Madeira, in Portuguese, means wood. The original settlers set the trees of the island on fire to clear the land for agriculture.

Madeira, named as the Purple Islands by the Romans, is the largest one of the 4 islands referred to as the autonomous region of Madeira. Funchal is the capital of Madeira Island.

Madeira’s mountainous landscape gives it a pleasant climate attracting tourists from all over the globe. The islands are renowned for Madeira wine, its flora and sub-tropical fruits. It is also famous for its New Year's Eve celebrations which involve an extravagant fireworks show, the biggest in the world.

The islands have a lot of museums, shopping streets and gardens. Besides tourism the largest industries are of food, beverages and construction. Madeira’s infrastructure has been designed cater to the rising tourism.