Location

Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain

Area

Madeira Island

Climate

maritime temperate is the climate. It is cool and rainy in north and warmer and drier in south

Terrain

It is mountainous in parts towards the north of the islands and plains in the southern half of the islands.

Land Use

21.75% of the land is cultivated.

Natural hazards

Azores is subjected to severe earthquakes though Madeira is not.

Demography

Population of Portugal: 10,566,212 (July 2005 est.)
Population of Madeira: 2,00,000 approximately
Population growth rate: 0.39% (2005 est.)
Migration rate: 3.49 migrant(s) per 1,000 population (2005 est.)
Ethnic groups: homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal
Languages: Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)

Government

parliamentary democracy

Administrative Divisions

Madeira is one of the 18 Administrative divisions of Portugal

Legal system:

Civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Currency

Euro(EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Exchange rates

Euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004)

Fiscal year

Calendar year

Communication System

Telephones, cellular phones, Internet

Transport System

Railways, waterways, Airports and Highways

Major Cities

Funchal, Porto Santo Island, Machico and camara de lobos