Canary Islands Information Guide & Facts

The Canary Islands are Spain's tropical paradise and for Spaniards living in mainland Spain they are synonymous with holidays, as they are for the hundreds and thousands of foreign tourists who pack the islands' resorts all year round. Colonized and populated by Spaniards, they lie 1,150km off the coast of Africa. The Canary Islands (capital: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) are located in the Atlantic Ocean west of Morocco and consist of seven inhabited islands divided into two regions. Las Palmas province (capital: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) includes the islands of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura; the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (capital: Santa Cruz de Tenerife) includes the islands of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro. Tourist facilities are widely available. The official language is Spanish (Castilian). They are politically and administratively Spanish and yet culturally and geographically they have very much their own personality.

Main roads and highways are well maintained. Country roads may be narrow and winding, and feature steep hills. Bus services are available on all islands, but limited on the smaller islands. Car rentals are available. Ferry, hydrofoil, and jetfoil services link the islands. Domestic flights are available. An International Driving Permit is required.

General Facts

The population of this autonomous region according to figures from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) as of the 1st of January 2001, after having reviewed the Inhabitants register, is 1,781,366 with a total surface of 7,273 sq km

The population breakdown of the islands is as follows: Tenerife (3,209 sq km): 744,076, Fuerteventura: 66,025, Gran Canaria: 755,489, Lanzarote: 103,044, La Palma: 84,319, Gomera: 18,990 and Hierro: 9.423. The main cities in the region are: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, La Laguna, Telde, La Orotava and Arrecife.

Brief History

Pliny mentions an expedition to the Canaries c.40 B.C., and they may have been the Fortunate Islands of later classical writers. They were occasionally visited by Arabs and by European travelers in the Middle Ages. Jean de Béthencourt, a Norman, settled at Lanzarote in 1402 and, with the support of the kingdom of Castile, became its king in 1404.

The Treaty of Alcácovas (1479) between Portugal and Spain recognized Spanish sovereignty over the Canaries; conquest of the Guanches, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands, was completed in 1496. The islands became an important base for voyages to the Americas. The Canaries were frequently raided by pirates and privateers; Las Palmas beat off Francis Drake in 1595 but was ravaged by the Dutch in 1599.

In the French Revolutionary Wars, Horatio Nelson was repulsed (1797) at Santa Cruz. The Canary Islands became an autonomous region in 1982.

Wine was the main export of the Canaries until the grape blight of 1853; its place was taken by cochineal until aniline dyes came into general use. Today the leading exports are bananas, sugarcane, tomatoes, potatoes, and tobacco, which are grown where irrigation is possible. There is fishing on the open seas, and the Canaries, with their subtropical climate and fine beaches, have become a major tourist center. An oil refinery and other large-scale industries are located at Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Shopping

The Canary Islands are a shopping paradise because there is no joy-cooling customs barrier. Shopping therefore is a pleasure as never before. Not even the tax-free shops at the airports can compete with prices in the Canaries. Liqueurs, tobacco, cameras and film cameras, tape recorders, transistor radios, watches, everything is cheaper than in their countries of origin. From Nigerian crocodile skin to ivory carved on the banks of the Ganges or real Chinese silk, the most curious, rarest objects can be found.

Sports

The islands are the ideal setting for the practice of all kinds of sports. There are many fans of underwater fishing, swimming and whatever other sports there are on the beach and at the swimming pools. The traveller has a thousand training possibilities at the tennis courts, trap-shooting, riding clubs and the magnificent golf courses with a perfect lawn on undulating terrain. There are also occasions to get to know local sports, such as cock fights, the game of sticks, a kind of fencing with two long poles, and the famous Canary catch as-catch-can of remote origin, which requires great skill and strength and is a spectacle of major interest. Another tradition is el salto del regatón or de la garrocha, practiced above all in the island of La Palma.

Communications

The Canary archipelago is connected with Europe, Africa, but especially with the Spanish peninsula, by numerous sea and air links.

