Machico

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Machico
Coat of Arms Flag
coat of Arms Flag
Statistics
Region: Madeira Islands
District: Madeira Island
Population: 21,747 2001
Area: 67.73 km²
Density 321.08/km²
Altitude: Lowest: Atlantic Ocean
Centre: 122 m (403 ft)
Highest: -
Number of parishes: 5
Time Zone: Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-0)
Western Africa Time during daylight?

Machico (pron. IPA: [mɐ'ʃiku]) is both a municipality and a municipal seat located in the northeastern part of the Madeira Islands. The town was founded in 1451. Machico is the easternmost municipality on the island and is the second most populous city after the capital Funchal. The population of the municipality was 21,747 in 2001.

It is located 17 km NE of Funchal, NW of the Savage Islands, 20 km SE of Santana and WSW of Porto Santo.

  • Location:
    • Latitude: 32.7 (32°42') N
    • Longitude: 16.7667 (16°46') W

Machico is linked with road to Funchal and Santana and a small road connecting Ribeira Seca and Caniçal. The mountains lie to the west and a smaller range to the northeast.

The main source of the economy is agriculture, tourism, and fishing while a small number of businesses are in the downtown area. The forests lie to the central and western parts while the grasslands covers the northeastern portion. The harbor has an excellent promenade with lights and offers a view of Machico, the mountain slopes and the road linking to Santana and the northern part of the island. A small harbor filled with yachts lies east of Machico.

Machico has several primary schools, lower secondary school, an upper secondary school, banks, a post office, a small port, beaches and squares or plazas (praças).

Contents

[edit] Parishes

The 5 parishes of Machico include:

The largest parish in population and density is Machico, while the smallest parish in population is Santo António da Serra. The largest parish in area and the smallest parish in density is Porto da Cruz, while the smallest in area is Água de Pena. The highest parish is Santo António da Serra.

[edit] Settlements and geographic areas

View of Machico and nearby airport from Pico Do Facho
Enlarge
View of Machico and nearby airport from Pico Do Facho

[edit] Parish of Machico

The parish has a population of 11,947 in 2001, its density is 686.2/km² and the area is 17.41 km².

[edit] External links

Photography




North: Atlantic Ocean
West: Santana
Machico East: Atlantic Ocean
South: Santa Cruz Southeast: Atlantic Ocean


 
Municipalities of the Madeira Autonomous Region
Flag of Madeira
Madeira Island: Calheta | Câmara de Lobos | Funchal | Machico | Ponta do Sol | Porto Moniz | Ribeira Brava | Santa Cruz | Santana | São Vicente | Porto Santo Island: Porto Santo

Coordinates: 32°42′N 16°46′W