Capes

There are two capes on Madeira: Cabo Garajau (‘tern cape’) and Cabo Girão. The first juts some 120 metres out into the sea; the second projects very little and has at its base a shelf, or erosion platform, on which one can walk at low tide.

Cabo Girão, so called because it was the point at which the boats ended their rotation (giro) on the first voyage of reconnaissance around the island, is one of the highest sea cliffs in the world. Cabo Garajau, which takes its name from the great number of common terns (garajau) (Sterna hirundo) that the first explorers found there, is much lower, its crest standing 126 metres above sea level.

At Cabo Girão numerous dykes cut through the tuffs, scoriae and lavas, and at Cabo Garajau there is a quite remarkable basalt dyke; numerous basalt inclusions can also be seen in the yellow tuff of the ground.

The land near the beach to the west of Garajau, and the ravines and heights to the east of Cabo Girão, are rich in botanical species, some of which are not found anywhere else on the island.