Canary Islands

Canary Islands
Islas Canarias
—  Federal state  —
Mount Teide (Tenerife), the highest mountain in Spain. Is also the most visited National Park in Spain, Europe and second worldwide.[1][2][3][4]
Flag of Canary Islands
Flag		 Coat-of-arms of Canary Islands
Coat of arms
Location of Canary Islands
Country  Spain
Capital
Escudo de armas de Santa Cruz de Tenerife.svg
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
and
Escudolaspalmasgc.png
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria[5]
Government
 - President Paulino Rivero (CC)
Area(1.5% of Spain; Ranked 13th)
 - Total 7,447 km2 (2,875.3 sq mi)
Population (2009)[6]
 - Total 2,098,593
 - Density 281.8/km2 (729.9/sq mi)
 - Pop. rank 8th
 - Ethnic groups 85.7% Spanish, (Canarian
and Peninsulares), 14.3%
foreign nationals
ISO 3166-2 ES-CN
Anthem Hymn of the Canaries
Languages Spanish(official)
English (partly)
Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982
Parliament Cortes Generales
Congress seats 15 (of 350)
Senate seats 13 (of 264)
Website Gobierno de Canarias

The Canary Islands (pronounced /kəˈnɛəriː ˈaɪləndz/, also known as the Canaries; Spanish: Islas Canarias, pronounced [ˈislas kaˈnaɾjas], are Spain's largest archipelago. The archipelago is located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the Morocco and the Western Sahara. The sea currents that depart from Canary's coasts used to lead ships away to America.[7]

The Canary Islands have great natural attractions, climate and beaches making the islands a major tourist destination, being visited each year by about 12 million people. (11,986,059 in 2007, notably 29% Britons, 22% non-Canarian Spanish, and 21% Germans). Among the islands, Tenerife has the most number of tourists received annually, followed by Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.[8][9] The archipelago's principal tourist attraction is the Teide National Park (in Tenerife) where the highest mountain in Spain and third largest volcano in the world (Mount Teide) is located; it receives over 2.8 million visitors annually.[10]

The Canary Islands currently have a population of 2,098,593 inhabitants, making it the eighth most populous of Spain's autonomous communities, with a density of 281.8 inhabitants per km². The total area of the archipelago is 7447 km².[11][12][13] It also enjoys sub-tropical climate with longer warm days in summer and confortable days in winter.[14]

The status of capital city is shared by the cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas,[15][16] which in turn are the capitals of the provinces of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas. Until 1927 Santa Cruz de Tenerife was the only capital.[15][16] The third largest city of the Canary Islands is La Laguna (City World Heritage Site) on the island of Tenerife.[17][18][19]

Contents

Etymology

The name Islas Canarias is likely derived from the Latin term Insula Canaria, meaning "Island of the Dogs", a name applied originally only to Gran Canaria. It is speculated that the so called dogs were actually a species of Monk Seals ("sea dog" in Latin), critically endangered and no longer present in the Canary Islands.[20] The dense population of seals may have been the characteristic that most struck the few ancient Romans who established contact with these islands by sea. The connection to dogs is retained in their depiction on the islands' coat-of-arms (shown above).

The original inhabitants of the island, guanches, used to worship dogs, mummified them and treated dogs generally as holy animals. In ancient times the island was well known for its people who worshipped dogs there, and when the Romans first visited the island they gave it the name: 'canaari', which means in Latin: "the ones who worship dogs", or "the ones with dogs". The ancient Greeks also knew about a people, living far to the west, who are the "dog-headed ones", who worship dogs on an island. Some theorize that the Canary Islands dog-worship and the ancient Egyptian cult of the dog-headed god, Anubis are closely connected, but there is no explanation as to which one was first, and how is it possible for those two distant areas to be in contact with each other.

Geography

Map of the Canary Islands
Hacha Grande, a mountain in the south of Lanzarote, viewed from the road to the Playa de Papagayo.

Physical geography

The islands and their capitals are:

Island Capital
Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Gran Canaria Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Lanzarote Arrecife
La Palma Santa Cruz de La Palma
La Gomera San Sebastián de La Gomera
El Hierro Valverde
Fuerteventura Puerto del Rosario

[largest of the Canary Islands. The parks are:

Park Island
Parque Nacional de la Caldera de Taburiente La Palma
Garajonay National Park La Gomera
Teide National Park Tenerife
Timanfaya National Park Lanzarote

The following table shows the highest mountains in each of the islands;

Mountain Altitude
Teide 3.718 meters (Tenerife)
Roque de los Muchachos 2.426 meters (La Palma)
Pico de las Nieves 1.949 meters (Gran Canaria)
Pico de Malpaso 1.500 meters (El Hierro)
Garajonay 1.487 meters (La Gomera)
Pico de la Zarza 812 meters (Fuerteventura)
Peñas del Chache 670 meters (Lanzarote)

