sentences:  An armillary sphere, as crest, was chosen, due to its connection to the Discoveries and King Manuel I and given the fact that it is an architectural and sculptural element found in many public buildings in Funchal.The two monk seal supports, symbolize the Region's homage to the only large mammals found when the first settlers arrived.Initially, in 1990, the proposed motto was a fragment from Os Lusíadas, allusive to Madeira, “Of which we populated the first”.