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103-648: La Palma ( Spanish: [la ˈpalma] , local pronunciation: [lɐ ˈpɑ(l)mɐ] ), also known as La isla bonita (English: The Beautiful Island ) and historically San Miguel de La Palma , is the most northwesterly island of the Canary Islands , Spain , which is a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean . La Palma has an area of 708.32 square kilometres (273.48 sq mi) making it

206-638: A World Heritage Site in Tenerife . Mount Teide is the highest peak in Spain and the 3rd tallest volcano in the world , measured from its base on the ocean floor. The islands have warm summers and winters warm enough for the climate to be technically tropical at sea level. The amount of precipitation and the level of maritime moderation vary depending on location and elevation. The archipelago includes green areas as well as semi-desert. The islands' high mountains are ideal for astronomical observation, because they lie above

309-444: A biosphere reserve by UNESCO . Geologically it is one of the oldest of the archipelago. The insular capital is San Sebastian de La Gomera . Garajonay National Park is located on the island. Lanzarote is the easternmost island and one of the oldest of the archipelago, and it has shown evidence of recent volcanic activity. It has a surface of 845.94 km (326.62 sq mi), and a population of 149,183 inhabitants, including

412-666: A 2024 study by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, there is archaeological evidence that the Romans were the first to colonise the islands, during the period from the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE. There was no overlap with the occupation by the people who were inhabiting the islands at the time of the Spanish conquest, who had first arrived sometime between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE. As José Farrujia describes, 'The indigenous Canarians lived mainly in natural caves, usually near

515-430: A chaotic landscape marked by dozens of small hills and closed depressions. If the landslide deposit is thick enough, it may dam streams to form lakes. These lakes may eventually drain catastrophically to create floods and lahars downstream. Landslides that remove a large portion of a volcanic cone may abruptly decrease pressure on shallow magmatic and hydrothermal systems, which can generate explosions ranging from

618-623: A half a million years ago, the Taburiente volcano collapsed with a giant landslide , forming the Caldera de Taburiente . Erosion has since exposed part of the old seamount in the northern part of the caldera. Since the Spanish have kept records, there have been eight eruptions – all of which have occurred on the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge: At Cumbre Vieja ridge a new monogenetic volcano burst on 19 September 2021 after several seismic crises that rocked

721-463: A hole at the top of the hat to allow them to see out, while giving the appearance of dancing midgets. People come from all over the world for the celebration which happens every five years. The image of the Virgin is taken down from her sanctuary (located in a hilly area on the outskirts of Santa Cruz de La Palma ) and paraded around the city of Santa Cruz with the festival lasting nearly two weeks before she

824-566: A large degree of autonomy. In fact, the islands do not enjoy any special degree of autonomy, as each one of the Spanish regions is considered an autonomous community , with equal status to the European ones. Under the Law of the Sea , the only islands not granted territorial waters or an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) are those that are not fit for human habitation, or do not have an economic life of their own, which

927-781: A massive collapse. A 2008 paper looked into the worst-case scenario of a massive landslide and subsequent megatsunami. The authors concluded that waves could reach heights in the range 10 to 188 meters in the Canary Islands, but that the waves would dissipate as they radiated out into the Atlantic Ocean. They predict 40 meters height for some nearby island systems. For continents, the worst effects would be expected in Northern Brazil (13.6 m), French Guiana (12.7 m), mid-US (9.6 m), Western Sahara (largest prediction at 37 meters) and Mauritania (9.7 m). While still large, this would not qualify as

1030-418: A megatsunami (apart from locally in Macaronesia ), with the highest prediction for Western Sahara comparable to the 2011 Japanese tsunami . La Palma can be characterized by two main climate types: The Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csb/Csa ), characterized by dry summers and humid winters, is prevalent in the northern coast and in the mid to high altitudes of the island. At lower altitudes, particularly at

1133-585: A pore fluid that is viscous and contains fine sediment. The largest landslides from volcanoes are called sector or edifice collapses. Prehistoric sector collapses are preserved in the geological record in the form of debris avalanche deposits and collapse scars. Debris avalanche deposits can be found up to 20 km (12 mi) from the site of collapse. Collapse scars are also an indicator of sector collapse and are often described as " amphitheatre " or " horseshoe " shaped. Such collapse scars, open at one end, have long been noted in many volcanic regions around

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1236-411: A serious threat to endemic flora A biosphere reserve was established in 1983, and extended and renamed in 1997 and 2002. The official natural symbols associated with La Palma are the red-billed chough ( graja ) and Pinus canariensis (Canary Island pine). At the time of European colonization, the Canary Islands were inhabited by native Canarians, referred to collectively as Guanches , although

1339-427: A site occupied from 1,600 years ago up until the 1960s, round stone houses, complex burial sites, and associated artefacts have been found. Across the islands are thousands of Libyco-Berber alphabet inscriptions scattered and they have been extensively documented by many linguists. The social structure of indigenous Canarians encompassed "a system of matrilineal descent in most of the islands, in which inheritance