Climate

Climate data for Gran Canaria Airport, Gran Canaria island
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 20.6
(69.1)		 21.0
(69.8)		 21.8
(71.2)		 22.1
(71.8)		 23.1
(73.6)		 24.7
(76.5)		 26.5
(79.7)		 27.1
(80.8)		 27.1
(80.8)		 25.8
(78.4)		 23.8
(74.8)		 21.8
(71.2)		 23.7
(74.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 17.6
(63.7)		 17.9
(64.2)		 18.6
(65.5)		 18.9
(66)		 20.0
(68)		 21.7
(71.1)		 23.4
(74.1)		 24.1
(75.4)		 24.1
(75.4)		 22.7
(72.9)		 20.8
(69.4)		 18.7
(65.7)		 20.7
(69.3)
Average low °C (°F) 14.7
(58.5)		 14.9
(58.8)		 15.4
(59.7)		 15.7
(60.3)		 17.0
(62.6)		 18.7
(65.7)		 20.4
(68.7)		 21.2
(70.2)		 21.2
(70.2)		 19.7
(67.5)		 17.9
(64.2)		 15.7
(60.3)		 17.7
(63.9)
Precipitation mm (inches) 18
(0.71)		 24
(0.94)		 14
(0.55)		 7
(0.28)		 2
(0.08)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 10
(0.39)		 13
(0.51)		 18
(0.71)		 27
(1.06)		 133
(5.24)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 3 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 21
Sunshine hours 191 192 218 224 265 281 304 294 238 218 191 189 2,805
Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN)[21], Agencia Estatal de Meteorología[22]
Climate data for Santa Cruz de Tenerife, capital of Tenerife island
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 20.6
(69.1)		 20.9
(69.6)		 21.7
(71.1)		 22.3
(72.1)		 23.7
(74.7)		 25.7
(78.3)		 28.3
(82.9)		 28.8
(83.8)		 27.9
(82.2)		 26.0
(78.8)		 23.9
(75)		 21.8
(71.2)		 24.3
(75.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 17.9
(64.2)		 18.0
(64.4)		 18.7
(65.7)		 19.2
(66.6)		 20.6
(69.1)		 22.4
(72.3)		 24.6
(76.3)		 25.1
(77.2)		 24.6
(76.3)		 23.0
(73.4)		 21.0
(69.8)		 19.0
(66.2)		 21.2
(70.2)
Average low °C (°F) 15.1
(59.2)		 15.1
(59.2)		 15.6
(60.1)		 16.2
(61.2)		 17.5
(63.5)		 19.0
(66.2)		 20.8
(69.4)		 21.4
(70.5)		 21.3
(70.3)		 20.0
(68)		 18.1
(64.6)		 16.2
(61.2)		 18.0
(64.4)
Precipitation mm (inches) 34
(1.34)		 36
(1.42)		 29
(1.14)		 14
(0.55)		 4
(0.16)		 1
(0.04)		 0
(0)		 1
(0.04)		 6
(0.24)		 18
(0.71)		 27
(1.06)		 44
(1.73)		 214
(8.43)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 5 4 4 3 1 0 0 0 1 3 4 6 31
Sunshine hours 178 186 216 226 272 297 330 316 251 219 185 175 2,851
Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología[23]

Geology

The originally volcanic islands –seven major islands, one minor island, and several small islets– were formed by the Canary hotspot. The Canary Islands is the only place in Spain where volcanic eruptions have been recorded during the Modern Era, with some volcanoes still active (even though recently inactive).[24]

Political geography

Municipalities in the Las Palmas Province
Municipalities in the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Province
Maps of the Canary Islands drawn by William Dampier during his voyage to New Holland in 1699.

The Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands consists of two provinces, Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, whose capitals (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife) are capitals of the autonomous community. Each of the seven major islands is ruled by an island council named cabildo insular.

The international boundary of the Canaries is the subject of dispute between Spain and Morocco. Morocco does not agree that the laws regarding territorial limits allow Spain to claim for itself seabed boundaries based on the territory of the Canaries, because the Canary Islands are autonomous. In fact, the islands do not enjoy any special degree of autonomy as each one of the Spanish regions is considered an autonomous community. Under the Law of the Sea, the only islands not granted territorial waters or an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are those that are not fit for human habitation or do not have an economic life of their own, which is clearly not the case of the Canary Islands.

The boundary is relevant for possible seabed oil deposits and other ocean resource exploitation. Morocco therefore does not formally agree to the territorial boundary; it rejected a 2002 unilateral Spanish proposal.[25]

The Islands have 13 seats in the Spanish Senate. Of these, 11 seats are directly elected, 3 for Gran Canaria, 3 for Tenerife, 1 for each other island; 2 seats are indirectly elected by the regional Autonomous Government. The local government is presided over by Paulino Rivero.[26]

History

Ancient and pre-colonial times

Guanche mummy in the Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre (Tenerife).

Before the arrival of the aborigines, the Canaries were inhabited by prehistoric animals; for example, the giant lizard (Gallotia goliath), or giant rats (Canariomys bravoi and Canariomys tamarani).[27]

The islands were visited by both the Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Carthaginians. According to the 1st century AD Roman author and philosopher Pliny the Elder, the archipelago was found to be uninhabited when visited by the Carthaginians under Hanno the Navigator, but that they saw ruins of great buildings.[28] This story may suggest that the islands were inhabited by other peoples prior to the Guanches. King Juba, Augustus's Roman protege, is credited with discovering the islands for the Western world, and he dispatched a contingent to re-open the dye production facility at Mogador in the early 1st century AD.[29] That same naval force was subsequently sent on an exploration of the Canary Islands, using Mogador as their mission base.

When the Europeans began to explore the islands, they encountered several indigenous populations living at a Neolithic level of technology. Although the history of the settlement of the Canary Islands is still unclear, linguistic and genetic analyses seem to indicate that at least some of these inhabitants shared a common origin with the Berbers of northern Africa.[30] The pre-colonial inhabitants came to be known collectively as the Guanches, although Guanches was originally the name for the indigenous inhabitants of Tenerife.

