Canary Islands
The Canary Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Africa. They are an autonomous community of Spain (they make their own laws). There are seven main islands. The people who live there speak Spanish. The autonomous community has two capital cities, of equal status: Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Like the other islands of Macaronesia, they were created by volcanoes on the bottom of the sea. Those volcanoes slowly rose above the water and became islands. This process lasted many thousands of years.
|
Canarias (Spanish) | |
|---|---|
.svg) Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Anthem: Himno de Canarias "Anthem of the Canaries" | |
_in_Spain.svg) Location of the Canary Islands relative to the Spanish mainland | |
| Coordinates: 28°N 16°W / 28°N 16°WCoordinates: 28°N 16°W / 28°N 16°W | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Largest city | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria |
| Capital | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife[1] |
| Provinces | Las Palmas, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
| Government | |
| • President | Ángel Víctor Torres (PSC–PSOE) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7,493 km2 (2,893 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 1.88% of Spain; ranked 13th |
| Population (2019)[2] | |
| • Total | 2,153,389 |
| • Rank | 8th |
| • Density | 287.387/km2 (744.33/sq mi) |
| • Percentage | 4.58% of Spain |
| Time zone | UTC (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (WEST) |
| ISO 3166 code |
|
| Most populated island | Tenerife[2] |
| Official language | Spanish |
| Statute of Autonomy | 7 November 2018 |
| Parliament | Canarian Parliament |
| Congress seats | 15 (of 350) |
| Senate seats | 14 (of 265) |
| HDI (2018) | 0.861[3] very high · 15th |
| Website | www |
The islands have a very long and interesting history. When Europeans first came to the Canary Islands, they found people already living there. These people were called the Guanches. Many of the Guanches were killed in 15th-century battles with the Spanish, and the ones who remained adopted the Spanish way of life. After the Spanish conquest, many battles were also fought against pirates. Most recently Morocco was interested in them.
After the Spanish conquest, many Europeans settled there. Portuguese and Spaniards, and also Belgians and Maltese were among the early settlers. Recently many people from all over Europe, America, India, and Africa have also become citizens or permanent residents.
The seven islands are: La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura. People from La Gomera have a whistle language that children there learn at school. Tenerife has the highest mountain in the Canary Islands and Spain too, the Teide. The Teide is actually a volcano, but it has not been active in more than 300 years.
The islands are popular with tourists because of their warm climate and nice beaches. The local farmers grow lots of exotic fruits including papayas and bananas.
The Canary Islands' main exports include bananas and tobacco.
Canary Islands Media
Map of the Canary Islands.
Hacha Grande, a mountain in the south of Lanzarote, viewed from the road to the Playa de Papagayo
Panoramic view of Gran Canaria, with Roque Nublo at the left and Roque Bentayga at the center
Humid laurel forest in La Gomera
Mount Teide, the highest mountain in Spain at 3,715 metres (12,188 feet), is also one of the most visited National Parks in the world.
Caldera de Taburiente National Park (La Palma)
Municipalities in the Las Palmas Province
Municipalities in the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Province
References
- ↑ "Ley Orgánica 1/2018, de 5 de noviembre, de reforma del Estatuto de Autonomía de Canarias". BOE (in español). 6 November 2018. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Real Decreto 743/2019, de 20 de diciembre, por el que se declaran oficiales las cifras de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal referidas al 1 de enero de 2019". BOE (in español). 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ↑ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
Other websites
Media related to Canary Islands at Wikimedia Commons
Canary Islands travel guide from Wikivoyage
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