The shortest distance between these islands and Africa is 115 Km. From Gran Canaria and Tenerife to the port of Cádiz, there are 680 and 705 miles, respectively, the equivalent of two days at sea. Direct flights by jet from Madrid take a little over two hours. Every island, with the exception of Gomera, has airports for national and international flights. For the moment, the airport on the island of El Hierro only receives national flights. There are numerous air and sea links between the different islands of the archipelago. Especially between Tenerife and Gran Canaria there are several air and sea links every day.

Climate

The Canary Islands have a climate of their own, due in the first place to their geographical position in the middle of the Atlantic, near the African coast; secondly, because of their place in the path of the trade winds, which are responsible for the peculiar character of their climate, and thirdly, because of the variety of their geographical features, ie, the more mountainous islands have more rain, such as Tenerife, La Palma and Gran Canaria, and the less rugged ones, such as Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, have less rain. Consequently, the mountains have a direct bearing on the amount of rain that falls and not the proximity of the African continent, as is commonly believed.

All the climatic indicators based on the sensation experienced by the human body when the values of temperature, humidity and wind speed are combined coincide in showing that the islands have the best possible conditions for eternal spring throughout the year.

The temperature variations between the different seasons are especially eye-catching: 6C between the warmest and the coldest month. The number of really good days varies from between 90 per cent in August and 50 per cent in January, and it is typical for them to be mild - between 18 and 24C, with clean, fresh air, a rather high degree of humidity (80 per cent) and a partially clouded sky in places lying east of the mountains and close to them. The less agreeable days with a southern African wind only account for 7 per cent (26 days in the whole year). At the same time, its mountainous features produce temperature changes depending on the altitude so that even snow is found on some peaks.

The so-called Canary current contributes to the mild climate. It keeps the surface temperature of the sea below that corresponding to the latitude. The mean temperature of the sea water is 22 in the summer and 19 in the winter.

As a result of their pleasant spring with a mean temperature of 18C and their splendid summer with 22C, the climate of these marvelous islands is unmatched and the feeling of well-being constant.

Main Islands

Tenerife

The island of Tenerife is the largest of the Canary archipelago - 2,053 square kilometres - and it has the shape characteristic of a triangle. The island of eternal spring because of its peerless climate is full of huge contrasts and has a great variety of scenery in the different regions. A mountain chain runs through its centre fro Anaga to Teno and on both of its slopes there are large, exuberantly fertile valleys, among them especially La Orotava and Gumar. In the heart of the chain there is a gigantic, natural crater, called Las Cañadas del Teide, which is about 29 km across and has officially been declared a National Park. It lies over 2,000 m above sea level. North of the crater stands El Pico del Teide, a 3,718 m high mountain, which is the highest point in Spain. It is snowcovered in the winter and marks the island with its unique silhouette.

Tenerife has an extremely varied plant life, large, wooded mountains, extensive areas where banana, tomato, potato and other agricultural products are grown. Its coast is rocky and lined by cliffs in some places, while in others there are beaches with soft, clean sand, which are sometimes black and sometimes golden.

The capital of the island and of the province is Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which has 220,000 inhabitants. It is a cheerful, light-filled, modern city on a gentle slope and it is open towards the wide plains in the south. It is the seat of the military headquarters, La Capitanía General de Canarias, and Santa Cruz is known as a hospitable, cordial city. Beautiful gardens, especially García Sanabria, the Municipal Park, and busy streets make it easy for the visitor to feel at home there.

The port in a large bay surrounded by the steep cliffs of the Anaga mountain chain is an important sea traffic and communications centre between Europe, Africa and America. It is visited by ships from all kinds of countries and numerous tourist cruises make it their port of call throughout the year. It is the busiest Spanish port as regards the movement of goods and it is among the most important regarding the number of ships.

The whole city deliberately moves down towards the port and comes to rest, though full of bustling activity, in the nearby España and La Candelaria Squares. Around the latter there are some of the important official buildings, such as El Cabildo Insular, the island government building, where the Archaeological and Anthropological Museum is found; Carta Palace - a curious example of regional architecture and decoration, dating from the 17 Century and today officially a Sight of Interest to National Art and Architecture -, the Casino Principal, the Monument to the Fallen and El Triunfo de la Candelaria are also found in this area.