1442-550: A small steam explosion to large steam and magma-driven directed blasts. These result in tephra and ash fall hazards for surrounding areas. Large horseshoe-shaped craters formed by landslides at volcanoes will likely direct subsequent lava flows, pyroclastic flows or lahars toward its breached opening if the primary eruptive vent is located within these deep craters. The collapse of island or coastal volcanoes from giant landslides can generate tsunamis that could potentially devastate large areas of coastal land. Historically,

1545-442: A volcanic ridge on La Palma, in 2021 . The Teide volcano on Tenerife is the highest mountain in Spain, and the third tallest volcano on Earth on a volcanic ocean island. All the islands except La Gomera have been active in the last million years. Four of them, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro, have historical records of eruptions since European discovery. The islands rise from Jurassic oceanic crust associated with

1648-439: A white-flowered broom known locally as Retama del Teide, is native to La Palma and Tenerife, being restricted to the alpine/subalpine habitats present only in these two islands. Like Tenerife, La Palma also has its own alpine violet, Viola palmensis . Echium pininana is endemic to La Palma and the tallest species in the genus, reaching over 4 m. It is related to Echium wildpretii which occurs, with separate subspecies, in

1751-494: Is La Graciosa , which administratively is dependent on Lanzarote. The archipelago includes many smaller islands and islets, including Alegranza , Isla de Lobos , Montaña Clara , Roque del Oeste , and Roque del Este . It includes a number of rocks, including Garachico and Anaga . In ancient times, the island chain was often referred to as "the Fortunate Isles". The Canary Islands are the southernmost region of Spain , and

1854-505: Is 1,560 km (600 sq mi). Roque Nublo 1,813 metres (5,948 feet) and Pico de las Nieves ("Peak of Snow") 1,949 metres (6,394 feet) are located in the center of the island. On the south of the island are the Maspalomas Dunes (Gran Canaria). La Gomera (informally known as 'Isla Colombina') has an area of 369.76 km (142.77 sq mi) and is the second least populous island with 21,136 inhabitants. It has been declared

1957-490: Is mostly concentrated in the two capital islands: around 43% on the island of Tenerife and 40% on the island of Gran Canaria. The Canary Islands, especially Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote, are a major tourist destination, with over 16 million visitors in 2023. This is due to their beaches, subtropical climate , and important natural attractions, especially Maspalomas in Gran Canaria and Mount Teide ,

2060-634: Is not the case of the Canary Islands. There are some pro-independence political parties, like the National Congress of the Canaries (CNC) and the Popular Front of the Canary Islands . Their popular support is almost insignificant, with no presence in either the autonomous parliament or the cabildos insulares . In a 2012 study by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas , when asked about national identity,

2163-464: Is now western Morocco in the early first century  AD . That same naval force was subsequently sent on an exploration of the Canary Islands, using Mogador as their mission base. The names given by Romans to the individual islands were Ninguaria or Nivaria (Tenerife), Canaria (Gran Canaria), Pluvialia or Invale (Lanzarote), Ombrion (La Palma), Planasia (Fuerteventura), Iunonia or Junonia (El Hierro) and Capraria (La Gomera). From

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2266-549: Is predominately Roman Catholic and since 1676, has been known for the festival of Fiestas Lustrales de la Bajada de la Virgen de las Nieves (the bringing down of the Virgin of the Snow , Virgen de las Nieves ), which has a rich history, from the time of the Bishop of the Canaries, Bartolomé García Ximénez. The festival features the dancing of "enanos" or midgets. The costumes that people wear have

2369-566: Is retained in their depiction on the islands' coat-of-arms. Other theories speculate that the name comes from the Nukkari Berber tribe living in the Moroccan Atlas, named in Roman sources as Canarii , though Pliny again mentions the relation of this term with dogs. The name of the islands is not derived from the canary bird ; rather, the birds are named after the islands. From west to east,

2472-415: Is returned. The last time this event was performed in 2015 and the next will be in 2025, as in 2020 had to be cancelled due to the global pandemic of COVID-19. The Virgin of the Snow is the patron saint of La Palma. Many women on the island have the name "Nieves" in her honor. Every 5 August the annual festival of the Virgin is celebrated. La Palma has a road network of some 1,200 km (746 mi). All

2575-545: Is road access from sea level to the summit at 2,426 m (7,959 ft), which is marked by an outcrop of rocks called Roque de Los Muchachos ("Rock of the Young Men"). This is the site of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory , one of the world's premier astronomical observatories. La Palma's geography is a result of the volcanic formation of the island. The highest peaks reach over 2,400 m (7,874 ft) above sea level, and

2678-467: Is the highest peak of Spain and a World Heritage Site . Tenerife is the site of the worst air disaster in the history of aviation, in which 583 people were killed in the collision of two Boeing 747s on 27 March 1977. Graciosa Island or commonly La Graciosa is a volcanic island in the Canary Islands of Spain, located 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the island of Lanzarote across the Strait of El Río. It