During the Middle Ages, the islands were visited by the Arabs for commercial purposes. The Muslim navigator Ibn Farrukh, from Granada, is said to have landed in "Gando" (Gran Canaria) in February 999, visiting a king named Guanarigato. From the 14th century onward, numerous visits were made by sailors from Majorca, Portugal, and Genoa. Lancelotto Malocello settled on the island of Lanzarote in 1312. The Majorcans established a mission with a bishop in the islands that lasted from 1350 to 1400.

Alonso Fernández de Lugo presenting the captured native kings of Tenerife to Ferdinand and Isabella

Castilian conquest

There are claims that the Portuguese had "discovered" the Canaries as early as 1336, though there appears to be little evidence for this.[31] In 1402, the Castilian conquest of the islands began, with the expedition of French adventurers Jean de Béthencourt and Gadifer de la Salle, nobles and vassals of Henry III of Castile, to the island of Lanzarote. From there, they conquered Fuerteventura ( 1405 ) and El Hierro. Béthencourt received the title King of the Canary Islands, but still recognized King Henry III as his overlord.

Béthencourt also established a base on the island of La Gomera, but it would be many years before the island was truly conquered. The natives of La Gomera, and of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and La Palma, resisted the Castilian invaders for almost a century. In 1448 Maciot de Béthencourt sold the lordship of Lanzarote to Portugal's Prince Henry the Navigator, an action that was not accepted by the natives nor by the Castilians. A crisis swelled to a revolt which lasted until 1459 with the final expulsion of the Portuguese. Finally, in 1479, Portugal recognised Castilian control of the Canary Islands in the Treaty of Alcáçovas.

The Castilians continued to dominate the islands, but due to the topography and the resistance of the native Guanches, complete pacification was not achieved until 1495, when Tenerife and La Palma were finally subdued by Alonso Fernández de Lugo. After that, the Canaries were incorporated into the Kingdom of Castile.

After the conquest

After the conquest, the Castilians imposed a new economic model, based on single-crop cultivation: first sugar cane; then wine, an important item of trade with England. In this era, the first institutions of colonial government were founded. Both Gran Canaria, a colony of Castile since March 6, 1480 (from 1556, of Spain), and Tenerife, a Spanish colony since 1495, had separate governors.

The cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria became a stopping point for the Spanish conquerors, traders, and missionaries on their way to the New World. This trade route brought great prosperity to some of the social sectors of the islands. The islands became quite wealthy and soon were attracting merchants and adventurers from all over Europe. Magnificent palaces and churches were built on the island of La Palma during this busy, prosperous period. The Church of El Salvador survives as one of the island's finest examples of the architecture of the 16th century.

The Canaries' wealth invited attacks by pirates and privateers. Ottoman Turkish admiral and privateer Kemal Reis ventured into the Canaries in 1501, while Murat Reis the Elder captured Lanzarote in 1585.

Church of San Juan Bautista, Arucas in Gran Canaria.

The most severe attack took place in 1599, during the Dutch War of Independence. A Dutch fleet of 74 ships and 12,000 men, commanded by Johan van der Does, attacked the capital, Las Palmas (the city had 3,500 of Gran Canaria's 8,545 inhabitants). The Dutch attacked the Castillo de la Luz, which guarded the harbor. The Canarians evacuated civilians from the city, and the Castillo surrendered (but not the city). The Dutch moved inland, but Canarian cavalry drove them back to Tamaraceite, near the city.

The Dutch then laid siege to the city, demanding the surrender of all its wealth. They received 12 sheep and 3 calves. Furious, the Dutch sent 4,000 soldiers to attack the Council of the Canaries, who were sheltering in the village of Santa Brígida. 300 Canarian soldiers ambushed the Dutch in the village of Monte Lentiscal, killing 150 and forcing the rest to retreat. The Dutch concentrated on Las Palmas, attempting to burn it down. The Dutch pillaged Maspalomas, on the southern coast of Gran Canaria, San Sebastian on La Gomera, and Santa Cruz on La Palma, but eventually gave up the siege of Las Palmas and withdrew.

Another noteworthy attack occurred in 1797, when Santa Cruz de Tenerife was attacked by a British fleet under the future Lord Nelson on 25 July. The British were repulsed, losing almost 400 men. It was during this battle that Nelson lost his right arm.

18th to 19th century

Bus Station at San Telmós Park, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The sugar-based economy of the islands faced stiff competition from Spain's American colonies. Crises in the sugar market in the 19th century caused severe recessions on the islands. A new cash crop, cochineal (cochinilla), came into cultivation during this time, saving the islands' economy.

By the end of the 18th century, Canary Islanders had already emigrated to Spanish American territories, such as Havana, Veracruz, Santo Domingo,[32] San Antonio, Texas [33] and St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana [34][35] These economic difficulties spurred mass emigration, primarily to the Americas, during the 19th and first half of the 20th century. From 1840 to 1890, as many as 40,000 Canary Islanders emigrated to Venezuela. Also, thousands of Canarians moved to Puerto Rico; the Spanish monarchy felt that Canarians would adapt to island life better than other immigrants from the mainland of Spain. Deeply entrenched traditions, such as the Mascaras Festival in the town of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, are an example of Canarian culture still preserved in Puerto Rico. Similarly, many thousands of Canarians emigrated to the shores of Cuba as well.[36] During the Spanish-American War of 1898, the Spanish fortified the islands against possible American attack, but an attack never came.

