Ponta do Sol, Madeira Ponta do Sol, Madeira Ponta do Sol (, ) is a municipality in the southwestern coast of the island of Madeira, in the archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 8,862, in an area of 46.19 km². The settlement of Ponta do Sol began shortly after the discovery of the island of Madeira, around 1420. Ponta do Sol is located between Ribeira-Brava and Calheta, on the southwest coast of Madeira, linked to Funchal (the capital) and surrounding communities by the main regional road. The municipality is crossed by a few pedestrian hiking trails, that usually follow the "levadas" ()
Islands of Africa or other scattered islands of the Indian Ocean. The United Kingdom also retains territories in the form of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha off Africa's western seaboard in the Atlantic Ocean, as does Portugal with the islands of Madeira north of the Canary Islands and Italy with the islands of Lampedusa and Lampione off the northern coast of Tunisia. Many continental African countries also include many islands within their territories. Some of these islands have witnessed rising secessionist movements, most notably the islands of Zanzibar in Tanzania and Lamu in Kenya. The total population of inhabitants of the