2781-508: Is the oldest of the islands being more eroded. Its highest point is the Peak of the Bramble, at a height of 807 metres (2,648 feet). Its capital is Puerto del Rosario . Gran Canaria has 846,717 inhabitants. The capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria , with 377,203 inhabitants, is the most populous city and shares the status of capital of the Canaries with Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Gran Canaria's surface area

2884-632: Is the second largest in the archipelago and located 100 km (62 mi) from the African coast. The islands form the Macaronesia ecoregion with the Azores , Cape Verde , Madeira , and the Savage Isles . The Canary Islands is the largest and most populated archipelago of the Macaronesia region. The archipelago has seven large and several smaller islands, all of which are volcanic in origin. According to

2987-589: The Canary Islands within the last 43 million years, but the largest submarine landslides could have been up to 900 km (220 cu mi) in volume. Massive submarine landslides have also taken place in the Hawaiian Islands over the last several million years, the largest of which constitute significant portions of the islands from which they originated. Smaller landslides have also been identified at volcanoes on Mars and Venus . Martian landslides reach lengths of 90 km (56 mi) and more while

3090-550: The Canary hotspot . The Canary Islands is the only place in Spain where volcanic eruptions have been recorded during the Modern Era , with some volcanoes still active (El Hierro, 2011). Volcanic islands such as those in the Canary chain often have steep ocean cliffs caused by catastrophic debris avalanches and landslides . The island chain's most recent eruption occurred at Cumbre Vieja ,

3193-554: The Civil Guard are based in the territory. Before the arrival of humans, the Canaries were inhabited by prehistoric animals including the giant lizard ( Gallotia goliath ), the Tenerife and Gran Canaria giant rats , and giant tortoises, Geochelone burchardi and Geochelone vulcanica . Although the original settlement of what are now called the Canary Islands is not entirely clear, linguistic, genetic, and archaeological analyses indicate that indigenous peoples were living on

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3296-663: The Phoenicians , the Greeks , and the Carthaginians . King Juba II , Caesar Augustus 's Numidian protégé, is credited with discovering the islands for the Western world. According to Pliny the Elder , Juba found the islands uninhabited, but found "a small temple of stone" and "some traces of buildings". Juba dispatched a naval contingent to re-open the dye production facility at Mogador in what

3399-606: The Roques de Anaga , Garachico and Fasnia in Tenerife, and Salmor and Bonanza in El Hierro. El Hierro, the westernmost island, covers 268.71 km (103.75 sq mi). It is the second smallest of the major islands, and the least populous with 10,798 inhabitants. The whole island was declared a Reserve of the Biosphere in 2000. Its capital is Valverde . Also known as Ferro, it was once

3502-534: The Spanish Senate . Of these, 11 seats are directly elected, 3 for Gran Canaria, 3 for Tenerife, and 1 each for Lanzarote (including La Graciosa), Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. The other 3 are appointed by the regional legislature. The Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands has two provinces ( provincias ), Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife , whose capitals, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife , are capitals of

3605-475: The dragon tree , Dracaena draco are endemic, as noted by Sabin Berthelot and Philip Barker Webb in their work, L'Histoire Naturelle des Îles Canaries (1835–50). The climate is warm subtropical / tropical and generally arid , moderated by the sea and in summer by the trade winds . There are a number of microclimates and the classifications range mainly from semi-desert to desert . The majority of

3708-546: The temperature inversion layer. As a result, the archipelago has two professional astronomical observatories: the Teide Observatory on Tenerife, and Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma. In 1927, the Province of Canary Islands was split into two provinces. In 1982, the autonomous community of the Canary Islands was established. The cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are, jointly,

3811-712: The 14th century onward, numerous visits were made by sailors from Majorca , Portugal , and Genoa . Lancelotto Malocello settled on Lanzarote in 1312. The Majorcans established a mission with a bishop in the islands that lasted from 1350 to 1400. In 1402, the Castilian colonisation of the islands began with the expedition of the French explorers Jean de Béthencourt and Gadifer de la Salle , nobles and vassals of Henry III of Castile , to Lanzarote. From there, they went on to conquer Fuerteventura (1405) and El Hierro. These invasions were "brutal cultural and military clashes between

3914-400: The African coast, the influence of the current diminishes, and the islands become increasingly arid. Fuerteventura and Lanzarote , the islands which are closest to the African mainland, are effectively desert or semi-desert. Gran Canaria is known as a "continent in miniature" for its diverse landscapes like Maspalomas and Roque Nublo . The north of Tenerife lies under the influence of

