| In contrast, Madeira, located 25 miles southeast of Porto Santo, was a mountainous, spectacular island with a rugged, verdant landscape. Its mountain range, with peaks ranging in heights up to 6000 feet, extended lengthwise across the island with many deep ravines radiating outward toward the coast. With almost no flat land, nearly all hillsides were covered with terraces, and a vast network of road tunnels linked the estimated 245,500 people living in the different communities on the island. Unlike Porto Santo, Madeira lacked sandy beaches, and so a few natural swimming pools had been created around basalt rock formations. |
