Funchal, Madeira
| Funchal | |||
| Municipality (Concelho) | |||
 A January 2014 panoramic view of Funchal
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| Official name: Concelho do Funchal | |||
| Name origin: funcho, Portuguese for fennel | |||
| Country |  Portugal |
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| Autonomous Region |  Madeira |
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| Island | Madeira | ||
| Center | Funchal | ||
| - coordinates | 32°39′N 16°55′W / 32.650°N 16.917°WCoordinates: 32°39′N 16°55′W / 32.650°N 16.917°W | ||
| Lowest point | Sea level | ||
| - location | Atlantic Ocean | ||
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) | ||
| Area | 76.15 km2 (29 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 111,892 (2011) | ||
| Density | 1,323/km2 (3,427/sq mi) | ||
| Settlement | c.1424 | ||
| - Town | c.1452–1454 | ||
| - Municipality | c.1508 | ||
| LAU | Câmara Municipal | ||
| - location | Praça do Município | ||
| - elevation | 34 m (112 ft) | ||
| - coordinates | 32°39′0″N 16°54′30″W / 32.65000°N 16.90833°W | ||
| President | Paulo Cafôfo (Mudança Political Coligation) | ||
| Timezone | WET (UTC0) | ||
| - summer (DST) | WEST (UTC+1) | ||
| Postal Zone | 9000 | ||
| Area Code & Prefix | (+351) 291 XXX-XXX | ||
 Location of the municipality of Funchal in the Madeiran archipelago
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| Website: http://www.cm-funchal.pt | |||
Funchal (Portuguese pronunciation: [fũˈʃaɫ]) is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a population of 111,892, making it the 6th largest city in Portugal, and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries. Because of its high cultural and historical value, Funchal is one of Portugal's main tourist attractions. It is also popular as a destination for New Year's Eve, and it is the leading Portuguese port on cruise liner dockings.
The name is from the Portuguese word "funcho" (fennel) and the suffix "-al", to denote "a plantation of fennel".
The name Funchal, was applied by the first settlers that landed on its shores due to the abundance of wild fennel where, as tradition goes, the primitive burg was built. From the Portuguese word "funcho" (fennel) and the suffix "-al", to denote "a plantation of fennel":
"...Funchal, to whom the captain gave this name, because it was founded in a beautiful forested valley, full of fennel up to the sea..."
This settlement began around 1424, when the island was divided into two captaincies, and the zones that would become the urbanized core of Funchal would be founded by João Gonçalves Zarco who settled there with members of his family. Owing to its geographic location, the site became an important maritime port, whereas its productive soils became a focus of new settlers. Its coastal position, the most productive on the island, quickly permitted Funchal to develop an urban core and surpass the populations of other settlements, which slowly gravitated around it.
In the early 15th century, Álvaro Fernandes was the commander of Funchal.
As part of its administrative role, the settlement received its primary lighthouse between 1452 and 1454, when it was elevated to the status of vila and municipal seat. Funchal became an important transfer point for European commercial interests; many sailors and merchants located in Funchal in order to take advantage of the transient conditions of port. Christopher Columbus was one of the early settlers, but later many of the merchant families established commercial interests on the island, including: João d'Esmenaut from the Picardy region, the Lomelino from Genoa, the Mondragão from Biscay, the Acciauoli from Florence, the Bettencourts from France, the Lemilhana Berenguer from Valencia and many others.
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Wikipedia