4017-573: The Caldera de Taburiente to the south runs the ridge Cumbre Nueva ('New Ridge', which despite its name is older than the Cumbre Vieja , 'Old Ridge.') The southern part of La Palma consists of the Cumbre Vieja, a volcanic ridge formed by numerous volcanic cones built of lava and scoria . The Cumbre Vieja ridge is active, last erupting in the 2021 La Palma eruption , which destroyed more than 2600 buildings and caused one death. Beyond Punta de Fuencaliente at

4120-703: The Canaries , are a Spanish region, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean . At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Morocco . They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain . The islands have a population of 2.2 million people and are the most populous special territory of the European Union . The seven main islands are from largest to smallest in area, Tenerife , Fuerteventura , Gran Canaria , Lanzarote , La Palma , La Gomera , and El Hierro . The only other populated island

4223-474: The Canary Island's territorial waters as being Moroccan coast and Morocco has authorised gas and oil exploration in what the Canary Islands states to be Canarian territorial waters and Western Sahara waters. Morocco's official position is that international laws regarding territorial limits do not authorise Spain to claim seabed boundaries based on the territory of the Canaries, since the Canary Islands enjoy

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4326-520: The Canary Islands are El Hierro , La Palma , La Gomera , Tenerife , Gran Canaria , Fuerteventura , Lanzarote , and La Graciosa . North of Lanzarote are the islets of Montaña Clara , Alegranza , Roque del Este and Roque del Oeste , belonging to the Chinijo Archipelago . Northeast of Fuerteventura is the islet of Lobos . There are a series of small adjacent rocks in the Canary Islands:

4429-551: The Canary Islands at least 2,000 years ago, possibly 3,000, and that they shared a common origin with the Berbers on the nearby North African coast. Reaching the islands may have taken place using several small boats, landing on the easternmost islands Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. These groups came to be known collectively as the Guanches , although Guanches had been the name for only the indigenous inhabitants of Tenerife. According to

4532-516: The Canary Islands have a hot desert climate ( BWh ) and a hot semi-desert climate ( BSh ) within the Köppen system, caused partly due to the cool Canary Current . A subtropical humid climate, which is very influenced by the ocean, is in the middle of the islands of La Gomera , Tenerife and La Palma , where laurisilva cloud forests grow. The seven major islands, one minor island, and several small islets were originally volcanic islands, formed by

4635-403: The Canary Islands. The full name of the island is "San Miguel de La Palma" ("Saint Michael of La Palma"), usually abbreviated simply to "La Palma". La Palma is nicknamed "La Isla Bonita" ("beautiful island"). La Palma, like the other islands of the Canary Islands archipelago, is a volcanic ocean island. The volcano rises almost 7 km (4 mi) above the floor of the Atlantic Ocean . There

4738-454: The Canary Islands. It was as a result of his visit to Tenerife, where he visited the Las Cañadas caldera, and then later to La Palma, where he visited the Taburiente caldera, that the Spanish word for cauldron or large cooking pot – " caldera " – was introduced into the geological vocabulary. In the center of the island is the Caldera de Taburiente National Park , one of four national parks in

4841-631: The Canary Islands: Volcanic landslide All volcanic edifices are susceptible to landslides , particularly stratovolcanoes and shield volcanoes where landslides are important processes. Volcanic landslides range in size from less than 1 km (0.24 cu mi) to more than 100 km (24 cu mi). The largest volcanic landslides on Earth occur from submarine volcanoes and are several times larger than those that occur on land. Submarine landslides with volumes of 100–150 km (24–36 cu mi) have occurred in

4944-613: The Teide National Park was declared one of the 12 Treasures of Spain . The regional executive body, the Parliament of the Canary Islands , is presided over by Fernando Clavijo Batlle ( Canarian Coalition ), the current President of the Canary Islands . The members of the regional legislature, the Parliament of the Canary Islands , has 70 elected legislators. The last regional election took place in May 2023. The islands have 14 seats in

5047-512: The Tsunami Society published a statement stating "... We would like to halt the scaremongering from these unfounded reports..." The major points raised in this report include: A geological survey published in 1999 concluded that the western flank is stable with no evidence of aseismic creep . Other experts agree that the fracture resulting from the 1949 eruption is a shallow and inactive surface expression that should be monitored, but consider

5150-462: The adjacent islets of the Chinijo Archipelago. The capital is Arrecife , with 56,834 inhabitants. The Chinijo Archipelago includes the islands La Graciosa , Alegranza , Montaña Clara , Roque del Este and Roque del Oeste . It has a surface of 40.8 km (15.8 sq mi), and only La Graciosa is populated, with 658 inhabitants. With 29 km (11 sq mi), La Graciosa is

5253-468: The archipelago in 1312 and remained for two decades until expelled by a native uprising. In 1404 the Spaniards began the conquest of the islands. Though the first landing on La Palma was in 1405, it took until 1493 and several bloody battles until the last resistance of the natives was broken. The conqueror of La Palma was Alonso Fernández de Lugo , who defeated Tanausu , the last king on the island. He ruled

