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123-628: The Bichon Frisé, formally known as the Bichon Tenerife, Tenerife dog or Canary Island lap dog, was bred on the island of Tenerife ; it was believed to be descended from bichon-type dogs introduced from Spain in the 16th century. From the Canary Islands, the breed was imported back to the Continent where it became the sometimes favourite of the European courts, its fortunes depending upon the fashions of

246-638: 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

369-444: 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

492-527: A "captainship" by the conquerors. Tinerfe "the Great" , son of the mencey Sunta, governed the island from Adeje in the south. However, upon his death, his nine children rebelled and argued bitterly about how to divide the island. Two independent achimenceyatos were created on the island, and the island was divided into nine menceyatos . The menceyes within them formed what would be similar to municipalities today. The menceyatos and their menceyes (ordered by

615-666: 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

738-726: A century and a half of relative growth, based on the grape growing sector, numerous families emigrated, especially to Venezuela and Cuba . The Crown wanted to encourage population of underdeveloped zones in the Americas to pre-empt the occupation by foreign forces, as had happened with the English in Jamaica and the French in the Guianas and western Hispaniola (which the French renamed as Saint-Domingue). Canary Islanders, including many tinerfeños, left for

861-583: A defense to repel the invaders. Whilst leading a landing party, Nelson was seriously wounded in his right arm by grapeshot or a musket ball, necessitating amputation of most of the arm. Legend tells that he was wounded by the Spanish cannon Tiger (Spanish: Tigre ) as he was trying to disembark on the Paso Alto coast. On 5 September 1797, the British attempted another attack in the Puerto Santiago region, which

984-401: A forest fire determined to be caused by arson necessitated the evacuation of 12,000 residents within a week. The main climates are the hot semi-arid/arid climate (Köppen: BSh and BWh ) and the subtropical Mediterranean Climate (Köppen: Csb and Csa ) inland or at higher altitudes. The low altitude/coastal areas of the island have average temperatures of 18–20 °C (64–68 °F) in

1107-515: 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

1230-520: A phenomenon of cold drop characterized by the repeated fall of torrential rains accompanied by thunder and lightning, affecting the metropolitan area of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and extending in the NE direction towards the San Andrés area. The rains caused 8 dead, 12 missing and dozens of injured. In addition to the human losses, the flood caused considerable material damage, 70,000 people without light as well as

1353-427: 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

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1476-442: 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

1599-494: 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

1722-505: 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

1845-569: Is clear. The Maltese, sometimes called the Bichon Maltaise, is claimed to be descended from dogs brought to Malta by the Phoenicians in ancient times. Proponents of this theory cite ancient artwork from Malta with dogs of similar form, although the first concrete record of this breed dates from 1805 when the Knights of Malta wrote that the once famous local dog was almost extinct. Today's Maltese

1968-451: Is generally the reason why the soil is able to maximise the absorption of water on an island of low rainfall, with condensation in forested areas and frost deposition on the summit of the island also contributory causes. Given the irregularity of precipitation and geological conditions on the island, dam construction has been avoided, so most of the water (90 percent) comes from wells and from water galleries (horizontal tunnels bored into

2091-456: Is likely the result of subsequent crosses, and they became increasingly popular throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Tenerife Tenerife ( / ˌ t ɛ n ə ˈ r iː f / TEN -ə- REEF ; Spanish: [teneˈɾife] ; formerly spelled Teneriffe ) is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands . It is home to 42.9% of the total population of

2214-490: 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 ,

2337-634: 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,

2460-464: 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

2583-566: 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,

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2706-467: 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

2829-508: 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

2952-407: Is the oldest university in the Canaries. The city of La Laguna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . It is the second most populous city on the island, and the third most populous in the archipelago. It was the capital of the Canary Islands before Santa Cruz replaced it in 1833. Tenerife is served by two airports; Tenerife North Airport and Tenerife South Airport . Teide National Park , located in

