Things you did not know about Madeira! Madeira is 57Km Long (35miles) and 20Km wide (13miles)! Madeira Island is closer to Africa than it is to Europe. Located just 280 nautical miles from the African coast, it is more than 500 miles / 805Km to Lisbon. The island has the world’s largest fireworks display for New Years Eve - as featured in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2006. Madeira island is home to Europe’s tallest sea cliff- more than 580m above the sea- Cabo Girão. There are more than 25 miles / 40KMs of tunnels throughout the island. Most of these were built throughout the 16th century. There are more than 1,350 miles (2,170 km) of levadas (irrigation ducts) and they provide a remarkable network of walking paths. It is known as the Spring Island due to its year round lush vegetation and incredible diversity of flowers.