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5356-522: The area known as Acero (Caldera de Taburiente). Tanausu was ambushed after agreeing to a truce arranged by Fernández de Lugo and Juan de Palma, a Guanche who had converted to Christianity and who was a relative of Tanausu. For the next two centuries, settlements on La Palma became rich as the island served as a trading post on the way to the New World . La Palma received immigrants from Castile , Majorca , Andalusia , Portugal and Catalonia . The island

5459-511: The autonomous community. Each of the seven major islands are ruled by an island council named a Cabildo Insular . Each island is subdivided into smaller municipalities ( municipios ). Las Palmas is divided into 34 municipalities , and Santa Cruz de Tenerife is divided into 54 municipalities . The international boundary of the Canaries is disputed in Morocco-Spain relations . In 2022 the UN declared

5562-417: The base of the island is located almost 4,000 m (13,123 ft) below sea level. The northern part of La Palma is dominated by the Caldera de Taburiente , with a width of 9 km (6 mi) and a depth of 1,500 m (4,921 ft). It is surrounded by a ring of mountains ranging from 1,600 m (5,249 ft) to 2,400 m (7,874 ft) in height. On its northern side is the exposed remains of

5665-472: The bird Serinus canaria (canary) and the Phoenix canariensis palm. Four of Spain's thirteen national parks are located in the Canary Islands, more than any other autonomous community. Two of these have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the other two are part of Biosphere Reserves . The parks are: Teide National Park is the oldest and largest national park in the Canary Islands and one of

5768-406: The capitals of the islands. Those cities are also, respectively, the capitals of the provinces of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas . Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has been the largest city in the Canaries since 1768, except for a brief period in the 1910s. Between the 1833 territorial division of Spain and 1927, Santa Cruz de Tenerife was the sole capital of the Canary Islands. In 1927, it

5871-412: The city of Santa Cruz de La Palma and the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. The minas galerias (water tunnels) carry water from sources in the highlands to towns, villages and farms. La Palma receives almost all of its water from the mar de nubes ( sea of clouds ) of the northeast trade winds . The water condenses on the vegetation, from where it runs into the ground. Eventually it collects inside

5974-520: The climate becomes cooler and more humid, which provides conditions for laurisilva cloud forests to occur, such as the one in the Natural Park of Bosque de los Tiles. The island is part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife . The island is divided into 14 municipalities: La Palma has a " sister city " relationship with El Dorado Hills, California . The local economy is primarily based on agriculture and tourism. Bananas are grown throughout

6077-412: The coast, 300 to 500 metres (1,000 to 1,600 ft) above sea level. These caves were sometimes isolated but more commonly formed settlements, with burial caves nearby'. Archaeological work has uncovered a rich culture visible through artefacts of ceramics , human figures, fishing, hunting and farming tools, plant fibre clothing and vessels, as well as cave paintings. At Lomo de los Gatos on Gran Canaria,

6180-431: The coastlines. Modelling suggests that the tsunami could inundate up to 25 km (16 mi) inland. The claim was also explored in a BBC docu-drama called End Day which went through several hypothetical scenarios of disastrous proportions. However, nowhere in their papers do the authors make any claim about the imminent collapse of the flank. Rather, they state that they have modelled the worst-case scenario. In 2002

6283-552: The damage caused by volcanic eruptions and for the reconstruction of the island. Hector Izquierdo Triana , born in La Palma and secretary of state for finance at that time, was appointed to this responsibility. In an episode of the BBC Horizon series broadcast on 12 October 2000, two geologists hypothesised that during a future eruption, the western flank of Cumbre Vieja , with a mass of approximately 1.5 x10 kg, could slide into

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6386-586: The fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The total population at the start of 2023 was 84,338, of which 15,522 lived in the capital, Santa Cruz de La Palma and 20,375 in Los Llanos de Aridane . Its highest mountain is the Roque de los Muchachos , at 2,426 metres (7,959 ft), being second among the peaks of the Canaries after the Teide massif on Tenerife . In 1815, the German geologist Leopold von Buch visited

6489-494: The indigenous population and the Castilians" lasting over a century due to formidable resistance by indigenous Canarians. Professor Mohamed Adhikari has defined the conquest of the islands as a genocide of the Guanches . Béthencourt received the title King of the Canary Islands, but still recognised King Henry III as his overlord. It was not a simple military enterprise, given the aboriginal resistance on some islands. Neither

6592-448: The island erupted . It is the second-highest island of the Canaries, with the Roque de los Muchachos at 2,423 metres (7,949 feet) as its highest point. Santa Cruz de La Palma , known to those on the island as simply "Santa Cruz", is its capital. Tenerife is, with its area of 2,034 km (785 sq mi), the most extensive island of the Canary Islands. With 904,713 inhabitants, it is

6695-424: The island of Lanzarote. It is the smallest and least populated of the main islands, with about 700 people. Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the archipelago. Gran Canaria , with 865,070 inhabitants, is both the Canary Islands' second most populous island, and the third most populous one in Spain after Tenerife (966,354 inhabitants) and Majorca (896,038 inhabitants). The island of Fuerteventura

