Madeira Islands

: For other uses of the word, see Madeira (disambiguation)

Culture and people

The islands are noted as the source of Madeira wine. The islands are also known by the flowers and sub-tropical fruits.

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There are circa 250,000 inhabitants (1991) in the two main islands, only 4,800 live on Porto Santo Island. The population density is 337 inhabitants per square kilometre in Madeira and 112 in Porto Santo. Most of the early settlers were from the Portuguese regions of the Algarve and Minho. The islands have historical monuments, streets and plazas (praças) with many gardens and typical small towns.

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