When the earth began to shake
About 20 million years ago, the archipelago was born from the convulsions of the earth's crust in the Cenozoic era (from the Greek kaínos, "recent"). Madeira's geological history begins with the first submarine volcanic eruption and the appearance of the Central Cordillera. Successive phases of intense volcanic activity and lulls would have subsequently shaped the archipelago, of which only the emerged part is actually observed. In fact, Madeira Island is the visible part of an imposing submerged volcanic massif. The neighbouring islands of Porto Santo and the Desertas are the only secondary peaks that have emerged, but there are many others, drowned under the ocean. Like its sisters in Macaronesia, Madeira is therefore an island of volcanic origin, mainly made up of basalt. As you travel along the archipelago's roads, which follow the mountainous relief, the curious and geology enthusiasts will not fail to observe the alternation of huge shoals of lava and slag (an obscure volcanic rock) on the island's walls. Torrential erosion and rains have carved deep valleys in these entablatures, leaving the watershed in the heart of the island. The crest line that runs from the tip of Tristão, towards Porto Moniz, to the tip of São Lourenço, at the eastern end, thus cuts the island into two distinct slopes.
Rugged terrain
Several volcanic massifs rise up in the centre of the island and make up one of Madeira's great relief sets. Pico Ruivo, or "red peak" in Portuguese, is the highest peak in Madeira, culminating at 1 862 metres above sea level. In fact, it stretches 5,300 metres below the ocean, constituting the submerged part of the volcanic massif. It is closely followed by Pico das Torres (1,847 metres) and then Pico do Arieiro (1,818 metres). But if rainwater, mainly, has shaped Madeira's inland relief, it is the sea above all that has shaped its coasts: the powerful Atlantic swell has attacked the slopes, even if not very steep, to transform them into cliffs that make up almost 80% of the coastline, and a third of them are over 100 metres high. Accores, the cliffs of the northeast coast, plunge straight into the ocean, giving visitors a fascinating spectacle splashed with tumultuous waves. Madeira even boasts the second highest cliff in the world (above sea level): the Cabo Girão, which rises to 580 metres on the south coast. In the heart of the island, the Paúl da Serra plateau, "the swamp of the mountains", covering 35 km², partly covers the north-western part of Madeira. It is the only plateau in the archipelago. A wind farm produces electricity here, taking advantage of the almost permanent winds that blow over this Atlantic chain
Porto Santo
As mentioned above, the archipelago is made up of Porto Santo in the north-east, the Desertas Islands, which can sometimes be seen from Funchal, and the Selvagens Islands, further south, quite close to the Canary Islands. Porto Santo appears tiny under the left wing of the plane when coming from Lisbon. It covers an area of 40 km² and is home to a few thousand inhabitants. Despite its proximity to Madeira, Porto Santo, whose relief is much less rugged, is also drier and more arid. Its long sandy beach, 9 km long, contrasts with the characteristic relief of its big sister and earned Porto Santo the nickname "the golden island". The main island, Porto Santo itself is part of an archipelago made up of several islets: the islet of Fonte da Areia to the north of Porto Santo, the islets of Cenouras, Baixa de Meio and Fora to the north-east, and the islets of Baixo and Ferro to the west. As in Madeira, the south of the island, undulating with wild hills, is opposed to the north, cut by steep cliffs. There are some moderate peaks, such as Pico do Facho, which rises to 517 metres, and Pico do Castelo, which rises to 437 metres
Deserted islands
They are deserted or almost deserted, as their name suggests, since a scientific station has been established there. Only a few kilometres from the tip of São Lourenço, Deserta Grande, Bugio, Ilhéu Chão and Prego do Mar have been a protected reserve since 1995, covering a total area of about 14 km². Their access is subject to prior authorization. Among the inhabitants, a colony of monk seals, birds, plants and tarantulas (hopefully rare), good big hairy spiders, apparently little bothered by the erosion that threatens the Desertas because of their meagre vegetation. Perhaps it was these tarantulas that frightened the thirty or so men who tried to settle there in the 16th century; but, in any case, their crops did not stand much chance of success either, with only one source of difficult access providing fresh water in Porto Santo. Later, attempts were made to exploit a lichen used in the manufacture of the red dye urzela (sorrel). Nowadays, people are content to take a boat trip, without docking, and the sailors of Funchal and Câmara de Lobos have an infallible theory to predict the weather depending on whether the Desertas are visible or not from the coast
Ilhas Desertas
They stretch 290 km from Funchal and 160 km north of Tenerife (Canary Islands), with a total of just under 5 km² of land. In total, there are about twenty islands and rocky massifs. Discovered by Diogo Gomes, the archipelago of the Ilhas Selvagens, consisting of three main islands (and many islets), was privately owned until 1971. They are the subject of a border dispute between Portugal and Spain which does not recognize the sovereignty of the archipelago granted to the Portuguese in 1938 by the Permanent Commission on International Maritime Affairs (in the middle of the Spanish Civil War...). Nevertheless, the Portuguese state made it a protected area for nesting seabirds, especially cagarros (shearwaters), which fishermen like because they have a habit of circling over schools of tuna. Finally, which did not fail to attract intrepid adventurers, it seems that there is a treasure hidden to the Selvagens, that of Captain Ridd, but the sailor who revealed the secret forgot to indicate the location (oops!). As with the Desert Islands, access to the Wild Islands is restricted and requires special permission. However, cruises are organised around the islands, but you will not be able to dock there (for more information, contact the Ventura Nature Emotions agency).
