The Madeira Islands, which belong to Portugal, are located 360 miles (492 km.) off the northwest coast of Africa. They have an area of 307 sq. mi. (795 sq. km.) and a population of 267,000. The group consists of two groups of inhabited rocks named Madeira and Porto Santo and two groups of uninhabited rocks named Desertas and Selvagens. Capital: Funchal. The three staple products are wine, flowers and sugar. ,Although the evidence is insufficient, it is thought that the Phoenicians visited Madeira at an early period. The Portuguese navigator Goncalvez Zarco first sighted Porto Santo in 1418, having been driven there by a storm while he was exploring the coast of West Africa. Madeira itself was discovered in 1420. The islands were uninhabited when visited by Zarco, but their colonization was immediately begun by Prince Henry the Navigator, aided by knights of the Order of Christ. British troops occupied the islands in 1801, and again in 1807-14. Since 1976 Madeira is politically and administratively an autonomous region with regional government and a parliament.,, Rulers:,,, ,Portuguese,,