Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The Madeira evergreen forests is a laurissilva ecoregion of southwestern Europe. It covers the archipelago of Madeira and some nearby islands (Desertas and Selvagens) in the Atlantic Ocean. Laurel forest, known as Laurisilva of Madeira, once covered the islands. Over centuries the laurel forests were mostly cleared. Madeira's remaining forests ...
The Laurisilva of Madeira (Portuguese: Floresta Laurissilva da Madeira) is a natural place declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. [1] It is considered a very valuable relic, due to its size and quality, of the laurisilva, a type of laurel forest that was very abundant in the past and is practically extinct today.
Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen , glossy and elongated leaves, known as "laurophyll" or "lauroid".
The Madeira Natural Park (Portuguese: Parque Natural da Madeira) is a large biological reserve in Madeira with a unique endemic flora and fauna. It was created in 1982 to safeguard the natural heritage of the archipelago, and contains a number of endangered species including global rarities such as Zino's petrel .
The laurel forests of Madeira represent a relic of a forest type that covered large parts of Southern Europe 40 to 15 million years ago. The forest consists mainly of evergreen trees and bushes, with flat, dark green leaves. The ecosystem, which is mainly primary forest, is home to many plant and animal species, several of them endemic. [14]
Madeira is a year-round resort, particularly for Portuguese, but also British (148,000 visits in 2021), and Germans (113,000). [13] It is by far the most populous and densely populated Portuguese island. The region is noted for its Madeira wine, flora, and fauna, with its pre-historic laurel forest, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
Laurel-leaved forests, called laurisilva, once covered most of the Azores, Madeira, and parts of the Canaries at an altitude of between 400 and 1,200 metres (1,300 and 3,900 ft), the eastern Canaries and Cape Verde being too dry.