Page 344 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Portugal

GETTING TO KNOW

PORTUGAL’S

ISLANDS
EXPERIENCE Portugal’s Islands Once remote maritime outposts, today Madeira and the Azores are easily

accessible by air. Madeira, lying 600 km (375 miles) off the African coast,
offers a beguiling blend of Portuguese culture and semitropical exoticness.
Further west, the Azorean archipelago, spread over 650 km (400 miles),
is close to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The balmy climate and recently active
volcanoes have created an alluring mix of lush valleys and collapsed craters.

MADEIRA Best for
Year-round warm weather
PAGE 348 Madeira’s handsome historical capital, Funchal, is often and alluring scenery
called “Little Lisbon” because of its resemblance to the
Home to
Portuguese capital. The rest of the island, however, has
a completely different character to the Portuguese Funchal
Experience
mainland. Much of its mountainous interior is covered The infamous Monte Toboggan, a
in lauraceous forests so ancient that they have been hair-raising 2-km (1-mile) descent
awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. The network in a wicker basket on runners
of irrigation canals called levadas attracts keen walkers
to this compact island, while the surrounding seas
draws watersports enthusiasts, and those hoping to
spot whales and dolphins.

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