Romantic period and scientific expeditions

Coast El Golfo, El Hierro

Sirera and Renn (2004)[37] distinguish two different types of expeditions, or voyages, during the period 1770-1830, which they term "the Romantic period”:

First are “expeditions financed by the States, closely related with the official scientific Institutions. characterized by having strict scientific objectives (and inspired by) the spirit of Illustration and progress”. In this type of expedition, Sirera and Renn include the following travellers:

The second type of expedition identified by Sirera and Renn is one that took place starting from more or less private initiatives. Among these, the key exponents were the following:

Sirera and Renn identify the period 1770-1830 as one in which “In a panorama dominated until that moment by France and England enters with strength and brio Germany of the Romantic period whose presence in the islands will increase”.

Early 20th century

Casa de Colón y Pilar Nuevo (Gran Canaria)

At the beginning of the 20th century, the British introduced a new cash-crop, the banana, the export of which was controlled by companies such as Fyffes.

The rivalry between the elites of the cities of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife for the capital of the islands led to the division of the archipelago into two provinces in 1927. This has not laid to rest the rivalry between the two cities, which continues to this day.

During the time of the Second Spanish Republic, Marxist and anarchist workers' movements began to develop, led by figures such as Jose Miguel Perez and Guillermo Ascanio. However, outside of a few municipalities, these organizations were a minority and fell easily to Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War.

Franco regime

In 1936, Francisco Franco was appointed General Commandant of the Canaries. He joined the military revolt of July 17 which began the Spanish Civil War. Franco quickly took control of the archipelago, except for a few points of resistance on the island of La Palma and in the town of Vallehermoso, on La Gomera. Though there was never a proper war in the islands, the post-war repression on the Canaries was most severe.

During the Second World War, Winston Churchill prepared plans for the British seizure of the Canary Islands as a naval base, in the event of Gibraltar being invaded from the Spanish mainland.

Opposition to Franco's regime did not begin to organize until the late 1950s, which experienced an upheaval of parties such as the Communist Party of Spain and the formation of various nationalist, leftist parties.

Today

Auditorio de Tenerife, icon of modern architecture in the Canary Islands[38] (Santa Cruz de Tenerife).

After the death of Franco, there was a pro-independence armed movement based in Algeria, the MPAIAC. Now there are some pro-independence political parties, like the CNC and the Popular Front of the Canary Islands, but none of them calls for an armed struggle. Their popular support is insignificant, with no presence in either the autonomous parliament or the cabildos insulares.

Parliament of the Canary Islands (Santa Cruz de Tenerife)

After the establishment of a democratic constitutional monarchy in Spain, autonomy was granted to the Canaries via a law passed in 1982. In 1983, the first autonomous elections were held. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) won. In the most recent autonomous elections (2007), the PSOE gained a plurality of seats, but the nationalist Canarian Coalition and the conservative Partido Popular (PP) formed a ruling coalition government.[39] Still, the 1977 bombing of a flower shop in Las Palmas Gando airport and the threat of another bomb, both claimed by an pro-independence group, led to the major air disaster in Los Rodeos airport in Tenerife, which claimed hundreds of victims, the deadliest result of an indepence group bombing and threats unsurpassed by 2009.

Demographics

Population history [40]
Year Population
1768 155,763
1787 168,928
1797 173,865
1842 241,266
1860 237,036
1887 301,983
1900 364,408
1920 488,483
1940 687,937
1960 966,177
1981 1,367,646
1990 1,589,403
2000 1,716,276
2008 2,075,968
2009 2,098,593
Figures between 1768-2008.
Demographics of the Canary Islands (2009) [41]
Nationality Population Percent
Canarian 1,547,611 73.7%
Mainland Spanish (Peninsulares) 178,613 12.0%
Total Spanish 1,802,788 85.7%
Spanish-born 1,726,315 85.7%
Foreign nationals 301,204 14.3%
Foreign-born 377,677 14.3%
Total 2,103,992 100%

The Canarian population includes long-tenured and new waves of Spanish immigrants (including Galicians, Castilians, Catalans, Basques), and Portuguese, Italians, Flemings and Britons. As of 2009, the total Canarian population is 2,098,593. Over 1,547,611 people are native Canarian, and another 178,613 people from the Spanish mainland, making a total 1,799,373 Spanish population. Most of the 299,220 foreign residents are Europeans (55%), such as Germans (39,505), British (37,937) and Italians (24,177). There are 86,287 from the Americas, with Colombians (21,798), Venezuelans (11,958), Cubans (11,098) and Argentines (10,159) being the most numerous. There are 28,136 from Africa with 16,240 Moroccans.[42]

Population of the individual islands

Religion

Basilica of Candelaria (Patroness of the Canary Islands)[43],[44],[45],[46],[47] , in Candelaria (Tenerife).

The overwhelming majority of native Canarians are Roman Catholic with various smaller foreign-born populations of other Christian beliefs such as Protestants from northern Europe and Africans following Islam. Other restorationist Christian religions are also represented, such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, or Mormons). There is also an important community of Hindus. Another minority religion is the more recent Church of the Guanche People, which is classified as neo-pagan religion. The mythical appearance of the Virgin of Candelaria (Patron of Canary Islands)[43],[44],[45],[46],[47] was credited with moving the Canary Islands toward Christianity.

