Madeira
Madeira names 2 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below. 1 of them is described by more than one encyclopedia.
Madeira a Portuguese island in the North Atlantic
Described by 2 of the 6 encyclopedias.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a Portuguese island in the North Atlantic, 360 miles from the coast of Africa, 530 miles from Lisbon, 1,215 from Plymouth; length, 30 miles; breadth, 13 miles; area, 314 square miles; pop. about 175,000. The island is traversed by a central mountain ridge, the highest point of which reaches 6,000 feet; from this great spurs descend to the coast, forming lofty precipices; and in the bays formed between these volcanic cliffs are situated the villages of Madeira. Adjacent to Madeira is Porto Santo, a small island, and the Desertas, which, with Madeira itself, compose the group of the Madeiras. The staple products of Madeira are wine and sugar. The mean annual temperature is 65°, the two hottest months being August and September, and the three coldest January, February, and March. The climate is equable and the island is considered an excellent sanatorium for chest diseases. Capital and chief center of trade, FUNCHAL ( q. v.); pop. about 25,000. The Madeiras were known to the Romans, and were rediscovered and colonized by the Portuguese in 1431.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
ma-de'ra, a group of islands situated in the Atlantic Ocean, west of Africa. The group is a district of the kingdom of Portugal. The name of the group is derived from that of the chief island. The word Madeira is Portuguese, signifying a wood or forest. Area, 314 square miles; population in 1900, 150,574. The inhabitants are of Portuguese descent. The hot winds of the Sahara reach the islands occasionally; otherwise the climate is charmingly agreeable. The islands are celebrated as a health resort and for the production of Madeira wine and sugar. See Canaries; Wine
Madeira the great affluent of the Amazon
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
the great affluent of the Amazon, having its origin in the confluence of the Mamoré and Guaporé, at about lat. 12° S., the Beni joining 110 miles lower down, and then flowing N. E. to the Amazon, its drainage basin embracing about 425,000 square miles. From its mouth to its first falls the distance is 578 miles; above this point navigation is broken by a series of 19 falls, rapids, and cataracts for a distance of 230 miles. Its chief tributary is the Rio Teodoro, formerly Rio Duvida (River of Doubt), explored in 1914 by Theodore Roosevelt, and re-named by Brazil in his honor.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's called Madeira in 1921 "a Portuguese island" prized as "an excellent sanatorium for chest diseases"; since 1976 it has been an autonomous region of Portugal with its own parliament, its population is around 250,000, and its trade is tourism rather than convalescence — Funchal, put at 25,000 then, is now over 100,000, and an airport (opened 1964, renamed for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017) brings visitors in place of the old steamers. The laurel forest that gave the island its name, the laurisilva, was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. The Amazon tributary has changed more drastically still: the "19 falls, rapids, and cataracts" that broke navigation for 230 miles have largely been drowned by the Santo Antônio and Jirau hydroelectric dams near Porto Velho, completed in 2011 and 2012. The Rio Teodoro, renamed for Theodore Roosevelt after his 1914 descent of the River of Doubt, is still called the Rio Roosevelt.
Written for this edition, 2026.