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Funchal

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: European Geography

       Coat of arms                               Flag
  Funchal's coat of arms                     Funchal's flag
                                       Map
                                   Map not yet
  available
                                   Statistics
  Region:                Madeira Islands
  District:              Madeira Island
  Population:            100,847
  Area:                  75.7 km²
  Density                1,332/km²
  Altitude:              Lowest and Centre: Atlantic Ocean
                         Highest: Pico do Arieiro South Face 1,818 m (northwest)
  Number of parishes:    10
  Address of the city
  administration:        Câmara Municipal de Funchal
                         Paços do Concelho
                         Funchal 9000
  Mayor:                 Miguel Filipe Machado de Albuquerque
  Website:               www.cm-funchal.pt
   Funchal at night
   Enlarge
   Funchal at night

   Funchal ( pron. IPA [fũ'ʃaɫ]), population approximately 140,000, is the
   capital of the Madeira Islands of Portugal. Funchal is also the largest
   city on the islands and is ranked after Câmara de Lobos and Machico in
   area. It was founded by João Gonçalves Zarco in 1421 and was elevated
   to city by King Manuel I in 1508.

   The city is named after fennel, ('funcho' in Portuguese), which grows
   in abundance on the island. Funchal is located 21 km south of Faial,
   about 25 km S of Santana, 17 km SW of Machico, about 7 km E of Câmara
   de Lobos and about 37 km ESE of Calheta. Part of Funchal Municipality
   is Ilhas Selvagens ( Savage Islands ), one nature reserve 160 km (100
   mi) South of Funchal.

   Funchal has an abundant amount of trees. However, due to extreme
   deforestation, the amount of trees in Funchal has decreased
   dramatically.

   The mango and the papaya are two delicious fruits one can come across
   in the exotic Portuguese city of Funchal. The mangos and papayas are
   similar to the ones found in Estreito de Camara dos Lobos.

   Funchal is bypassed by Madeira's only superhighway to the north east
   and northwest which accesses to Santa Cruz, the Madeira airport and
   Câmara de Lobos.

   Location:
     * Latitude: 32.633 (32°38') N
     * Longitude: 16.9 (16°54') W

Parishes

   Part of Funchal during daylight
   Enlarge
   Part of Funchal during daylight
     * Imaculado Coração de Maria
     * Monte
     * Santa Luzia
     * Santa Maria Maior
     * Santo António
     * São Gonçalo
     * São Martinho
     * São Pedro
     * São Roque
     * Sé

   There are 10 parishes in Funchal region. The most populated is Santo
   António.

History

   Funchal
   Enlarge
   Funchal

   In the early 1400s, Alvaro Fernandes was the commander of Funchal.

   In the 16th century Funchal was important as a stopping place between
   the Indies and the New World, and was known as a wealthy place. It was
   also the port for Madeiran sugar and wine.

   Some Navy ships including USS Arkansas, USS Chicago, USS John Hancock,
   USS Salem, CSS Shenandoah, USS Shenandoah, USS Yorktown visited the
   port.

   Funchal hosted the Funchal Island Tournament in 1981 with Club de
   Regatas Vasco da Gama of the Brazilian League.

   Mercado dos Lavradores

                         Kathedrale Sé

                                       Madeira Wine Lodge

                                                         Casino

Postage stamps

   25 reis, 1892, used in 1894; an "S." is visible for the town name.
   Enlarge
   25 reis, 1892, used in 1894; an "S." is visible for the town name.

   Between 1892 and 1905, Portugal issued postage stamps inscribed
   "Funchal", but then reverted to the stamps of Madeira.

Persons

     * José Vicente Barbosa ( May 2, 1823 - November 3, 1907) Zoologist
     * Artur de Sousa Pinga, Legendary Portuguese football player
     * Alberto João Jardim, Leader of regional government of Madeira
     * Cristiano Ronaldo, Football Player of Manchester United
     * Cabral do Nascimento, Poet
     * João Fernandes Vieira, Military
     * Fátima Lopes, Fashion Designer
     * Mark Athias, Investigator and Reformer
     * Henrique Franco, Painter

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funchal"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
