Funchal
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| Funchal | |||
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| Country | Portugal | ||
| Region | Madeira Autonomous Region | ||
| Founded | 15th century, 16th century as city | ||
| Government | |||
| - Presidente da Câmara Municipal do Funchal (President of the City Council of Funchal) | Miguel Filipe Machado de Albuquerque (PSD) | ||
| Area | |||
| - Land | 76.25 km2 (29.4 sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | 277.32 km2 (107.1 sq mi) | ||
| Population | |||
| - City | 100,847 | ||
| - Density | 1,323/km2 (3,426.6/sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | 186,929 | ||
| - Metro Density | 674/km2 (1,745.7/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | WEST (UTC+1) | ||
| Postal code | 9000 | ||
| Area code(s) | 351 (Portugal) + 291 (Madeira) | ||
| Website | [1] and [2] | ||
Funchal (Portuguese pronunciation: [fũˈʃaɫ]), population 100,526[1], is the chief city of Madeira Island and the capital and largest city of the Madeira Autonomous Region, Portugal.
With its neighbouring boroughs (municipalities) of Câmara de Lobos, Santa Cruz, Machico and Ribeira Brava the town has over 150,000 inhabitants. It is the most populous Portuguese city outside mainland Portugal. The Funchal conurbation includes the cities of Funchal, Câmara de Lobos, Caniço and Santa Cruz, all on the south side of Madeira.
Funchal lies in a natural "amphitheatre", with gentle slopes beginning at the harbour and rising almost 1200 metres. This provides a natural shelter that attracted the first settlers. Funchal is a cosmopolitan and panoramic city, with parks, shops and hotels.
Funchal has been Madeira's capital for more than five centuries, and is said to have been named because of the abundance of fennel (funcho - in Portuguese) growing there.
The Funchal Municipality includes the Savage Islands (Ilhas Selvagens), a nature reserve 160 km (100 mi) south of Funchal.
A highway provides access to Câmara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava to the west, and Santa Cruz and Machico to the east.
Contents |
[edit] History
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Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (July 2008) |
Funchal was founded by João Gonçalves Zarco in 1421 and was elevated to city status by King Manuel I of Portugal in 1508. In the early 1400s, Álvaro Fernandes was the commander of Funchal. In the 16th century Funchal was important as a stopping place between the Indies and the New World.It was the port for Madeiran sugar and wine.
[edit] Harbour of Funchal
The harbour of Funchal is the busiest in Madeira. Cruise ships, boats and yachts call there, as it has been for many years, being also the second busiest one in Portugal, after Lisbon.
[edit] Airport
Madeira Airport, often known as Funchal Airport/Madeira/Santa Catarina Airport (code:FNC), is located east of the city, in the municipality of Santa Cruz. The airport was one of the most dangerous airports in the world due to the limited flat space in close proximity to cliffs, but the extension of the runway on concrete pillars in the sea has improved safety.
[edit] Parishes (Freguesias)
The municipality (Município) and city (Cidade) of Funchal coexist as one. Its urban area sprawls from the harbour on the Atlantic to the mountain and hills above. There are ten parishes/paroquias:
- Imaculado Coração de Maria
- Monte
- Santa Luzia
- Santa Maria Maior
- Santo António
- São Gonçalo
- São Martinho
- São Pedro
- São Roque
- Sé
The most populated is Santo António. Sé is where the cathedral is located, in the old city center.
[edit] Funchal Diocese
The see of the Bishop (Diocese de Funchal) includes all of the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
[edit] Climate
| Weather data for Funchal | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 19.1 (66) |
19.1 (66) |
19.5 (67) |
19.6 (67) |
20.9 (70) |
22.3 (72) |
24.3 (76) |
25.6 (78) |
25.7 (78) |
24.2 (76) |
22.0 (72) |
20.0 (68) |
21.8 (71) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.1 (61) |
16.0 (61) |
16.2 (61) |
16.5 (62) |
17.7 (64) |
19.4 (67) |
21.1 (70) |
22.2 (72) |
22.3 (72) |
20.9 (70) |
18.8 (66) |
17.0 (63) |
18.6 (65) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 13.1 (56) |
12.8 (55) |
13.0 (55) |
13.4 (56) |
14.6 (58) |
16.5 (62) |
18.0 (64) |
18.9 (66) |
18.9 (66) |
17.6 (64) |
15.6 (60) |
13.9 (57) |
15.5 (60) |
| Precipitation cm (inches) | 10.27 (4) |
8.72 (3.4) |
6.36 (2.5) |
3.89 (1.5) |
1.89 (0.7) |
1.19 (0.5) |
0.25 (0.1) |
0.31 (0.1) |
3.67 (1.4) |
7.50 (3) |
10.08 (4) |
9.99 (3.9) |
64.12 (25.2) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 91 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN)[2]. | |||||||||||||
[edit] Tourism
Today Funchal is a major tourist town, with hotels, port, and an international airport Funchal Airport (FNC), located in the nearby municipality of Santa Cruz.
Besides the city of Funchal, tourist destinations include: Ribeira Brava, Curral das Freiras, Porto Moniz, Santana, the Laurisilva forest, a UNESCO Natural Site, in the center of Madeira Island and the beaches in Porto Santo island. There is also a passenger gondola lift (Funchal Passenger Ropeway), that transports people from the lower section of the city to the suburb of Monte.
[edit] Famous Madeirans
- Cristiano Ronaldo, football player of Real Madrid
- José Vicente Barbosa (May 2, 1823 - November 3, 1907) zoologist
- Artur de Sousa Pinga, Portuguese football player
- Alberto João Jardim, President of the Regional Government of Madeira
- Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos, former Archbishop of Goa, India
- Pedro Macedo Camacho, composer
- Vânia Fernandes, singer, Portugal's Eurovision Song Contest 2008 contestant
- Fátima Lopes, fashion designer
- Jorge Borges, jazz pianist
- Bruno Santos, jazz guitarist
- Moisés Henriques, Australian cricketer
- Herberto Hélder, poet
- Lloyd Mathews, military and political leader
[edit] Twin towns
Funchal is twinned with:
Gibraltar
Honolulu in USA- Oakland in USA
- New Bedford in USA
- Maui in USA
Herzliya in Israel
Saint Helier in Jersey
Leichlingen in Germany
Cape Town in South Africa
Santos in Brazil
Marrickville in Australia
[edit] References
- ^ UMA POPULAÇÃO QUE SE URBANIZA, Uma avaliação recente - Cidades, 2004 Nuno Pires Soares, Instituto Geográfico Português (Geographic Institute of Portugal)
- ^ "Weather Information for Funchal". http://www.worldweather.org/003/c00005.htm.
[edit] External links
| North: Santana | Northeast: Machico | |
| West: Câmara de Lobos |
Funchal | East: Santa Cruz |
| South: Atlantic Ocean |
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Coordinates: 32°39′04″N 16°54′35″W / 32.65111°N 16.90972°W
