Macaronesia - Macaronesia

Map of Macaronesia.

Macaronesia, which comes from the Greek and means "Happy or Fortunate Islands", is the collective name of several groups of islands in the North Atlantic and part of the western coast of the African continent. They have many natural (botanical and zoological), geological and climatological aspects in common, such as the presence of laurel forest, a vegetative community that they share Azores, Canary Islands Y Madeira.

Islands

The Macaronesian region is made up of the following archipelagos (from north to south) with the number of inhabited islands:

Azores islands

Madeira

Wild Islands

Canary Islands
	Canary archipelago: The Palm The iron La Gomera Tenerife Gran canaria Fuerteventura Lanzarote Lobos Islet Chinijo Archipelago: La Graciosa Joy Clear Mountain Roque del Este Roque del Oeste
Cape Verde

Geographical Notes

The islands have a unique biogeography and are home to some distinct communities of animals and plants. None of the islands of Macaronesia have ever been part of a continent, so the plants and animals present here could only reach the islands through long-distance dispersal. The forests of laurel , called laurel , once covered much of the Azores, Madeira, the savages, and parts of the Canaries. These forests resemble the ancient ones that covered the Mediterranean basin and northwestern Africa before the dryness and cold of the glaciations.

Deforestation to obtain wood for construction or fire, the development of agriculture and the introduction of exotic species of plants and animals by man have destroyed or greatly reduced much of the original vegetation, especially laurel forest. As a result, much of the islands' endemic biota is critically endangered or extinct.

When to go

The islands' climate varies from subtropical to tropical. The Azores and Madeira generally have cooler and rainier climates than the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. In the latter, Cape Verdean Creole is also very widespread.

Spoken languages

In the Azores islands and in the archipelagos of Madeira and Cape Verde, Portuguese is spoken; while in the Canary Islands Spanish is spoken.

Territories and tourist destinations

The archipelagos of Macaronesia are:

Azores (Portugal)
Cape Verde (Sovereign state)
Canary Islands (Spain)
Madeira (Portugal) - Includes (in addition to the island that gives its name to the archipelago) the island of Porto Santo and the uninhabited Islas Desertas and Islas Salvajes.

Urban centers

Funchal - Picturesque capital of Madeira, born as an important navigation center during the XV-XVII centuries, becoming today one of the most beautiful cities in overseas Portugal.
The Gran Canarian palms - One of the two capitals of the Canary Islands, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the most populated city in the Canary Islands and, in any case, one of the largest in all of Spain.
Ponta Delgada - Capital of the Azores islands born as a fishing village, today the main port of entry for the entire island.
Praia - It is also the main commercial, port and tourist center of Cape Verde, in addition to being its capital.
Santa Cruz of Tenerife - One of the two capitals of the Canary Islands, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a modern and cosmopolitan city full of cultural and local attractions.