La Concepción's is the most important church. Its nave and four aisles shelter interesting Baroque works of art and most valuable reminders of Canary history. There La Cruz de la Conquista, the Cross of Conquest, is kept together with the flags taken from Sir Horace Nelson, the British admiral, on the occasion of his unsuccessful attack on the fortified city. Carta Chapel and the beautiful choir stalls, which are found in the presbytery today, are also of interest to art. Another church worthy of special mention is San Francisco's, which is 18 Century Baroque next to a beautiful square.

On El Principe Square with its lush laurel trees, there is the Municipal Museum of Paintings and Sculpture, with important paintings by Ribera, B. Brueghel, Madrazo, Van Loo, etc., as well as a department especially dedicated to Canary painting.

On Anaga Avenue, a beautiful, broad thoroughfare skirting the port area of Santa Cruz, there is Paso Alto Castle and its Military Museum - where objects reminiscent of the past are kept -, a peaceful place for a walk near the Royal Yacht Club of Tenerife, which lies in the vicinity of the Nautical School and close to La Casa del mar. There is a magnificent view of the bay.

The Provincial Public Library and the Provincial Office of Records are found in La Casa de la Cultura, comodoro Rodin St.

Near the city centre, there are two Places of Interest to National tourism: las Teresitas, with a 1,500m long, artificial beach of golden sands, and Las Gaviotas. Especially noteworthy is the picturesque Taganana are, with the El Roque and Almáciga beaches of black sand.

The Reina Sofía International Airport - Tenerife Sur - lies 60km from Santa Cruz and the Tenerife Norte Airport is nine kilometres away. The capital is the point of departure of the great southern motorway of the island, which links Santa Cruz with the different places and tourist centres of that area, and of the northern motorway, which leads to the important tourist centre of El Puerto de la Cruz; 22km from the capital lies Mount La Esperanza, covered with extensive Canary pine forests. There is a road crossing over it leading to Las Cañadas del Teide. On the way there are observation platforms with breathtaking views of the islands.

La Palma

La Palma, the beautiful island, is -with its 728 square kilometres and 80,000 inhabitants - the green island par excellence. It has the greatest heights in relation to is circumference. In the centre of the island lies the largest known crater: La Cadera de Taburiente, a National Park. It has a circumference of 28km full of dense pine forests and depths of up to 770m. The greatest height is called Roque de los Muchachos (2,423m), and there is the Astrophysical Observatory. The impressive grandeur of la Cadera can be observed from the observation platform of La Cumbrecita because it can be viewed in detail and visited from that point.

Gomera

Round island with a surface area of 378km2 and a population of over 17,000 inhabitants. It is a rich, densely wooded island with a large massif in the centre, called Alto de Garajonary, another National Park at a height of 1,487m above sea level. Its coastline is rugged and full of cliffs, while it is mountainous inland.

A famous feature is its whistle language, used by the inhabitants of the island to communicate from mountain to mountain.

San Sebastián, the capital and harbour of the island, is the place where the Conde de la Gomera Parador stands. It is a pretty, picturesque village with about 6,000 inhabitants. This is where Columbus prepared his ships, took in water and food supplies, and this is where La Asunción's stands, where he attended mass before setting out on his way to America.

This port of call where Columbus was put up by Beatriz de Bobadilla, the widow of Hernán Peraza, lord of the island, before the voyage leading to the discovery has a sight in memory of the occasion: the so-called Torre de Conde, a former fortress, officially; Sight of Interest to National History today.

Hierro

This is the most westerly of the islands of the archipelago. It is triangular and has a coast of cliffs. There are over 7,000 inhabitants. With a surface area of 278km2, it is the smallest of the islands. In the centre, there is a high plateau and its highest point is Malpaso (1,501m). It looks rugged and mountainous, with sheer cliffs reaching into the sea. An exception is the inlet called El Golfo, a 14km stretch of slopes with forests, which is an interesting, curious place. Its soil is fertile and there are several elevations with pine, beech and savin-tree forest. The peaks have numerous volcanic craters.