6798-498: The island with many banana farms on the western side of the island in Los Llanos de Aridane. Other crops include bird of paradise flowers, oranges, avocados and grapes. Local ranchers raise cattle, sheep and goats. Fishermen operating from Santa Cruz de La Palma, Tazacorte, and Puerto Naos catch fish for the local markets. La Palma has abundant plant life, including several endemic species. Although large areas have been deforested ,

6901-561: The island, among other anomalies regarding volcanic surveillance. At 85 days, it is the longest known and the most damaging volcanic eruption on La Palma since records began. The total damage caused by the volcano amounts up to 843 million euros . The Special Commissioner for the Reconstruction of the island of La Palma, created in 2022 to coordinate and promote the actions adopted by the General State Administration to repair

7004-500: The largest Venusian landslides extend only about 50 km (31 mi). The most dramatic landslide deposits on Venus occur beneath the slopes of volcanoes. Since erosion rates on Venus are much lower than those on Earth due to the lack of water on the surface, landslides are an important mechanism in wearing down mountain regions on Venus. The rounded hills of the complexly deformed tessera , or tile-like, terrain on Venus have probably been modified by numerous landslides. At volcanoes,

7107-424: The largest and most populous archipelago of Macaronesia . Because of their location, the Canary Islands have historically been considered a link between the four continents of Africa , North America , South America , and Europe . In 2023, the Canary Islands had a population of 2,236,013, with a density of 299 inhabitants per km , making it the seventh most populous autonomous community of Spain. The population

7210-408: The largest island of the Chinijo Archipelago and the smallest inhabited island of the Canaries. La Palma, with 81,863 inhabitants covering an area of 708.32 km (273.48 sq mi), is in its entirety a biosphere reserve. For long it showed no signs of volcanic activity, even though the volcano Teneguía entered into eruption last in 1971. On 19 September 2021, the volcanic Cumbre Vieja on

7313-418: The main roads are asphalted and in a good state, although there are many sharp bends, some very narrow. In order to reach some small hamlets in the north of the island it is necessary to travel on unpaved roads. A good paved road approximately 180 km (112 mi), circumscribes the island. Several bus routes exist that unite the main settlements on the island. A road crosses the island from Tazacorte on

7416-536: The majority of respondents from the Canary Islands (53.8%) considered themselves Spanish and Canarian in equal measures, followed by 24% who consider themselves more Canarian than Spanish. 6.1% of the respondents considered themselves only Canarian, and 7% considered themselves only Spanish. The defense of the territory is the responsibility of the Spanish Armed Forces . Components of the Army , Navy , Air Force and

7519-417: The moist Atlantic winds and is well vegetated. The south of the island around the tourist resorts of Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos is arid. The island rises to almost 4,000 m (13,000 ft) above sea level. At altitude, in the cool relatively wet climate, forests of the endemic pine Pinus canariensis thrive. Many of the plant species in the Canary Islands, like the Canary Island pine and

7622-627: The most deadly volcanic landslide occurred in 1792 when sliding debris from Mount Mayuyama in Japan slammed into the Ariake Sea and generated a tsunami that reached the opposite shore and killed nearly 15,000 people. The sector collapse of Ritter Island in 1888 generated a tsunami with runups of up to 15 m (49 ft) that caused damage more than 700 km (430 mi) away and killed anywhere between 500 and 3,000 people on neighbouring islands. A landslide originating from Devastation Glacier on

7725-451: The most populated island of the archipelago and Spain. Two of the islands' principal cities are located on it: the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna , a World Heritage Site. San Cristóbal de La Laguna , the second city of the island, is home to the oldest university in the Canary Islands, the University of La Laguna . Teide , with its 3,715 metres (12,188 feet)

7828-524: The mountains. After the Spanish occupation of La Palma, the native Canarians vanished by either being killed, sold into slavery or by assimilating into the Spanish population. It is believed that the Canary Islands were known to the Phoenicians and Greeks , but the earliest written evidence is by the Roman writer Pliny The Elder , who quoted Juba II of Numidia , but Juba's writings were subsequently lost. The Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello reached

7931-464: The natives of La Palma are more correctly known as Auaritas (See Canary Islands in pre-colonial times ). The origin of these natives is unclear but they are believed to share common ancestry with the Berbers of North Africa. The Guanches had a Neolithic culture divided into several clans led by chiefs. Their name for La Palma was Benahoare . The main remnants of this culture are their cave dwellings, enigmatic petroglyphs and paved stone paths through

8034-585: The observatories with a clear sky. Often, the view from the top of the volcano is a sea of clouds covering the eastern part of the island. Telescopes at the observatory include: In addition, the Cherenkov Telescope Array is planned for construction starting in 2021. In December 2021 the Roque de Los Muchachos Visitor Centre was inaugurated. Canary Islands The Canary Islands ( / k ə ˈ n ɛər i / , Spanish : Canarias , Spanish: [kaˈnaɾjas] ), also known informally as

