FUNCHAL THEN AND NOW

摘要

Madeira, about 300 miles west of Morocco, is the largest island in an archipelago which also includes Porto Santo. The early Portuguese settlers grew sugar cane, and later sugar beet, an important crop from the mid-15th century until the 17th century. Genoese and Flemish traders took sugar exports to Venice, Constantinople, Rouen and England. From the 17th century, as sugar production shifted to Brazil, Madeira's most important product became its wine. This attracted many foreign merchants, mainly English, and English ships took on wine on their way to colonies in the West Indies and North America, which became the main markets for Madeira wine.