| Garafía | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Spain | ||
| Autonomous community | Canary Islands | ||
| Province | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | ||
| Island | La Palma | ||
| Area[1] | |||
| • Total | 103 km2 (39.8 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation[1] | 400 m (1,312 ft) | ||
| Population (2009)[2] | |||
| • Total | 1,804 | ||
| • Density | 17.5/km2 (45.4/sq mi) | ||
Garafía is a municipality in the Canary Islands in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It is situated on the northern coast of the island of La Palma. The capital of the municipality is Santo Domingo. Other villages are Las Tricias, El Castillo, Juan Adalid, Don Pedro, El Tablado, La Mata, San Antonio del Monte and Franceses.
The elevation ranges from 0 at the coast to 2545m at the Roque de los Muchachos.
Until the 1960s the villages were largely isolated from the rest of the island and only accessible by donkey paths. Since then roads have been built and the area is easily accessible on good, but twisty, asphalted roads. As with many rural areas the population is in decline as small scale agriculture and traditional rural life does not provide the income to encourage young people to stay. The majority of the population are rural and a few are urban.
It is however the most wonderful area for walking and hiking with its network of marked walking paths, lush greenery and spectacular scenery. The steep forested hillside are dissected by barrancos (gorges) providing breathtaking views. It has preserved the rural characteristics and its ecology, that it has a great potential in rural tourism. It is a most stunning place.
The higher parts of Garafia are covered in pine trees with just a small treeless area above the tree line. The central areas around the villages are mostly farmland or rough natural landscape including almond trees and vineyards The coastline is rough with steep cliffs and gorges and can be accessed at several points.
At the highest point of the municipality lies Roque de los Muchachos. This is the highest point of the island and is on the edge of the Caldera de Taburiente National Park which is the largest erosion crater in the world. The highest point is accessible by asphalted road from both the east and the west side and has several viewing points giving views inside the Caldera and over almost the entire island and often to the neighbouring islands of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro. Roque de los Muchachos hosts a famous observatory named the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, run by the IAC and international collaborators.
The postcode is 38787.
Contents |
| Year | Population | Change | Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2,013 | - | - |
| 1996 | 2,002 | - | - |
| 2001 | 1,795 | - | 17.42/km² |
| 2002 | 2,002 | - | - |
| 2003 | 1,998 | - | 119.35/km² |
| 2004 | 1,948 | - | 18.78/km² |
The population between 1991 and 2001 fell falling below the 2,000 mark in 1996 but it recovered in the 2002 reached above 2,000 again but plummeted to 1,948 in 2004 and dropped below 2,000 again.
Garafía has a few schools, a few lyceums, a gymnasium, churches, a small beach, a small port, a post office and a few squares (plazas).
| North: Atlantic Ocean | ||
| West: Atlantic Ocean | Garafía | East: Barlovento |
| South: Puntagorda and El Paso |
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