Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Las Palmas
—  Municipality  —
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Views of Las Palmas

Flag
Coat of arms
Las Palmas
Coordinates:
Country  Spain
Autonomous community  Canary Islands
Province Las Palmas
Island Gran Canaria
Founded 24 June 1478
Government
 • Alcalde Juan José Cardona (Partido Popular)
Area
 • Total 100.55 km2 (38.8 sq mi)
Elevation 8 m (26 ft)
Highest elevation 300 m (984 ft)
Lowest elevation 8 m (26 ft)
Population (2010)
 • Total 383,308
 • Density 3,812.1/km2 (9,873.3/sq mi)
Demonym Palmense
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) WEST (UTC+1)
Postal code 35001-35020
Language(s) Spanish
Website Official website

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spanish pronunciation: [las ˈpalmaz ðe ɣɾaŋ kaˈnaɾja]) commonly known as Las Palmas ([las ˈpalmas]) is the political capital, jointly with Santa Cruz, the most populous city in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the ninth largest city in Spain, with a population of 383,308 in 2010. Nearly half (45.9%) of the people of the island and 18.35% of all inhabitants of the Canary Islands live in this city. It is also the fifth most populous urban area in Spain with a population of around 700,000[1] and (depending on sources) ninth or tenth most populous metropolitan area in Spain with a population of 625,892,[2] 640,000[3] or 741,826.[4] Las Palmas is the largest city of the European Union outside Europe. It is located in the northeast part of the Spanish island of Gran Canaria, about 150 kilometers (~93 miles) off the northwestern coast of Africa[5] within the Atlantic Ocean.

Las Palmas enjoy a subtropical climate, with mild to warm temperatures throughout the year. According to a study carried out by Thomas Whitmore, director of research on climatology at Syracuse University in the United States, Las Palmas enjoys "the best climate in the world".[6]

It was founded as city in 1478, considered the de facto only capital of the Canary Islands until the seventeenth century.[7] Today, the city is capital of Canary Islands with Santa Cruz and home to the Canarian Ministry of Presidency (shared in a 4-year term with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), one half of the ministries and boards of the Canarian Government, (the other half being located in Tenerife), Gran Canaria Provincial Courts and two courts of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands.

Contents

History

The city was founded by Juan Rejón on 24 June 1478, with the name "Real de Las Palmas". Rejón was head of the invading Castilian army, before engaging in war with the local Guanches (aboriginal people of the Canary Islands). In 1492, Christopher Columbus (Spanish:Cristóbal Colón) anchored in the Port of Las Palmas, and spent some time on the island on his first trip to the Americas. He also stopped on the way back to Spain. The Casa Colón museum in the Vegueta area of the city is named after him. In 1595 Francis Drake failed to plunder the island. The raid and partial destruction of Las Palmas by the Dutch under Vice Admiral Pieter van der Does in 1599 is considered a major event in the city's history. In 1927, Las Palmas was designated the premier capital of the Canary Island by decree of 30 November 1833,[8]

In July 1936 General Francisco Franco launched a coup from Las Palmas that eventually turned into the Spanish Civil War.

The Las Palmas seaport, Puerto de la Luz, benefited greatly from the closure of the Suez Canal during the Arab-Israeli conflict. Due to its situation as nexus of two continents and its importance as a tourist destination, many foreign workers have migrated to the city.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a sister city of San Antonio, Texas in the United States, which was founded in 1718 by about 25 Canary Islanders.

Administrative divisions

Las Palmas is divided into five administrative districts, which in turn are subdivided into districts, not necessarily consistent with the traditional neighborhoods.

No District Population[9]
1 Vegueta, Cono Sur y Tafira 73,243
2 Centro 88,546
3 La Isleta-Puerto-Canteras 71,412
4 Ciudad Alta 101,684
5 Tamaraceite-San Lorenzo 39,191

Climate

Las Palmas has a Subtropical – semi-arid climate with Mediterranean precipitation patterns, with warm dry summers and moderately warm winters. Its average annual temperature is 20 °C (68 °F) – 23 °C (73 °F) during the day and 17 °C (63 °F) at night. In the coldest month – January – the temperature typically ranges from 18 to 23 °C (64 to 73 °F) during the day (and sometimes more), around 15 °C (59 °F) at night, the average sea temperature is 19 °C (66 °F). In the warmest months – August and September – the temperature typically ranges from 25 to 29 °C (77 to 84 °F) during the day, above 20 °C (68 °F) at night, the average sea temperature is 23 °C (73 °F). Large fluctuations in temperature are rare.

