Machico is a municipality, parish and city in the southeast part of the island of Madeira, in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. The easternmost municipality on the island, it is also the third-most populous area with a population of 21,828 in 2011.

Physical geography

Machico is located 17 km northeast of Funchal, northwest of the uninhabitable Savage Islands, 20 km southeast of Santana and west-southwest of Porto Santo in the extreme eastern portion of the island of Madeira. It is linked by road from Funchal (the regional capital), to the Santana and the villages of Ribeira Seca and Caniçal. To the existence of mountains on the western coast, it is sandwiched along the coast from the rest of the islands’ settlements, while forests lie towards the interior and grasslands cover the north-eastern corner of the municipality.

Geomorphologically, the municipality is dominated by steeped and inclined topography, except in the Machico valley (where slopes are gentle), formed by two mountain ranges: in the east Pico do Facho and to the west the Queimada plateau. Examples of these differences include the area south of Porto da Cruz (in the watershed of Ribeira do Juncal) and in Caniçal (in the Ribeira da Palmeira watershed).

Due to its location and morphological characteristics, the climate of Madeira is complex, whose difference from place to place is accentuated, even in areas relatively close. Machico temperatures are relatively moderate throughout the year, with variation relatively low (only accentuated between elevations).

Human geography

Administratively, the municipality is governed from its seat in the city of Machico, but five local juntas de freguesia (civil parish government) handle issues in the communities of:

• Água de Pena – supposedly the area explored by João Gonçalos Zarco and his crew after anchoring in Madeira, Pena is the smallest parish in the municipality, and developed from various reconfigurations of the border between Machico and Santa Cruz, today its population includes 1700 inhabitants (2001 census);
• Caniçal – an important fishing community of 3893 inhabitants (2001), the parish of Caniçal (which means area of many fishing lines/rods) extends into the eastern coast of Madeira island to the tip of the cliffs of the promontory/escarpment of Ponta de São Lourenço;
• Machico – historical village, it is the largest parish in terms of population and concentrated residents, with a population of 11,977 (2006 Estimate);
• Porto da Cruz – largest parish in area and the smallest parish in density (2793 inhabitants), whose name was derived from the original discoverers, who fixed a steel cross by the harbour, so that travellers would be able to identify the location;
• Santo António da Serra – considered the smallest parish in terms of population (1355 residents), it is also one of the few interior parishes on the island, created from the disharmony between the local authorities (which forced the local governor to divide the original parish between Machico and Santo Cruz).

Machico has several primary schools, junior and senior secondary schools, banks, main post office and public square, along with public beaches.

Speleology

The Furnas do Cavalum are a group of four cavities located in Machico and named after a local legend about a demon called Cavalum, who was imprisoned in the cave.

These lava tubes are of great importance allowing a view on the volcanic history of the now inactive island of Madeira, they have also biologic importance as there are several troglobiont living in the cave, including crustaceans, spiders and flies. At least fourteen invertebrates live in these tubes and at least three of them are endemic on Madeira island, one of them exists only in this cave.

Furnas do Cavalum are also part of the cultural heritage of the islanders, as numerous legends are told about the caves. Despite the stories about the demon, the cave was used as a refuge by the locals, namely during violent uprises like the Revolta da Madeira in April 1931.

Climate

Machico has a very mild mediterranean climate with small temperature differences between seasons. It is slightly cooler than Funchal in all seasons, but is still very mild in winter and has stable and warm summers, where heat-waves are rare. There is a very low diurnal temperature variation with night-time lows above 20 °C (68 °F) being common in summer. The summer is also delayed in so-called seasonal lag. As a result, October is warmer than June in terms of daily mean temperature.

Economy

The economy is focused on agriculture, tourism, and fishing, although a small number of businesses and commercial establishments have concentrated in the centre of town. The main harbour is a mixture of personal and public uses, that includes a lighted promenade, scenic landscapes of the town, as well as a small harbour that is used as a fishing port and public harbour (usually filled with yachts).