The Canary Islands are divided into two Catholic dioceses, each governed by a bishop:

Population genetics

Islands

Tenerife

San Cristóbal de La Laguna in 1880 (Tenerife)

Tenerife is, with its area of 2,034 km², is the most extensive island of the Canary Islands. In addition, the 899,833 inhabitants make it the most populous island in Spain. Two of the islands' principal cities are located on it: Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna (a World Heritage Site). Santa Cruz is the capital of Tenerife and seat of the Parliament of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz de Tenerife shares the status of capital of the Canaries with Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. San Cristobal de La Laguna, the second city of the island is home to the oldest university in the Canary Islands. The Teide, with its 3,718 m is the highest peak of Spain and also a World Heritage Site. This island is in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Gran Canaria

Roque Nublo, Gran Canaria.

Gran Canaria is the second most populated island, with 829,597 inhabitants. The capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (377,203 inhabitants), is the most populous city and shares the status of capital of the Canaries with Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Gran Canaria's surface area is 1,560 km². In center of the island lie the Roque Nublo (1,813 m) and Pico de las Nieves ("Peak of Snow") (1,949 m).

La Palma

La Palma, with 86,528 inhabitants, covering an area of 708.32 km² is in its entirety a biosphere reserve. It shows no recent signs of volcanic activity, even though the volcano Teneguía entered into eruption last in 1971. In addition, it is the second-highest island of the Canaries, with the Roque de los Muchachos (2,423 m) as highest point. Santa Cruz de La Palma (known to those on the island as simply "La Palma") is its capital.

Lanzarote

Lanzarote, is the easternmost island and one of the most ancient of the archipelago, and it has shown evidence of recent volcanic activity. It has a surface of 845.94 km², and a population of 139,506 inhabitants including the adjacent islets of the Chinijo Archipelago. The capital is Arrecife, with 56,834 inhabitants.

Chinijo Archipelago

The Chinijo Archipelago includes the islands La Graciosa, Alegranza, Montaña Clara, Roque del Este and Roque del Oeste.

La Graciosa, is the smallest inhabited island of the Canaries, and the major island of the Chinijo Archipelago. The whole archipelago is administrated by Lanzarote. It has a surface of 29.05 km2 (11 sq mi), and a population of 658 inhabitants. The capital is Caleta de Sebo, with 656 inhabitants.

El Hierro

El Hierro, the westernmost island, covers 268.71 km², making it the smallest of the major islands, and the least populous with 10,753 inhabitants. The whole island was declared Reserve of the Biosphere in 2000. Its capital is Valverde, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Also known as Ferro, it was once believed to be the westernmost land in the world.

Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura Island

Fuerteventura, with a surface of 1,659 km², is the second-most extensive island of the archipelago, as well as the second most oriental. Is a Biosphere reserve by Unesco. It has a population of 100,929. Being also the most ancient of the islands, it is the one that is more eroded: its highest point is the Peak of the Bramble, at a height of 807 m. Its capital is Puerto del Rosario.

La Gomera

La Gomera, has an area of 369.76 km² and is the third least populous island with 22,622 inhabitants. Geologically it is one of the oldest of the archipelago. The insular capital is San Sebastian de La Gomera. Garajonay's National Park is here.

Economy

Tourism in the Canary Islands [48]
Year Visitors
2009
(Jan-Jun)		 4,002,013
2008 9,210,509
2007 9,326,116
2006 9,530,039
2005 9,276,963
2004 9,427,265
2003 9,836,785
2002 9,778,512
2001 10,137,202
2000 9,975,977
1993 6,545,396
Largest by
Country (2008)		 Population
Germany 2,498,847
Great Britain 3,355,942
Maspalomas Dunes (Gran Canaria), a tourist attraction.

The economy is based primarily on tourism, which makes up 32% of the GDP. The Canaries receive about 10 million tourists per year. Construction makes up nearly 20% of the GDP and tropical agriculture, primarily bananas and tobacco, are grown for export to Europe and the Americas. Ecologists are concerned that the resources, especially in the more arid islands, are being overexploited but there are still many agricultural resources like tomatoes, potatoes, onions, cochineal, sugarcane, grapes, vines, dates, oranges, lemons, figs, wheat, barley, maize, apricots, peaches and almonds.

The economy is € 25 billion (2001 GDP figures). The islands experienced continuous growth during a 20 year period, up until 2001, at a rate of approximately 5% annually. This growth was fueled mainly by huge amounts of Foreign Direct Investment, mostly to develop tourism real estate (hotels and apartments), and European Funds (near € 11 billion euro in the period from 2000 to 2007), since the Canary Islands are labelled Region Objective 1 (eligible for euro structural funds). Additionally, the EU allows the Canary Islands Government to offer special tax concessions for investors who incorporate under the Zona Especial Canaria (ZEC) regime and create more than 5 jobs.

The Canary Islands have great natural attractions, climate and beaches make the islands a major tourist destination, being visited each year by about 12 million people (11,986,059 in 2007, noting 29% of Britons, 22% of Spanish not canaries and 21% of Germans). Among the islands, Tenerife has the largest number of tourists received annually, followed by Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.[8][9] The archipelago's principal tourist attraction is the Teide National Park (in Tenerife) where the highest mountain in Spain and third largest volcano in the world (Mount Teide), receives over 2.8 million visitors annually.[10]

The combination of high mountains, proximity to Europe, and clean air has made the Roque de los Muchachos peak (on La Palma island) a leading location for telescopes like the Grantecan.