On the August 1990 reported record, the average maximum temperature of the month during the day was 30.6 °C (87.1 °F). The coldest temperature ever recorded was 6.5 °C (43.7 °F) at night on 27 March 1954. The highest wind speed ever recorded was on the 28th of November 2005, measuring 113 km/h (70.21 mph). Las Palmas city has never recorded any snow.[10]

Annual average relative humidity is 68%, ranging from 65% in March to 71% in October. Sunshine duration hours is above 2,800 per year, from around 190 in winter (average above 6 hours of sunshine duration at day) to around 300 in summer (average 10 hours of sunshine duration at day).[11] It rains on average only 33 days a year, with total precipitation per year of only 133 mm (5.2 inches).[12] Las Palmas enjoys "the best climate in the world" according to a study carried out by Thomas Whitmore at Syracuse University.[6][13][14]

Climate data for Las Palmas
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
(66.0)		 20.0
(68.0)		 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),[15] Agencia Estatal de Meteorología[11]

Demographics

As of 2008 nearly 1/5 (18.35%) of all inhabitants of the Canary Islands live in Las Palmas.

Throughout history, Las Palmas received waves of immigrants from mainland Spain and countries from every continent. The majority of the population is Spanish, although there are large North and Sub-Sahara African and Latin American communities, as well as important historical minorities such as Indians (Sindhi) and Koreans and a growing population of Chinese. Ethnically, most Canarians are descendents of a mixture of Guanches (aboriginal people of the Canary Islands now extinct) and the Spanish colonizers and European (Portuguese, Italian, Irish, Flemish, German) conquistadors.

Year Population Density
1991 354,887 3,529.46/km2
1996 355,563 3,536.18/km2
2002 370,649 3,686.22/km2
2004 376,953 3,748.92/km2
2007 377,203 3,751.40/km2
2008 381,123 3,790.38/km2
2010 383,308 3,812.11/km2

Culture

Las Palmas offers a variety of theater, cinema, opera, concerts, visual arts and dance performances. The city hosts the Canary Islands Music Festival, the Theatre and Dance and the International Film Festival. The main City Festival, celebrating the foundation of the City (Fiestas de San Juan) is held in June. The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria[17] is known not only in Spain but also worldwide, and is one of the main attractions for tourists. The city center of Las Palmas, specifically the Vegueta and Triana neighbourhoods, are included in the tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Museums, theatres and exhibition halls

Auditorium and Convention Center

Libraries

The city has a wide network of libraries. Along with the 11 municipal libraries, there are three specialized centres:

A library is situated in the first floor of Woermann Tower.

Other cultural events

Neighborhood

Nightlife

The historic district of Vegueta has regained great popularity in recent years, the meeting place of choice at weekends for many young people, who fill its bars and discos. In the port area are also numerous bars and nightclubs, particularly in the vicinity of Santa Catalina.

The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria usually takes place between January and February each year; popular activities include Mogollon dances and queen and the drag queen galas. The WOMAD (World Of Music, Art & Dance) Festival usually occurs in November each year in the capital of Gran Canaria – 2010 marks the sixteenth edition.

Tourism

Beaches

The city has four main beaches: Las Canteras, Las Alcaravaneras, la Laja, and Confital.

Parks and squares

Transportation

Roads and highways

Urban road infrastructure is overburdened on workdays and in certain areas; the city street plan is not at all rectilinear, and may be confusing even to experienced drivers. However, there are no toll roads; entrances, exits, main streets and important zones are all well-signposted.

Las Palmas, being the centre of the Las Palmas metropolitan area, is the hub for the island's motorway network. The city is linked with three highways: the GC-1 to the south, the GC-2 to the west and GC-3 to the center of the island.

The GC-1 links the capital with Puerto Rico in the south. It is the fastest route from the top of the island to the bottom and vice versa with a speed limit of 120 km/h (75 mph). It is approximately 75 km (47 mi) in length and runs along the eastern and the southern coasts, and is also the second longest superhighway in the Canary Islands. The road provides easy access from the airport to the major cities and resorts, which include Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés. The increase in tourism over the years has necessitated the route's upgrading and widening to cope with traffic growth. The GC-1 begins south of the downtown area of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the highway runs within the beach of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and 2 km south intersects with the GC-2 and later runs with a few clover leaf interchanges and later forms a junction with GC-5 and south, the GC-31.

The GC-2 North Highway connects Las Palmas with the small northern port and village of Agaete. The eastern portion – about 20 km in length – is a superhighway with interchange numbers, the rest of the highway is a two-laned; the western part is also only two-laned and has exit numbers. The highway begins by the beach area of the island, and runs through the downtown area, linking with the GC31 at a roundabout interchange. The freeway runs within the beaches and the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean for the half part but at around the 20th km, it becomes a highway after the unidirectional parclo interchanges and runs within the coastline, it later has several interchanges and several towns as it passes to the northwest and finally, it ends in Agaete.