8137-578: The ocean. This could then generate a giant wave, known as a " megatsunami " around 650–900 m (2,130–2,950 ft) high. The wave could radiate out across the Atlantic and inundate much of the eastern seaboard of North America, and many of the islands in the Caribbean and northern coasts of South America between six and eight hours later. They estimate that such a tsunami could have waves possibly 50 m (164 ft) or higher causing massive devastation along

8240-464: The oldest in Spain. Located in the geographic centre of the island of Tenerife, it is the most visited national park in Spain. In 2010, it became the most visited national park in Europe and second worldwide. The park's highlight is the Teide volcano. Standing at an altitude of 3,715 metres (12,188 ft), it is the highest elevation in Spain and the third largest volcano on Earth from its base. In 2007,

8343-577: The opening of the Atlantic. Underwater magmatism began during the Cretaceous, and continued to the present day. The current islands reached the ocean's surface during the Miocene . The islands were once considered as a distinct physiographic section of the Atlas Mountains province, which is part of the larger African Alpine System division, but are now recognized as being related to a magmatic hot spot. In

8446-426: The original seamount . Only the deep Barranco de las Angustias ("Ravine of Anxiety") ravine leads into the inner area of the caldera, which is a national park. It can be reached only by hiking. The outer slopes are cut by numerous gorges which run from 2,000 m (6,562 ft) down to the sea. Today, only a few of these carry water due to the many water tunnels that have been cut into the island's structure. From

8549-550: The position of the islands with respect to the north-east trade winds , the climate can be mild and wet or very dry. Several native species form laurisilva forests. The individual islands in the Canary archipelago tend to have distinct microclimates . Those islands such as El Hierro , La Palma and La Gomera lying to the west of the archipelago have a climate which is influenced by the moist Canary Current . They are well vegetated even at low levels and have extensive tracts of sub-tropical laurisilva forest. Travelling east toward

8652-408: The possibility that it is unstable as being almost nonexistent. Also, it is likely that the morphology of the floor of the Atlantic Ocean would hinder the propagation of a transoceanic tsunami. In 2006 Jan Nieuwenhuis of Delft University of Technology simulated several volcanic eruptions and calculated it would take another 10,000 years for the flanks to become sufficiently high and unstable to cause

8755-580: The prevailing northeasterly trade winds . The name Islas Canarias is likely derived from the Latin name Canariae Insulae , meaning "Islands of the Dogs", perhaps because monk seals or sea dogs were abundant, a name that was evidently generalized from the ancient name of one of these islands, Canaria – presumably Gran Canaria. According to the historian Pliny the Elder , the island Canaria contained "vast multitudes of dogs of very large size". The connection to dogs

8858-463: The rock strata, and is then drained via the galerias into aqueducts and pipes for distribution. The galerias have been cut into the rocks over centuries. It is possible to walk alongside many of the aqueducts, a popular activity for tourists (similar to the levadas of Madeira ). The tour to the Marcos y Corderos waterfall and springs is also popular. There is an extensive network of irrigation canals in

8961-579: The south and southwest coasts, the climate becomes semi-arid ( Köppen : BSh ). Average temperatures at the coast vary from 18 °C (64 °F) in January and February to 24 °C (75 °F) in August and September. For a Canary island, the weather is quite cloudy, as La Palma is far more exposed to marine air systems than easterly islands, caused by the Canary Current . As altitude increases moving inland,

9064-706: The southern flank of the Mount Meager massif in British Columbia , Canada, buried and killed a group of four geologists at the confluence of Devastation Creek and Meager Creek in July 1975. In 1979, a landslide from the Indonesian volcano Iliwerung produced 9 m-high (30 ft) waves that killed more than 500 people. In December 2018, another landslide-induced tsunami took place in Indonesia's Sunda Strait following

9167-453: The southern tip of the island, the Cumbre Vieja continues in a southerly direction as a submarine volcano . Like all of the Canary Islands, La Palma originally formed as a seamount through submarine volcanic activity. Along with Tenerife, La Palma is the most volcanically active of the Canary Islands. Its base lies almost 4,000 m (13,123 ft) below sea level and reaches a height of 2,426 m (7,959 ft) above sea level. About

9270-644: The subalpine zone of both Tenerife and La Palma. Both species are monocarpic , producing a massive terminal inflorescence . Echium webbii , a branched shrub with several smaller, dark blue flower spikes, is another island endemic with close relatives on Tenerife. Other La Palma endemics include members of the daisy family , such as Sonchus palmensis , Argyranthemum haouarytheum Pericallis papyracea and Cheirolophus sventenii . Several animals are native or endemic to La Palma, including the: In addition, many other animals have been introduced, including rabbits and Barbary sheep , or aoudads, which have become

