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    The 600-Year Battle to Settle Madeira, Portugal



    Portugal’s first colony, the new-famous island of Madeira, came after a centuries-long battle- not with the island’s inhabitants, but with the island itself.

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    Further Reading:
    World History: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1756/the-portuguese-colonization-of-madeira/
    Brittanica: https://www.britannica.com/place/Madeira-Islands
    UNESCO – Laurisilva Forest: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/934/
    Laurisilva Forest: http://world-heritage-datasheets.unep-wcmc.org/datasheet/output/site/laurisilva-of-madeira/
    1977 Plane Crash: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123377376/
    1977 Plane Crash: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123377398/
    Alberto João Jardim: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/business/global/far-off-region-piles-more-debt-on-portugal.html
    Portugal joins EU: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123377442/
    Mountain Villages: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tmullen/2021/10/24/why-madeira-island-is-a-world-apart/?sh=2c8a4a8549c7

    Images:
    Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/2003674475/
    Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/2020639344/
    Black Death Art: https://artincontext.org/black-death-art/
    Archival footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MS9ypOLaQM
    Archival footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2lSsKVoISU
    Airport footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_8o0-GlcFQ
    1977 Plane Crash: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123377421/

    Maps:
    https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~44~10106:Madeira-Ids-?title=Search+Results%3A+List_No+equal+to+%274584.040%27&thumbnailViewUrlKey=link.view.search.url&fullTextSearchChecked=&annotSearchChecked=&dateRangeSearchChecked=&showShareIIIFLink=true&helpUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fdocumentation.lunaimaging.com%2Fdisplay%2FV75D%2FLUNA%2BViewer%23LUNAViewer-LUNAViewer&showTip=false&showTipAdvancedSearch=false&advancedSearchUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fdocumentation.lunaimaging.com%2Fdisplay%2FV75D%2FSearching%23Searching-Searching
    https://leiden.oldmapsonline.org/maps/04f3bfe7-1d3d-52b4-97c6-6518acc87dce/
    https://www.e-rara.ch/zut/content/zoom/11639700
    https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~34273~1171188:Madeira-;JSESSIONID=fa866ed1-397c-4e3f-b9e5-34bae90248f1?title=Search+Results%3A+List_No+equal+to+%275075.049%27&thumbnailViewUrlKey=link.view.search.url&fullTextSearchChecked=&annotSearchChecked=&dateRangeSearchChecked=&showShareIIIFLink=true&helpUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fdocumentation.lunaimaging.com%2Fdisplay%2FV75D%2FLUNA%2BViewer%23LUNAViewer-LUNAViewer&showTip=false&showTipAdvancedSearch=false&advancedSearchUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fdocumentation.lunaimaging.com%2Fdisplay%2FV75D%2FSearching%23Searching-Searching#

    0:00 – Intro
    1:37 – Early Settlement
    2:54 – Geography
    5:26 – Isolation
    6:54 – Tourism Rise
    9:22 – Conclusion

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    32 Comments

    3. Badeta on

      Hey man. I'm Portuguese (from continent) and I really love this video. Not to much time, very well produced and shows a different perspective of Madeira. congrats man, this is real content!! you definitely got a new subscriber!

    4. TorQueHQ on

      You got 2 things wrong, not everyone liked Alberto João jardim neither is Madeira one of the richest Portugal places. They make you see that people here is living rich life but instead, tourism life the rich life, not residents.

    6. TagusMan on

      If you like driving and the challenge of old, steep, narrow roads, then Portugal 🇵🇹 is a driver's paradise, especially the islands of Madeira and the Azores.

      All the new tunnels on Madeira are making some of those old roads obsolete and with them, the views. There are no views to discover in a tunnel. The price of progress.

    9. Francisco Villalôbos on

      great video about this amazing island. I'm from Madeira and the only thing that I would like to state is that you forgot about the "Selvagens" Islands. this small pack of islands are also part of Madeira. Also, the vulcanic activity in madeira is not awoke. But that's it. It was an incredible video and thank you for giving people the opportunity to see Madeira with different eyes

    18. Ines Gouveia on

      As a Madeirian, I have never thought about how the island is trying to outgrow us, but that is an incredible perspective that perfectly depicts the hardships that some people lived/ still live. The footage was incredible and this video has to be one of my favourites about this beautiful island 🙂
      Fun fact: before the island was discovered, sailors were afraid of the island as they thought this was actually a giant monster that was floating over the ocean. This had to do with the amount of fog created by the threes that made an illusion of a floating beast.

    19. Harry Palmer on

      Aidin, I’ve been following your photography on Instagram for years now and somehow I had no idea about your YouTube (I suppose I’m not that active), now you inspire me in countless ways. Thank you and keep at it✌️

    20. Aditya Chouksey on

      I don't know if anyone noticed but that quote "it all changed before 45 years" and then there's sunrise which shows a new beginning! What an immaculate Cinematography 💯✨

    21. Jorge on

      I am Portuguese and live in Madeira most of the year. I love it although it's becoming harder and harder for locals to have a decent life there due to the government being hijacked by powerful interest groups

    32. Nyles Gregory on

      Woah!!! A+++++ Exposition that delivers spot-on accurate analysis of the Roller Coaster Rock island. Very impressive work putting together your conclusions. I bought a house here and have struggled with confounded variables exactly as you mention in the Madierense Battle. This Post should be required viewing for any/all who are considering a permanent move to the island – Caveat emptor – the island is constantly trying to swallow you and the land is still in a highly dynamic state of its journey. FWIW my definition and conclusions? A combination of Kong's Skull Island, Whoville and Baja California. I am rarely impressed and I have not found a better, more accurate read of someone elses analysis of this rock than yours. Will now check out your other posts as a result. Quite impressive, hat's off to you Aidin. Wow!

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