Administrative divisions of Portugal (on Terceira Island), the historical and cultural capital, is the home of the Azorean judiciary and seat of the Diocese of the Azores. Madeira is an archipelago that includes two principal islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, plus two uninhabited natural group of islands, the Desertas and Savage Islands (). The archipelago is located closer to Africa than Europe, is highly commercial and urbanized; its regional capital (Funchal) is developmentally comparable to urban centers in the Canary or Balearic Islands. The division of the Portuguese territory is established in title eight (Título VIII) of the Portuguese constitution: granting local authority to
Coat of arms of Madeira the first inhabitants of the island, and allude to the need to preserve this endangered species. The gold armillary sphere represents the Age of Discovery, initiated by the Portuguese, and King Manuel I of Portugal who ordered the settling of the archipelago. The Autonomous Region of Madeira motto, "Das Ilhas as Mais Belas e Livres", is Portuguese for "Of all islands, the most beautiful and free". Coat of arms of Madeira The coat of arms of the Portuguese Autonomous Region of Madeira consists of a shield azure a pale or charged with a Cross of Christ, with external elements. The