Valverde is the capital of the island. It has 3,600 inhabitants and is a pleasant, picturesque place with beautiful gardens and kitchen gardens and a lovely square, from where the sea and the other islands can be seen. It has an interesting church-cum-fortress. El Puerto de la Estaca lies at a distance of five kilometres and the airport only a few kilometres from the capital.

The island of Hierro is ideal for peaceful holidays in touch with nature.

Gran Canaria

The island of Gran Canaria is third in size in the archipelago, after Tenerife and Fuerteventura. It has a surface area of 1,532m2 and its most outstanding features are the ravines which come down from the central peaks - which are over 2,000m high - to the shore.

There is no other place with such an eloquent variety of little known scenery. There are desert and sandy areas as well as mountains with lush, tropical vegetation. In Gran Canaria, the steep cliffs of El Puerto de la Nieves and de la Aldea together with the rugged ravines of Tirajana, Moya and Azuaje alternate with pleasant valleys where thousands of banana-trees grow and which - like the Arucas - gently descend towards the sea. Gran Canaria has not in vain been called a continent in miniature, because beginning by La Cumbre (a 2,000m peak) with its granite masses of El Roque Nublo, nature has provided for all kinds of scenery, where plants from Europe, Africa and America grow (the Tamadaba pine forests, Los Tilos - lime-trees -, the El Monte vineyards, the coffee plantations at Agaete, palm forests, banana-trees, almond-trees, sugar cane and tomato crops).

Las Plamas, the capital of the province, is the largest city of the archipelago, a prosperous, beautiful place with 370,000 inhabitants and the largest port in GRT in Spain. Its airport receives the most important airlines, with flights from Europe, Africa and America. The capital has the attractions of a large city, with excellent hotel and catering facilities, night clubs, international shows, an intense social life and an ample calendar of festive occasions and celebrations throughout the year. A must in this modern, active city is the noble, peaceful old area of Vegueta, where one finds stately old houses with impressive, private inner courts and with artistically worked balconies facing onto narrow streets and sheltered squares. The Old city has the most important sights; the Gothic-neo-Classical cathedral, which was begun in 1497, Columbus House, the residence of the first governors of the island, which is a lovely building housing an interesting museum about the times of Columbus, the Canary Museum, which has the most complete collections of the traces left by the Guanches, the pre-Spanish inhabitans of the islands. Interesting churches include San Francisco's and the Hermitage of San Telmo, which has a Mudéjar coffered ceiling. The Provincial Fine Arts Museum, the House cum-Museum of Pérez Galdós and the Néstor Museum round off the treasure of art, architecture and history in the city. In the splendid Doramas Park there is an area called the Canary Village, a creation of the artists Néstor. It is an expressive sight of Canary architecture. Against this exceptionally beautiful background, popular dances and songs are performed on Thursdays and Sundays.

Las Canteras is magnificent, 2,600m long beach with a pleasant temperature throughout the year.

Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura, the Old Canary Country, is the island with the longest coastline, with wide plains and gentle valleys, with huge beaches: it is a geographical no man's land, a place for those who wish to escape from the pressures of today's life. In addition, there are possibilities of fishing in unbelievably transparent waters, as a special attraction for a growing number of tourists who refuse to spend their holidays without any activity. In fact the island is separated from Africa by a corridor where sardines, tuna and sword fish are the objects of mortal persecution. The fishing sportsman can easily get his share of the booty.

Fuerteventura has a magnificent airport with a 2,400m runway where national and international flights land and airplanes arrive from numerous, mainly European countries.

Fuerteventura has lovely beaches in the vicinity of its capital, Puerto del Rosario. But in the very north and south, there are two areas with beaches that can be compared with the best in the world. Especially outstanding are those of Jandía in the south and those of Corralejo in the north.

At Playa Blanca in Puerto del Rosario there is a Parador belonging to the Office of the Secretary General for Tourism.