Province of Las Palmas

Las Palmas Provincia de Las Palmas
Province
Flag Coat of arms
Map of Spain with Las Palmas highlighted
Coordinates: 28°20′N 14°20′W / 28.333°N 14.333°W / 28.333; -14.333Coordinates: 28°20′N 14°20′W / 28.333°N 14.333°W / 28.333; -14.333
Autonomous community	Canary Islands
Capital	Las Palmas
Area
• Total	4,066 km2 (1,570 sq mi)
Area rank	Ranked 46th
Population (2010)
• Total	1,083,502
• Rank	Ranked 12th
• Density	270/km2 (690/sq mi)
Official language(s)	Spanish

Bandama Caldera

Church of San Juan Bautista

Botanic garden in Arucas

Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pino, en Teror.

The Province of Las Palmas (/lɑːs ˈpɑːlməs/, UK /ˈpɑːməs/; Spanish: Provincia de Las Palmas) is a province of Spain, consisting of the eastern part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands.

Geography

Composition

It consists of about half of the Atlantic archipelago, including the islands of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote, as well as another six minor isles (Alegranza, Graciosa, Montaña Clara, Lobos, Roque del Este, and Roque del Oeste). Their total land area is 4,065.78 km² (1,569.8 sq mi), representing 54.6% of the Canary Islands' total land. (The other half of the archipelago is the Province of Santa Cruz.)

General view

Its capital is the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (commonly known as Las Palmas), on the island of Gran Canaria, which is also one of the capitals of the autonomous community (next to Santa Cruz de Tenerife). About 38.5% of the provincial population of 1,011,928 (2005) live in the capital. However, the official name of the city is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, whereas the province is called Las Palmas. Nevertheless, both names are usually misused. There are 34 municipalities in the province; see List of municipalities in Las Palmas.

Las Palmas contains the Parque Nacional Timanfaya on the island of Lanzarote.

License plates in the province used to start with "GC", which referred to the island of Gran Canaria, although the same plates were also issued in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

Main sights (Gran Canaria)

• Bandama Caldera (Bandama Natural Monument) in Santa Brígida, Las Palmas is part of the Tafira Protected Landscape. It's considered a point of geological interest, because of the Caldera de Bandama. This volcanic caldera reaches 569 m (1,867 ft) above sea level at the highest point on its rim, Pico de Bandama, and is about 1,000 m (3,300 ft) wide and 200 m (660 ft) deep. The steep walk to the bottom of the caldera takes about half an hour. Volcanic ash of different hues is in great abundance, and there are some interesting botanic species of Canary Islands origin. There are facilities for food and refreshments as well.
• Archaeological sites in Santa Brígida. In the valley of La Angostura and Las Meleguinas can find numerous traces of Aboriginal canaries that have prompted the declaration of the area as a Cultural, as groups of caves carved into rock, silos or sidewalks. In the archaeological site of El Tope, discovered on 16 July 1988, where you can see remnants that suggest the existence of an aboriginal burial mound, as well as ceramics, pottery and curious pintaderas.^[1][2] En la pared norte de la Caldera de Bandama se encuentra la Cueva de los Canarios, utilizada por los aborígenes como granero. It has been discovered Libyan-Berber inscriptions and some vessels (which are now in the Museo Canario).^[1][2] Also in the same area in the wall of the volcano in the stew is the Cueva de Los Frailes was discovered in 1933 a set of 37 caves.^[2]
• Church of San Juan Bautista (also vulgarly known as Catedral de Arucas due to its big size) built entirely in Arucas stone by local master masons, and it dates from 1909 (Initial Configuration from the 17th century). Apart from the wealth of the carved stone columns and column heads, there are also some beautiful stained glass windows, the works of Canary Island painter Cristobal Hernandez de Quintana, and an extraordinary carving of the Reclining Christ, by Manuel Ramos.^[3]
• Jardín de la Marquesa de Arucas - Botanical Garden in Arucas.
• Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Telde is the true spiritual centre of Telde. Located in the square of the same name and founded in 1483, the old church was erected by the Garcia del Castillo family at the time of the town's foundation. It still has the original gateway, an example of Sevillian–Portuguese Gothic architecture. The towers, however, are an example of early 20th neo-Gothic construction. The real marvels are inside the building: the statue of Christ on the main altar, made from corn dough by the Tarasco Mexican Indians, brought here before 1550, the Flemish Gothic main altar, which dates back to before 1516, and the triptych of the Virgin Mary, brought from Flanders, also in the 16th century, depicting five religious scenes.^[4]
• Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pino in Teror from 1760.
• Archaeological sites in Telde. Telde has 101 archaeological sites and 709 listed assets of ethnographic interest. In regard to the aboriginal time deposits, each year it expands its number or discover new aspects of old fields, but most are in disrepair and many are disappearing. Some of the most prominent are the coastal town of Tufia in good condition and extensively excavated by archaeologists, four doors located on top of a mountain overlooking the plain teldense and consists of a large cave with four doors and its name suggests, plus an ALMOGAREN (religious vessel) at the top and a village of caves with collective barn in the back, the caves of Tara and Cendro remains of the ancient center of population, the town of Draguillo on the border with Ingenio, Las Cuevas Chalasia which consist of a labyrinthine series of artificial caves linked by tunnels and the impressive Necropolis of Jinámar which includes more than 500 tombs of various types belonging to the old canary.
• Basílica de San Juan Bautista in Telde
• Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pino in Teror from 1760.

Notes and references

External links

Media related to Province of Las Palmas at Wikimedia Commons

• (Spanish) Government of the Canary Islands