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A levada is an
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
channel or aqueduct specific to the Portuguese Atlantic region of
Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
. Madeira island is wet in the northwest, but dry in the southeast. In the 16th century the Portuguese started building ''levadas'' (
aqueducts Aqueduct may refer to: Structures *Aqueduct (bridge), a bridge to convey water over an obstacle, such as a ravine or valley *Navigable aqueduct, or water bridge, a structure to carry navigable waterway canals over other rivers, valleys, railw ...
) to carry water to the agricultural regions in the south. Due to its mountainous landscape, building ''levadas'' promised to be a difficult venture, often tasked to criminals and convicts from continental Portugal to build these water canals. Many are cut into the mountainsides, accompanied by of tunnels, some of which are still accessible. Today ''levadas'' supply water and also provide
hydro-electric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also ...
. Over of ''levadas'' were built and later provided a network of walking paths. Paths can provide easy and relaxing walks through the countryside, while others are narrow, crumbling ledges where a slip could result in injury or death. Some improvements have been made to these pathways following the 2010 Madeira floods and mudslides. Such improvements involved the continuous maintenance of streams, paving trails, and establishing safety fences on dangerous stretches. Two of the most popular (and demanding) hiking ''levadas'' are ''Levada do Caldeirão Verde'' and ''Levada do Caldeirão do Inferno''. ''Levada do Caniçal'' is a much easier walk, running from Maroços to the ''Caniçal Tunnel''. It is known as the ''mimosa levada'', because "mimosa" trees (the colloquial name for invasive
acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...
) are found along the route.


History

In Madeira, the levadas originated out of the necessity to bring large amounts of water from the west and northwest of the island to the drier southeast, which is more conductive to habitation and agriculture, such as
sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
production. They were also used by women in the past to wash clothes in areas where running water was not available at homes. Similar examples can still be found in Iberia, such as some aqueducts in Spain. In the sixteenth century the Portuguese started building levadas to carry water to the agricultural regions. The most recent were made in the 1940s. Madeira is very mountainous, and building the levadas was often difficult. Many are cut into the sides of mountains, and it was also necessary to dig of tunnels.


Levadas today

Today the levadas not only supply water to the southern parts of the island, they also provide
hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
. There are more than of levadas and they provide a remarkable network of walking paths. Some provide easy and relaxing walks through beautiful countryside, but others are narrow, crumbling ledges where a slip could result in serious injury or death. A popular levada to hike is the ' which continues as the '. Altogether it is about long. Along both parts there are long sections which may cause hikers to suffer
vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
; and several tunnels for which flashlights and helmets are essential. The ' is a much easier walk. This levada runs from to the '' Tunnel''. It is known as the ' because
acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...
s (commonly misnamed
mimosa ''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 600 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. Species are native to the Americas, from North Dakota to northern Argentina, and to eastern Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, and ...
s) are found all along the route.J. and P. Underwood, ''Landscapes of Madeira'' (Sunflower Books) is the most widely used guide to the levadas. It provides detailed instructions and maps covering 42 levadas and other walks.


Gallery

File:Levada do Rei, Madeira, PR 10, near trailhead.jpg,
Levada do Rei Levada may refer to: * Levada (Madeira) - an irrigation channel or aqueduct on the island of Madeira. * Levada, Cape Verde, a village on the island of Santiago, Cape Verde * Levada, a district in Kharkiv, Ukraine * Levada Center - the Russian indepe ...
, Madeira, PR 10, near trailhead File:Levada 25 Fontes, Madeira, Portugal, June-July 2011 - panoramio (30).jpg,
Levada das 25 Fontes The Levada das 25 Fontes is a Levada_(Madeira), levada that is located in Rabaçal, Paul da Serra, Madeira, Portugal. It is one of the most visited levadas on the island. Access is possible via the road ER110 in Paul da Serra. From there walking ...
, Madeira, Portugal, File:Levada.jpg, Hiker on the path of a levada File:Madeira-levada do bom sucesso-01.JPG,
Levada do bom sucesso Levada may refer to: * Levada (Madeira) - an irrigation channel or aqueduct on the island of Madeira. * Levada, Cape Verde, a village on the island of Santiago, Cape Verde * Levada, a district in Kharkiv, Ukraine * Levada Center - the Russian indepe ...
, Madeira


See also

*
Leat A leat (; also lete or leet, or millstream) is the name, common in the south and west of England and in Wales, for an artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground, especially one supplying water to a watermill or its mill pond. Othe ...
*
Flume A flume is a human-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes are not to be confused with aqueducts, which are built to t ...
*
Acequia An acequia () or (, also known as síquia , all from ) is a community-operated watercourse used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation. Acequias are found in parts of Spain, the Andes, northern Mexico, and what i ...


References

{{Levadas of Madeira Irrigation canals