The islands are outside the European Union customs territory and VAT area, though politically within the EU. Instead of VAT there is a local Sales Tax (IGIC) which has a general rate of 5%, an increased tax rate of 12%, a reduced tax rate of 2% and a zero tax rate for certain basic need products and services (e.g. telecommunications).

Canarian time is Western European Time (WET) (or GMT; in summer one hour ahead of GMT). So Canarian time is one hour behind that of mainland Spain and the same as that of the UK; Ireland and Portugal all year round.

Transport

The Gran Canaria Airport.

The Canary Islands have eight airports altogether, two of the main ports of Spain, and an extensive network of autopistas (highways) and other roads. For a road map see multimap.[49]

There are large ferry boats that link islands as well as a "Jet-Foil" that links the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. The Ferry boats can transport large amounts of passengers and cargo (including vehicles). The jet foil travels relatively fast and is a faster method of transportation than the ferry. A typical ferry ride between La Palma and Tenerife may take up to eight hours or more and a Jet foil ride between Tenerife and Gran Canaria can be under three hours.

The largest airport is the Gran Canaria airport, with about 10,000,000 of passengers. Is also the 5th largest airport in Spain. Besides, the biggest port is in Las Palmas. Is an important port among Europe, Africa and America. Is the 4th comercial biggest port in Spain with more than 1,400,000 TEU's. Here operate the largest comercial companies of the world,like MSC or Maersk. In this port we have an international point of the Red Cross, that has only four points like this all around the world.

The port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the first fishing port in the Canary Islands with approximately 7,500 tons of fish caught, according to the Statistical Yearbook of the State Ports. Similarly, the second port of Spain moving ship, only surpassed by the Port of Algeciras Bay.[50] In the port's facilities include a border inspection post (BIP) approved by the European Union, which is responsible for inspecting all types of imports from third countries or exports to countries outside the European Economic Area. The Port of Los Cristianos (Tenerife) has the greatest number of passengers recorded in the Canary Islands.[51] The Port of Las Palmas is the third port of the Canary Islands, as passengers and the first story to vehicles transported.[51]

A tram linking Santa Cruz bus station and La Laguna opened in 2007, with tentative plans for a train linking Santa Cruz and Los Cristianos,[52] and other trains linking Las Palmas and Maspalomas.[53]

Airports

Entrada en los aeropuertos canarios según islas</ref>

Ports

Wildlife

The official symbols from nature associated with Canary Islands are the bird Serinus canaria (Canary) and the Phoenix canariensis palm.[54]

Terrestrial wildlife

Laurisilva (humid subtropical forest) of Garajonay National Park, in La Gomera Island.

With a range of habitats, the Canary Islands exhibit diverse plant species. The bird life includes European and African species, such as the Black-bellied Sandgrouse; and a rich variety of endemic (local) taxa including the:

Terrestrial fauna includes geckos (such as the striped Canary Islands Gecko) and wall lizards, and three endemic species of recently rediscovered and critically endangered giant lizard: the El Hierro Giant Lizard (or Roque Chico de Salmor Giant Lizard), La Gomera Giant Lizard, and La Palma Giant Lizard. Mammals include the Canarian Shrew, Canary Big-Eared Bat, the Algerian Hedgehog (which may have been introduced) and the more recently introduced Mouflon. Some endemic mammals, the Lava Mouse, Tenerife Giant Rat and Gran Canaria Giant Rat, are extinct, as are the Canary Islands Quail, Long-legged Bunting, and the Eastern Canary Islands Chiffchaff.

Marine life

A Loggerhead Turtle, by far the most common species of marine turtle in the Canary Islands.

The Marine life found in the Canary Islands is also varied, being a combination of North Atlantic, Mediterranean and endemic species. In recent years, the increasing popularity of both scuba diving and underwater photography have provided biologists with much new information on the marine life of the islands.

Fish species found in the islands include many species of shark, ray, moray eel, bream, jack, grunt, scorpionfish, triggerfish, grouper, goby, and blenny. In addition, there are many invertebrate species including sponge, jellyfish, anemone, crab, mollusc, sea urchin, starfish, sea cucumber and coral.

There are a total of 5 different species of marine turtle that are sighted periodically in the islands, the most common of these being the endangered Loggerhead Turtle.[55] The other four are the Green, Hawksbill, Leatherback and Kemp's Ridley Turtle. Currently, there are no signs that any of these species breed in the islands, and so those seen in the water are usually migrating. However, it is believed that some of these species may have bred in the islands in the past, and there are records of several sightings of leatherback turtle on beaches in Fuerteventura, adding credibility to the theory.

Marine mammals include the Short-Finned Pilot Whale, Common and Bottlenose dolphins. The Canary Islands were also formerly home to a population of the rarest Pinniped in the world, the Mediterranean Monk Seal.

National Parks of the Canary Islands

Caldera de Taburiente National Park (La Palma).

The Canary Islands officially has four national parks, of which two have been declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and the other two declared a World Biosphere Reserve, these national parks are:[56]

Teide National Park (Tenerife).

Sports

Gran Canaria Stadium, the biggest sports venue of Canary Islands.[57]

A unique form of wrestling known as Canarian Wrestling (lucha canaria) has opponents stand in a special area called a "terrero" and try to throw each other to the ground using strength and quick movements.[58]

Another sport is the "game of the sticks" where opponents fence with long sticks. This may have come about from the shepherds of the islands who would challenge each other using their long walking sticks.[58]

Another sport is called the Shepard's jump. This involves using a long stick to vault over an open area. This sport possibly evolved from the shepard's need to occasionally get over an open area in the hills as they were tending their sheep.[58]

The two main football teams in the archipelago are: the CD Tenerife (founded in 1912) and UD Las Palmas (founded in 1949).

