PortugalMadeira ArchipelagoIsland
Madeira Island
742 km² rising to 1,862 m out of the Atlantic Ocean.
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
742km²
Area
196km
Coastline
1,862m
Highest point
Pico Ruivo
254,368
People
24°C
Warmest sea
September
627km
To the mainland
When to go to Madeira Island
Best for the beach from August to September.
The sea is warmest in September (24 °C) and coolest in March (18 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from July to November.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island of Portugal
Madeira Island is an island in Portugal. It belongs to Madeira Archipelago. It covers 742 km², with 196 km of coastline. Its highest point, Pico Ruivo, rises to 1,862 m. About 254,368 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 627 km away.
Getting there
- Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at FNC airport (Funchal)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- Ferries2 ferry terminals on the island
- 627 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From August to Septemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Madeira Island.
- 33beachesPraia do Portinho, Praia da Vigia, Praia da Atalaia and 30 more
- 558viewpointsSão Lourenço, Ponta do Garajau, Ponta do Rosto and 555 more
- 21lighthousesFarol da Ponta do Pargo, Farol de São Jorge, Farol and 18 more
- 2ferry terminalsFunchal, Bonita da Madeira
- 11marinasPorto do Seixal, Porto de Abrigo do Porto Moniz, Marina Reception and 8 more
- 135named peaksRuivo, Torres, Arieiro and 132 more
- 244waterfalls25 Fontes, Risco, Agua D'alto and 241 more
- 17castles and fortsForte de São Bento da Ribeira Brava, Vigia, Monte Palace and 14 more
- 30ruins and archaeological sitesRuinas do Hotel Ritz, Marina Lugar de Baixo, Aqueduto de Machico and 27 more
- 6dive centresMero Diving Center, Anthia Diving Center Madeira, Madeira Dive Point and 3 more
- 4surf spotsBaia dos Juncos - Surf Zone, Calhau surf school, Madeira Surf Center and 1 more
- 119waymarked walking routesLevada da Serra do Faial, Passeio Público Marítimo, Passeio Marítimo (Lido - Doca do Cavacas) and 116 more
- 35campsitesCaramujo, Chão dos Louros, Estanquinhos and 32 more
- 464hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 1,721restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Madeira Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Madeira Island, each with its own numbers.
10beaches and covesCoastya
4waterfallsCascadyas
Tallest waterfall
110m
Véu da Noiva Falls
according to Cascadyas
Beach with the warmest sea
23.8°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
10 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Praia da Calheta23.8°C
- Praia Formosa23.7°C
- Praia Machico23.7°C
- Praia da Ribeira de Natal23.6°C
- Praia de Vigario23.7°C
- Praia da Maiata23.6°C
- Praia da Alagoa23.6°C
- Praia de São Jorge23.6°C
2 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
4 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Véu da Noiva Falls110m
- Cascata dos Anjos90m
- 25 Fontes Falls30m
- Risco waterfall
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 692 m above the sea. 12 % of it is below 200 m.
- 3 %0–50 m
- 9 %50–200 m
- 24 %200–500 m
- 41 %500–1,000 m
- 24 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
50 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Funchal105,795 people
- Câmara de Lobos32,209 people
- São Martinho26,482 people
- Santo António25,940 people
- Caniço23,368 people
- Machico12,567 people
- Santa Maria Maior11,768 people
- São Roque9,385 people
- Estreito de Câmara de Lobos9,348 people
- Santana8,804 people
- Camacha7,991 people
- Nossa Senhora do Monte7,444 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 |
| Night low (°C) | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
| Sea (°C) | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 20 |
| Rain (mm) | 32 | 38 | 40 | 26 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 38 | 43 | 45 |
| Wet days | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Sun h/day | 4.8 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 9.6 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 8.3 | 7.0 | 5.1 | 4.7 |
| Wind (km/h) | 22 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 23 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.6 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| 2021 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.1 | +0.1 | −0.1 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.7 |
| 2022 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +0.3 | −0.3 | −0.6 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +1.0 | +1.2 |
| 2023 | +1.2 | +0.6 | +1.8 | +1.7 | +1.7 | +1.2 | +1.5 | +1.6 | +1.3 | +1.7 | +1.8 | +1.9 |
| 2024 | +2.2 | +2.3 | +1.4 | +1.5 | +1.5 | +0.5 | +1.2 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +1.2 |
| 2025 | +1.0 | +1.3 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.2 | −0.2 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q30188) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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