of Europe.
They are part of the Desertislands the Islet Floor, the Deserta Grande and the Bugio. Administratively, they are part of the parish of Santa Cruz, municipality of Santa Cruz, Autonomous Region of Madeira.
4. Wild Islands
Islands of the Madeira Archipelago: Wild Islands – Image 5
The Selvagens Islands are a subarchipelago of the Archipelago of Madeira, Portugal, located in the Atlantic Ocean. Administratively, they are part of the parish of the Sé, municipality of Funchal, Autonomous Region of Madeira.
They are 165 kilometres north of the Canary Islands archipelago, 250 kilometres south of the city of Funchal (Madeira), about 250 kilometres west of the African coast, about 1000 kilometres southwest of the European continent.
The Savages consist of two main islands and several islets, which, like almost all the islands of Macaronesia, have volcanic origin. The archipelago is a sanctuary for birds, it is very rough and has a total area of 273 hectares.
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