Airport

Las Palmas is served by Gran Canaria Airport, often called Las Palmas Airport (IATA: LPA, ICAO: GCLP). In 2008, it handled 10,212,106 passengers,.[23] This airport handled 33,695,248 kg of cargo, and is the fourth busiest in Spain. It is also the only airport on the islands with two runways, thus can accommodate up to 53 landings and take-offs per hour. The lengthy runways make the airport an alternative landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle.[24] Also this airport is a base for Binter Canarias and Navegacion y Servicios Aéreos Canarios, airlines which operate regional inter-island flights within the Canary Islands. The Airport is located in the eastern part of the island, about 18 km (11 mi) from the Las Palmas city center.

An airbase of the Spanish Air Force is located to the east of the runways. Beyond several hangars opposite the passenger terminal, the Gando Air Base (Base Aérea de Gando) contains ten shelters situated on the southern end of the eastern runway.

Seaport

Puerto de Las Palmas (Port of Las Palmas), also known as 'Puerto de la Luz' (Port of Light), or Puerto de la Luz and the Las Palmas is a main port for fishing, commercial, passenger and sports in the northwest of the city. It has been the traditional base for scale and supplying ships on their way through the Middle Atlantic for five centuries. The Port of Las Palmas is not only the first port of the Canary Islands, it is one of the main ports of Spain and the first of the geographical area of West Africa. As the leading port in the mid-Atlantic, it serves as the crossroads between Europe, Africa and America. In 2007, the port received some 11,262 ships; it welcomed a total of 907,782 cruise passengers, a 16.26% increase on 2006. In terms of annual TEU, the port of Las Palmas ranks as the 5th in Spain, and is among the first 15 ports of Europe.

The Port of Las Palmas is the first Mid-Atlantic fishing base, with an annual traffic of more than 4,500 stopovers and with some 400,000 tons of frozen fish processed. Despite experiencing some decline in recent years, it retains its dominance in the fishing industry over other ports in the Canary Islands. The port provides 175,000 cubic meters of cold storage facilities. At the foot of pier, special refrigerated containers and preparation rooms for frozen products owned by Trastainer can carry out the entire chain of post-processing and storage of fish, from refrigeration and distribution, to manufacture and supply of industrial ice. The port's EU-approved border inspection post is responsible for inspecting all types of imports and exports between the European Economic Union and its trading partners.

Public transportation

Las Palmas boasts a high quality bus system, provided by Guaguas Municipales.[25] Municipal Bus Lines offers 40 urban transport routes, covering both the bottom and the top of the city. The main lines are the 1 (Teatro - Puerto), 2 (Alameda de Colón - Puerto), 17 (Teatro - El Rincón), 25 (Campus Universitario - El Rincón), 12 (Puerto - Hoya de la Plata) and 30 (Alameda de Colón - Santa Catalina, via Rehoyas). In addition, two circular lines (A: Santa Catalina - Santa Catalina, via Alcaraveneras) and B (Santa Catalina - Santa Catalina, via Ciudad Alta).

The most important bus lines have frequencies of between 3 and 15 minutes during the day and between 10 and 40 minutes at night; most lines have service throughout the night. The bright yellow buses are known simply as 'guaguas'. The unique tarif, paid directly to the driver, is 1.20 euro. A 10-ride ticket is available for 6.50€ at official shops in the city. The Tarjeta Insular (Island Card) which offered a 20% discount on both municipal buses and Global buses was discontinued on 1 January 2011.

Global, inter-hire company, has 119 lines, many to or from the capital. This company was formed in 2000, resulting from the merger of the previous Salcai and interurban lines Utinsa.

There is also the Guagua Turística, which covers the most interesting sites of the city with a guide in several languages.

Under construction

El Tren de Gran Canaria (TG) is a rail project initially proposed as an alternative way to get from Las Palmas to Maspalomas[26] but was later raised to Agaete extension.

Another project is the Tramway Palmas (Gran Canaria), which would cover the same journey as the bus line 1, with an average frequency of 5 minutes and a journey time of 35 minutes.

Sports

Las Palmas is home to five major professional sports teams. These are:

Las Palmas will be one of the arenas of 2014 FIBA World Championship. Matches will be played in the new arena - Palacio de Deportes de Las Palmas with a capacity of about 10,000.