9373-463: The summer of 2011, a series of low-magnitude earthquakes occurred beneath El Hierro. These had a linear trend of northeast–southwest. In October a submarine eruption occurred about 2 km ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 4  mi) south of Restinga. This eruption produced gases and pumice, but no explosive activity was reported. The following table shows the highest mountains in each of the islands: The official natural symbols associated with Canary Islands are

9476-473: The sunny side (western side). This is due to the clouds not being able to cross the mountains, an effect caused by the counter trade wind. La Palma Airport is served mainly by Binter Canarias and CanaryFly , and Iberia , with flights to and from Tenerife and Gran Canaria , and also to and from mainland Spain, Germany, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands. There is also ferry service between

9579-656: The term landslide is commonly used for slope movements with shear and displacement in a relatively narrow zone. They can be in the form of debris avalanches , debris flows , slumps and rockfalls . A debris avalanche is a sudden, very rapid flow of rock and soil in response to gravity. It is a common middle stage in the transformation of a cohesive debris flow from a landslide or rockslide. Debris avalanches may be restricted to grain flows or granular flows, in which flow mechanics are governed by particle interactions involving friction and collision. Debris flows, in contrast, owe much of their behaviour to excess pore-water pressure and

9682-644: The upland areas of La Palma retain much of the evergreen laurel forest , where species of Lauraceae , such as Laurus azorica , Persea indica , and Ocotea foetens are a characteristic component. This is a relictual population of the Pliocene subtropical forests which used to cover the island. The Canary Island pine is found on all of the western Canary Islands, but it is particularly abundant on La Palma. The pine forests are also home to two recently discovered and extremely rare La Palma endemics: Lotus eremiticus and L. pyranthus . Cytisus supranubius ,

9785-566: The valley of Los Llanos de Aridane . These canals carry water from the mountains throughout the valley and allow for the cultivation of bananas, avocados, flowers, and other plants. Due to the location of the island and the height of its mountains, some 2,400 m (7,874 ft) above sea level, a number of international astronomical observatories have been built on the Roque de los Muchachos . The particular geographical position and climate cause clouds to form between 1,000 m (3,281 ft) and 2,000 m (6,562 ft), usually leaving

9888-423: The volcano flank while sector collapses are large enough to involve the volcano summit. The smaller size of a flank collapse indicates that there need be no repose time before another flank collapse occurs, and hence they can be treated as random events. Several conditions can trigger landslides at volcanoes: Large landslides from volcanoes often bury valleys with tens to hundreds of metres of rock debris, forming

9991-407: The west coast to the capital city on the east coast of the island. This road is a two-lane highway that includes a pair of two-lane tunnels. The older tunnel is shorter (1,100 m (3,609 ft)) and higher than the newer tunnel (2,880 m (9,449 ft)). When traveling from one side of the mountain to the other it is common to enter one side in complete clouds (the east side) and come out to

10094-431: The westernmost known land in the world. Ancient European geographers such as Ptolemy recognised the island as the prime meridian of longitude. That remained so until the 19th century, when it was displaced by the one passing through Greenwich . Fuerteventura, with a surface of 1,660 km (640 sq mi), is the second largest island of the archipelago. It has been declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO . It

10197-433: The world. The largest volcanic island sector collapse in historic times took place in 1888 when Ritter Island collapsed off the northern coast of Papua New Guinea . Edifice reconstruction generally must occur before a second sector collapse. Flank collapses are much smaller than sector collapses, but they may also yield far-reaching debris flows. Flank collapses differ from sector collapses in that they only involve

10300-536: Was formed by the Canary hotspot. The island is part of the Chinijo Archipelago and the Chinijo Archipelago Natural Park (Parque Natural del Archipiélago Chinijo). It is administered by the municipality of Teguise. In 2018, La Graciosa was declared as the eighth Canary Island by the Spanish Senate , though it is not recognized as such by the Canarian administration. It is administratively dependent on

10403-402: Was it politically, since the particular interests of the nobility (determined to strengthen their economic and political power through the acquisition of the islands) conflicted with those of the states, particularly Castile, which were in the midst of territorial expansion and in a process of strengthening of the crown against the nobility. Historians distinguish two periods in the conquest of

10506-598: Was ordered by decree that the capital of the Canary Islands would be shared between two cities, and this arrangement persists to the present day. The third largest city in the Canary Islands is San Cristóbal de La Laguna , another World Heritage Site on Tenerife. During the Age of Sail , the islands were the main stopover for Spanish galleons during the Spanish colonisation of the Americas , which sailed that far south in order to catch

10609-446: Was passed on via the female line. Social status and wealth were hereditary and determined the individual's position in the social pyramid, which consisted of the king, the relatives of the king, the lower nobility, villeins, plebeians, and finally executioners, butchers, embalmers, and prisoners". Their religion was animist , centring on the sun and moon, as well as natural features such as mountains. The islands may have been visited by

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