The Principality of Pontinha is one of the world's smallest claimed micronations: a 19th-century sea fort sitting on a tiny islet at the entrance to Funchal's harbor. The fort was built on the site of an older Portuguese fortification and for most of its history served as a navigation marker and minor harbor defense. It is now claimed as a sovereign state by its owner, who issues its own passports, currency, and official documents.
Getting to the Principality requires contacting the Prince directly for an arranged visit — it is not open on a regular schedule. For most visitors, it is enough to walk to the end of the Marina pier and look across at the fort: a squat yellow structure rising from the sea just outside the harbor wall, implausibly attached to Funchal and yet somehow separate from it. The whole situation is considerably more entertaining than it has any right to be.