Many [mainly] outdoor sports are practised in city and neighbourhood, for example: surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, swimming, diving, skydiving, paragliding, running, cycling, rowing, tennis and golf (mainly in Las Palmeras Golf, Real Club De Golf De Las Palmas, El Cortijo Club de Campo and Oasis Golf). Real Club De Golf De Las Palmas, inaugurated on 17 December 1891, is the oldest golf club in Spain.[27]

Gallery

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Spain

Twin towns — sister cities

Las Palmas is twinned with:

People from Las Palmas

References

  1. ^ "Demographia: World Urban Areas" (PDF). http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  2. ^ Eurostat - Urban Audit
  3. ^ European Spatial Planning Observation Network - Study on Urban Functions: Final Report, ISBN 2-9600467-2-2
  4. ^ "''Conurbaciones''". http://alarcos.inf-cr.uclm.es/per/fruiz/pobesp/dat/arc/conurbaciones.xls. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  5. ^ "Situación y Clima. Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria". Laspalmasgc.es. http://www.laspalmasgc.es/lpgc/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=137. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  6. ^ a b "Gran Canaria Weather – The best climate in the world". http://www.monteleon-grancanaria.com/gran-canaria-weather.asp. Retrieved 29 November 2008. 
  7. ^ La Junta Suprema de Canarias. Volumen I. Buenaventura Bonnet y Riveron. Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de Tenerife, Editorial: Editorial Interinsular Canaria SA, publicado en Santa Cruz de Tenerife en 1980 (reedición de 1948) Páginas 104-106
  8. ^ Real Decreto de 30 de noviembre de 1833 Wikisource
  9. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain) - Datos Poblacionales del término municipal de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Avance del Padrón Municipal. Datos provisionales. [1], 1 January 2007
  10. ^ "Valores Extremos for Las Palmas" (pdf) (www version) - Agencia Estatal de Meteorología
  11. ^ a b "Valores Climatológicos Normales. Gran Canaria". http://www.aemet.es/es/elclima/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos?l=C649I&k=coo. 
  12. ^ "World Meteorological Organization: Weather Information for Las Palmas". http://www.worldweather.org/083/c01234.htm. 
  13. ^ "según el propio ayuntamiento". Laspalmasgc.es. http://www.laspalmasgc.es/lpgc/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=137. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  14. ^ "Geographical information". www.grancanaria.com. http://www.grancanaria.com/patronato_turismo/Fiestas-and-Interesting-Information.12650.0.html. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  15. ^ "Weather Information for Airport of Gran Canaria". http://www.worldweather.org/083/c01234.htm. 
  16. ^ "ESP LAS PALMAS - LAS PALMAS". http://www.globalbioclimatics.org/station/es-las-1.htm. 
  17. ^ "Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria". Laspalmascarnaval.com. http://www.laspalmascarnaval.com. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  18. ^ "Canarias7. Cultura. El Teatro Guiniguada reabrirá sus puertas en Las Palmas de Gran Canaria a principios de 2011, después de 10 años cerrado". Canarias7.es. http://www.canarias7.es/articulo.cfm?id=159544. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  19. ^ Agustín Portillo Hahnefeld en Las Canteras y Bahía del Confital, Libro Blanco (op. cit.)
  20. ^ Guía de Playas, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente de España
  21. ^ «Cuando ya se dominaba el arte, se podía optar por otros lugares como La Barra, el Murro del Lloret o incluso El Confital, que se destaca en las revistas especializadas por la perfección de la ola que, no obstante, no está al alcance de cualquiera. (...) Los surferos de Las Canteras tienen el orgullo de decir que en 'El Confi', nombre por el que lo conocen, se origina la mejor ola 'de derecha' de Europa.» Barrera Artiles (op. cit., pp. 75 y 176.).
  22. ^ Entre el 8 y el 14 de octubre tendrá lugar en El Confital el certámen La Caja de Canarias-Ocean & Earth Pro 2007, prueba de categoría cuatro estrellas valedera para las clasificatorias mundiales masculinas de la ASP. Sitio web del evento
  23. ^ AENA passenger and aircraft movements for 2008
  24. ^ John Pike (27 April 2005). "Space Shuttle Emergency Landing Sites". Globalsecurity.org. http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/facility/sts-els.htm. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  25. ^ "Inicio". Guaguas.com. http://www.guaguas.com/. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  26. ^ "El tren de Gran Canaria pasará de la capital al sur de Gran Canaria". Canarias7.es. http://www.canarias7.es/articulo.cfm?Id=92414. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  27. ^ "Official page of ''Real Club De Golf De Las Palmas''". Realclubdegolfdelaspalmas.com. http://www.realclubdegolfdelaspalmas.com/2008/elclub_historia.php. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  28. ^ "Las Palmas Gran Canaria y Rabat, hermanadas para promover desarrollo social". Canariasahora.es. 4 December 2008. http://www.canariasahora.es/noticia/53829/. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  29. ^ "El Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria se hermana con Praia". Canariasahora.es. 18 December 2008. http://www.canariasahora.es/noticia/55734/. Retrieved 11 March 2011. 

External links

North: Atlantic Ocean
West: Arucas Las Palmas de Gran Canaria East: Atlantic Ocean
South: Santa Brígida and Telde
Island capitals of the Canary Islands
Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Province of Las Palmas
Capitals of provinces of Spain
1 Autonomous cities.