The small town of Ribeira Brava, with about six thousand inhabitants, is located on the southwest coast about 15 km from Funchal. It was founded in 1440 and owes its name to a local mountain formation crossed by a small torrent. "Wild river" is what the name Ribeira Brava means in German. However, you only notice why this is so after heavy rainfall, when the otherwise quiet little river swells into a wide stream in the town. Once one of the richest communities on the island due to its sugar cane plantations, bananas and various types of fruit are now grown here. The two most important sights in Ribeira Brava are the Matriz de São Bento church and the Ethnological Museum. With its historically grown old town, the village has a few small street cafés and shops. The long hours of sunshine on the southwest coast attract many bathers to the shallow stone beach.