By now most Cristiano Ronaldo fans know that Cristiano Ronaldo hails from the Portuguese Island of Madeira. But where is Madeira located, and what is it’s history? We thought it would be fitting that the Island of Madeira be featured here on Cristiano Ronaldo7.com
Madeira is situated 600km west of Northwest Africa. History reveals that Jo�o Gon�alves Zarco and Trist�o Vaz Teixeira, two captains for the Legendary Prince Henry the Navigator, were diverted off course by a storm in the year 1418. They landed on an Island, which they called Porto Santo (Holy Port) in gratitude for saving their lives, which would certainly have ended otherwise.
Although the larger Island of Madeira was close by, it wasn’t until the following year 1419, when an expedition sent by the Portuguese Crown for continued exploration and settlement of Porto Santo that Madeira was discovered. Madeira, which is the Portuguese word for ‘wood’, was given its name due to the incredibly vast abundance of timber, which was so thick that it was virtually impenetrable by the explorers.
Portugal immediately claimed rights to the Islands and began settlement, but it wasn’t until September 23, 1433, that the name Ilha da Madeira (Madeira Island) was first documented on a map, possibly to keep the Island secret until colonization and fortification was complete.
The island remained an important stop-over for Portugal’s Journeys into the unkown world, serving also as a Naval base for the protection of it’s ever-increasing territory. But beyond it’s strategic importance, it remained a relatively peaceful speck on the Portuguese map. It wasn’t until over 500 years later that Madeira reconstituted as a place of importance, and that of course was the birth of Cristiano Ronaldo on February 5, 1985, in the city of Funchal.
Below is a short video of the Island which produced our Cristiano Ronaldo. For more information on Madeira and the as well as the other regions of Portugal, Portugal Vacations has invaluable information on the topic of Portugals important regions as well as culture and tourism information.
wow, i didn’t know C. Ronaldo was born in Ilha da Madeira. The video makes the place look pretty intersting