Notable athletes

One native of the Canary Islands played Major League Baseball: Alfredo Cabrera, born there in 1881; he played shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1913.

Another native of the Canary Islands plays in the National Basketball Association today: Sergio Rodríguez, born there in 1986; he plays point guard for the New York Knicks.

David Silva, born in Arguineguin (south of Gran Canaria, Mogan) plays for Manchester City in England. Silva was regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in the Spanish First Division whilst at Valencia, also being credited for his excellent football during the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, helping the Spanish football team win the competition.

Pedrito, born in Tenerife plays for FC Barcelona. He plays with Spanish football team during 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Carla Suárez Navarro a tennis player, was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

See also

History

Pyramids of Güímar (Tenerife)

Geography

Culture

Neighbours

Further reading

Meddelelser. 8: 1 — 97.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 El Teide, el parque más visitado de Europa y el segundo del mundo
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 El parque nacional del Teide es el primero más visitado de Europa y el segundo del mundo
  3. ↑ "El Teide (Tenerife) es el parque nacional más visitado de Canarias con 2,8 millones de visitantes en 2008". Europapress.es. 2009-08-31. http://www.europapress.es/islas-canarias/las-palmas-00386/noticia-teide-tenerife-parque-nacional-mas-visitado-canarias-28-millones-visitantes-2008-20090831192653.html. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  4. ↑ "Official Website of Tenerife Tourism Corporation". Webtenerife.com. http://www.webtenerife.com/PortalTenerife/Home/Disfruta+vacaciones+activas/Ocio/Durante+el+dia/Excursiones/EL+TEIDE.htm?Lang=es. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  5. ↑ Estatuto de Autonomía de Canarias en la Página Web Oficial del Gobierno de Canarias
  6. ↑ "Official Population Figures of Spain. Population on the 1 January 2009". Instituto Nacional de Estadística de España. http://www.ine.es/prensa/np551.pdf. Retrieved 2009-06-03. 
  7. ↑ "ViSioN BeTa: “Cualquier cosa que flote arrojada al mar desde Canarias, llegará a América”". Matiascallone.blogspot.com. 2006-07-11. http://matiascallone.blogspot.com/2009/07/cualquier-cosa-que-flote-arrojada-al.html. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Página web del ISTAC sobre entrada de turistas en Canarias.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Principal'!A1 Estadísticas de Turismo de Tenerife
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Página Web Oficial de Turismo de Tenerife; El Teide". Webtenerife.com. http://www.webtenerife.com/PortalTenerife/Home/Disfruta+vacaciones+activas/Ocio/Durante+el+dia/Excursiones/EL+TEIDE.htm?Lang=es. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  11. ↑ "Estadísticas de la Comunidad Autónoma de Canarias". Gobiernodecanarias.org. http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/istac/estadisticas/php/saltarA.php?mid=/istac/estadisticas/territorio_ambiente/area_01_frame.html. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  12. ↑ Cifra de población referida al 01/01/2008 según el Instituto Nacional de Estadística
  13. ↑ "Dracma, Tenerife". Dracma.free.fr. http://dracma.free.fr/tenerife.html. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  14. ↑ "Canary Islands Weather and Climate". Worldtravelguide.net. http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/51/climate/Europe/Canary-Islands.html. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Real Decreto de 30 de noviembre de 1833 en wikisource
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Real Decreto de 30 de noviembre de 1833 en el sitio web oficial del Gobierno de Canarias
  17. ↑ Publiceuta S.L. (2009-01-05). "La Laguna. Guía turística de Tenerife. Tenerife, la isla de la eterna primavera". Tenerife2.com. http://www.tenerife2.com/ciudades/lalaguna.html. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  18. ↑ "cache:tCsGMRr9ya4J:www.tenerife.es/planes/PTEOSistemaViarioAMetro/adjuntos/II0206a.pdf tenerife unico casco urbano unidas santa cruz la laguna - Buscar con Google". 209.85.229.132. http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:tCsGMRr9ya4J:www.tenerife.es/planes/PTEOSistemaViarioAMetro/adjuntos/II0206a.pdf+tenerife+unico+casco+urbano+unidas+santa+cruz+la+laguna&cd=6&hl=es&ct=clnk&gl=es. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  19. ↑ "Dracma". Dracma. http://dracma.free.fr/tenerife.html. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  20. ↑ "Seals and Sea Lions Endangered Species Handbook". Endangeredspecieshandbook.org. http://www.endangeredspecieshandbook.org/persecution_seals.php. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  21. ↑ "Weather Information for Las Palmas". http://www.worldweather.org/083/c01234.htm. 
  22. ↑ "Valores Climatológicos Normales. Gran Canaria". http://www.aemet.es/es/elclima/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos?l=C649I&k=coo. 
  23. ↑ "Valores Climatológicos Normales. Santa Cruz De Tenerife". http://www.aemet.es/es/elclima/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos?l=C449C&k=coo. 
  24. ↑ "Instituto Geográfico Nacional". Fomento.es. 1949-11-10. http://www.fomento.es/MFOM/LANG_CASTELLANO/DIRECCIONES_GENERALES/INSTITUTO_GEOGRAFICO/Geofisica/volcanologia/C20_ERUPCIONES_HISTORICAS.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  25. ↑ "CIA World Factbook". https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2070.html. 
  26. ↑ "Gobierno de Canarias". http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/organizacion/estructura.jsf. 
  27. ↑ Según la Página Web del Gobierno de Canarias
