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Funchal
Funchal
	View of Funchal
; Flag	; Coat of arms
Country	Portugal
Region	Madeira Autonomous Region
Founded	15th century, 16th century as city
	Government
- Presidente da Câmara Municipal do Funchal (President of the City Council of Funchal)	Miguel Filipe Machado de Albuquerque (PSD)
	Area
- Land	76.25 km2 (29.4 sq mi)
- Metro	277.32 km2 (107.1 sq mi)
	Population
- City	100,847
- Density	1,323/km2 (3,426.6/sq mi)
- Metro	186,929
- Metro Density	674/km2 (1,745.7/sq mi)
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST)	WEST (UTC+1)
Postal code	9000
Area code(s)	351 (Portugal) + 291 (Madeira)
Website	[1] and [2]

Funchal (Portuguese pronunciation: [fũˈʃaɫ]), population 100,526^[1], is the chief city of Madeira Island and the capital and largest city of the Madeira Autonomous Region, Portugal.

With its neighbouring boroughs (municipalities) of Câmara de Lobos, Santa Cruz, Machico and Ribeira Brava the town has over 150,000 inhabitants. It is the most populous Portuguese city outside mainland Portugal. The Funchal conurbation includes the cities of Funchal, Câmara de Lobos, Caniço and Santa Cruz, all on the south side of Madeira.

Funchal lies in a natural "amphitheatre", with gentle slopes beginning at the harbour and rising almost 1200 metres. This provides a natural shelter that attracted the first settlers. Funchal is a cosmopolitan and panoramic city, with parks, shops and hotels.

Funchal has been Madeira's capital for more than five centuries, and is said to have been named because of the abundance of fennel (funcho - in Portuguese) growing there.

The Funchal Municipality includes the Savage Islands (Ilhas Selvagens), a nature reserve 160 km (100 mi) south of Funchal.

A highway provides access to Câmara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava to the west, and Santa Cruz and Machico to the east.

[edit] History

Funchal was founded by João Gonçalves Zarco in 1421 and was elevated to city status by King Manuel I of Portugal in 1508. In the early 1400s, Álvaro Fernandes was the commander of Funchal. In the 16th century Funchal was important as a stopping place between the Indies and the New World.It was the port for Madeiran sugar and wine.

[edit] Harbour of Funchal

The harbour of Funchal is the busiest in Madeira. Cruise ships, boats and yachts call there, as it has been for many years, being also the second busiest one in Portugal, after Lisbon.

[edit] Airport

Madeira Airport, often known as Funchal Airport/Madeira/Santa Catarina Airport (code:FNC), is located east of the city, in the municipality of Santa Cruz. The airport was one of the most dangerous airports in the world due to the limited flat space in close proximity to cliffs, but the extension of the runway on concrete pillars in the sea has improved safety.

[edit] Parishes (Freguesias)

The municipality (Município) and city (Cidade) of Funchal coexist as one. Its urban area sprawls from the harbour on the Atlantic to the mountain and hills above. There are ten parishes/paroquias:

The most populated is Santo António. Sé is where the cathedral is located, in the old city center.

[edit] Funchal Diocese

The see of the Bishop (Diocese de Funchal) includes all of the Autonomous Region of Madeira.

[edit] Climate

Weather data for Funchal
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	19.1 (66)	19.1 (66)	19.5 (67)	19.6 (67)	20.9 (70)	22.3 (72)	24.3 (76)	25.6 (78)	25.7 (78)	24.2 (76)	22.0 (72)	20.0 (68)	21.8 (71)
Daily mean °C (°F)	16.1 (61)	16.0 (61)	16.2 (61)	16.5 (62)	17.7 (64)	19.4 (67)	21.1 (70)	22.2 (72)	22.3 (72)	20.9 (70)	18.8 (66)	17.0 (63)	18.6 (65)
Average low °C (°F)	13.1 (56)	12.8 (55)	13.0 (55)	13.4 (56)	14.6 (58)	16.5 (62)	18.0 (64)	18.9 (66)	18.9 (66)	17.6 (64)	15.6 (60)	13.9 (57)	15.5 (60)
Precipitation cm (inches)	10.27 (4)	8.72 (3.4)	6.36 (2.5)	3.89 (1.5)	1.89 (0.7)	1.19 (0.5)	0.25 (0.1)	0.31 (0.1)	3.67 (1.4)	7.50 (3)	10.08 (4)	9.99 (3.9)	64.12 (25.2)
Avg. precipitation days	12	11	10	8	5	3	1	2	6	9	11	13	91
Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN)^[2].

[edit] Tourism

Today Funchal is a major tourist town, with hotels, port, and an international airport Funchal Airport (FNC), located in the nearby municipality of Santa Cruz.

Besides the city of Funchal, tourist destinations include: Ribeira Brava, Curral das Freiras, Porto Moniz, Santana, the Laurisilva forest, a UNESCO Natural Site, in the center of Madeira Island and the beaches in Porto Santo island. There is also a passenger gondola lift (Funchal Passenger Ropeway), that transports people from the lower section of the city to the suburb of Monte.