Deadly accident on the pearl of the Atlantic

The Portuguese holiday island of Madeira attracts every year hundreds of thousands of visitors. The "island of flowers" or "the pearl of the Atlantic" offers volcanic landscapes and mild climate.

in 2017, came to more than 1.3 million tourists – a record. British, with just under 29 percent, and Germans with almost 28 percent, were the largest groups.

The 500 kilometres off the coast of Morocco located, the archipelago consists of two main Islands: Madeira and the much smaller island of Porto Santo. Around half of the 270'000 inhabitants living in the regional capital, Funchal, on Madeira.

for a Long time neglected, experienced Madeira, in the past decades, a huge upswing. Especially with EU funds massive infrastructure projects have been completed – an airport, highways, tunnels. Numerous Hotels and resorts have emerged. Environmentalists, these "concrete policy" of the long-standing regional President, Alberto João Jardim was a thorn in the eye.

Sissi and Churchill

Over the centuries, has attracted Madeira's famous personalities. Empress Sissi was in the 19th century. Century for the cure. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in the 1950s, often and described the island as his "floating garden".

The most famous son of Madeira is no doubt that today's football star Cristiano Ronaldo was born in a poor district of Funchal. In 2017, the airport of Madeira, in accordance with the European champion and multiple world footballer was named. (chk/sda)

Created: 18.04.2019, 04:16 PM