  28. ↑ Galindo, Juan de Abreu. "VII". The History of the Discovery and Conquest of the Canary Islands. Adamant Media Corporation. p. 173. ISBN 1-4021-7269-9. 
  29. ↑ "C.Michael Hogan, ''Chellah'', The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham". Megalithic.co.uk. http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=17910. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  30. ↑ "Old World Contacts/Colonists/Canary Islands". http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/oldwrld/colonists/canary.html. 
  31. ↑ B. W. Diffie,Treaty of Alcacovas in 1479 between Portugal and Spain. Foundations of the Portuguese Empire, 1415 -1580, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, p. 28.
  32. ↑ "www.personal.psu.edu "The Spanish of the Canary Islands"". Personal.psu.edu. http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/j/m/jml34/Canary.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  33. ↑ "www.tshaonline.org "Handbook of Texas Online - Canary Islanders"". Tshaonline.org. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/poc1.html. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  34. ↑ "www.losislenos.org "Los Isleños Heritage & Cultural Society website"". Losislenos.org. http://www.losislenos.org/. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  35. ↑ "www.americaslibrary.gov "Isleños Society of St. Bernard Parish"". Americaslibrary.gov. http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/la/islenos_1. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  36. ↑ "The Spanish of the Canary Islands". http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/m/jml34/Canary.htm. 
  37. ↑ "Montesinos Sirera, Jose Luis and Jurgen Renn (2004) ''Expeditions to the Canary Islands in the romantic period (1770-1830)''". Humboldt.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de. http://humboldt.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/10b.monte_en.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  38. ↑ Auditorio Tenerife, information (in Spanish)
  39. ↑ "Website of the Canaries Parliament". http://www.parcan.es/. 
  40. ↑ "Official census statistics of the Canary Islands population". Gobiernodecanarias.org. http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/istac/estadisticas/php/saltarA.php?mid=/istac/estadisticas/poblacion/datos_basicos/padron_2004/pm2004_frm.html. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  41. ↑ "Native and foreign residents in Canary Islands (Spanish) 2009". .gobiernodecanarias.org. http://www2.gobiernodecanarias.org/istac/estadisticas/php/saltarA.php?mid=/istac/estadisticas/poblacion/datos_basicos/padron_2004/pm2004_frm.html. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  42. ↑ "Native and foreign residents in Canary Islands (Spanish)". Gobiernodecanarias.org. http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/istac/estadisticas/php/saltarA.php?mid=/istac/estadisticas/poblacion/datos_basicos/padron_2004/pm2004_frm.html. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 Patrona del archipiélago Canario Sitio web de las Siervas de los Corazones Traspasados de Jesús y María.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Pregón de las fiestas de la Virgen del Pino de 2004 a cargo de Juan Artiles Sánchez, Vicario de la Diócesis Canariense
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Noticias breves en el sitio web de la Conferencia Episcopal Española
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Historia ampliada del municipio de Candelaria en el sitio web del Gobierno de Canarias
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Nota de prensa de Bernardo Álvarez Afonso, Obispo de la Sede Episcopal de San Cristóbal de La Laguna
  48. ↑ "www.gobiernodecanarias.org Statistics". Gobiernodecanarias.org. http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/istac/estadisticas/php/saltarA.php?mid=/istac/estadisticas/poblacion/datos_basicos/padron_2004/pm2004_frm.html. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  49. ↑ "Canary Islands road map: Spain - Multimap". Multimap.de. http://www.multimap.de/world/ES/Canary_Islands. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  50. ↑ Anuario estadístico de Puertos del Estado
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 TRÁFICO DE PASAJE REGISTRADO EN LOS PUERTOS. 1996-2007
  52. ↑ "Canary Islands travel guide". Wikitravel. 2010-01-06. http://wikitravel.org/en/Canary_Islands#Get_around. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  53. ↑ "Gran Canaria Train". Playa-del-ingles.biz. http://www.playa-del-ingles.biz/New%20railway%20train%20service%20for%20Gran%20Canaria_21_100.aspx. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  54. ↑ "Ley 7/1991, de 30 de abril, de símbolos de la naturaleza para las Islas Canarias - in Spanish". Gobcan.es. 1991-05-10. http://www.gobcan.es/boc/1991/061/001.html. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  55. ↑ Groombridge, Brian; Wright, Lissie (1982-12). The IUCN Amphibia-reptilia Red Data Book, Brian Groombridge and Lissie Wright. IUCN. ISBN 9782880326012. http://books.google.com/?id=Nw8KKyu32v8C&pg=PA140&dq=%22canary+islands%22+loggerhead. 
  56. ↑ "Parques Nacionales de Canarias". Pueblos10.com. http://pueblos10.com/parques-nacionales/canarias. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  57. ↑ "Canary Islands Stadiums". WorldStadiums.com. http://www.worldstadiums.com/europe/countries/spain/canary_islands.shtml. Retrieved 2010-04-01. 
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 "The Canary Islands". Ctspanish.com. 1971-10-21. http://www.ctspanish.com/communities/canarym/canary%20islands.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 

References

External links

Cultural domain of Canary Islands
History
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