Caniçal - a district of the municipality of Machico, which is located in the archipelago of Madeira. Caniçal is 20 km from the municipality of Santana and Funchal, the main city and port of the island of Madeira.

Approximate date of foundation caniçal - 1561. There are other data, which caniçal began to settle back in 1489, and at the same time were built the first farm. Caniçal - the oldest district of the island of Madeira. This small town is located in the eastern part of the island until 1982 caniçal was the center of the whaling industry.

On campus there is a chapel of St. Sebastian, which was built at the beginning of the XVI century and is the parish church. Chapel was built on the site of the old church, which was destroyed by pirates. In 1748 the chapel was destroyed in the quake, but then recovered.

The third Sunday of September in Caniçal, which is still a busy seaport, a celebration is held in honor of Our Lady of Mercy - Festa de Nossa Senhora da Piedade. On this day, the decorated boats go to sea, the fishermen held a competition between who takes the figure of the Virgin. Selected boat becomes anchored at the pier, fishermen climb to the top of the hill, where there is a chapel built in honor of the Virgin, and her image is carried out in a boat. The next day, the image of the Virgin returns to the place.

Since caniçal was once the capital of the whaling industry, tourists enjoy visiting the local museum whale Madeira, which is located in the office of the former whaling company. In the museum you can see a short film about whales and learn a lot about them. There is also a beautiful small sandy beach Prainha, the hallmark of which is the color of the sand - black.