3075-685: 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

3198-822: The Adelantado ("military governor") de Lugo suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Guanches in the First Battle of Acentejo on 31 May 1494, but defeated them at the Second Battle of Acentejo on 25 December 1494. The Guanches were eventually overcome by superior technology and the arms of the invaders, and surrendered to the Crown of Castile in 1496. Many of the natives died from new infectious diseases, such as influenza and probably smallpox , to which they lacked resistance or acquired immunity . The new colonists intermarried with

3321-422: The Canary Islands were conquered by Castile . The formal demonym used to refer to the people of Tenerife is Tinerfeño/a ; also used colloquially is the term chicharrero /a . In modern society, the latter term is generally applied only to inhabitants of the capital, Santa Cruz. The term chicharrero was once a derogatory term used by the people of La Laguna when it was the capital, to refer to

3444-550: 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 ,

3567-554: 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

3690-463: The La Orotava mountain range. Although climatic differences in rainfall and sunshine on the island exist, overall annual precipitation is low and the summer months from May to September are normally completely dry. Rainfall, similar to that of Southern California , can also be extremely erratic from one year to another. The volcanic ground of Tenerife, which is of a porous and permeable character,

3813-610: 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

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3936-606: 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

4059-534: 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

4182-410: The archipelago . With a land area of 2,034.38 square kilometres (785.48 sq mi) and a population of 948,815 inhabitants as of January 2023, it is also the most populous island of Spain and of Macaronesia . Approximately five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, making it the most visited island in the archipelago. It is one of the most important tourist destinations in Spain and

4305-475: 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

4428-546: 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,

4551-454: The "return" of many descendants of some islanders who had departed five centuries before. The most notable conflict was the British invasion of Tenerife in 1797. On 25 July 1797, Admiral Horatio Nelson launched an attack at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, now the capital of the island. After a ferocious fight which resulted in many casualties, General Antonio Gutiérrez de Otero y Santayana organized

4674-663: 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

4797-423: The 1520s as a commodity crop on major plantations; it was a labor-intensive crop in all phases of cultivation and processing. In the following centuries, planters cultivated wine grapes, cochineal for making dyes, and plantains for use and export. In the commerce of the Canary Islands with the Americas of the 18th century, Tenerife was the hegemonic island, since it exceeded 50% of the number of ships and 60% of

4920-478: The 17th century, where they became extremely popular with the local ruling class; they became so popular that laws were passed to prevent them being owned by commoners. The breed was relatively unknown to the outside world until the 1970s, when examples were exported to Europe and North America. The Havanese, also known as the Cuban shock dog, Bichon Havanais, Havana silk dog, Havana Spaniel, Havana Bichon or sometimes just

5043-478: The 1950s, the misery of the post-war years caused thousands of the island's inhabitants to emigrate to Cuba and other parts of Latin America. Tenerife was the site of the deadliest accident ever in commercial aviation. The Tenerife airport disaster occurred on 27 March 1977 when two Boeing 747s , KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736 collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport in heavy fog conditions, causing

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5166-400: 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

5289-436: The Americas such as La Guaira , Havana , Campeche and Veracruz . Many sailors from Tenerife joined this transcontinental maritime trade, among which the corsair Amaro Rodríguez Felipe , more commonly known as Amaro Pargo , Juan Pedro Dujardín and Bernardo de Espinosa, both companions of Amaro Pargo, among others. Tenerife, like the other islands, has maintained a close relationship with Latin America, as both were part of

5412-756: The Arafo, Fasnia and Siete Fuentes volcanoes erupted simultaneously. Two years later, in 1706, the greatest eruption occurred at Trevejo. This volcano produced great quantities of lava which buried the city and port of Garachico . The last eruption of the 18th century happened in 1798 at Cañadas de Teide, in Chahorra . The most recent eruption-in 1909-formed the Chinyero cinder cone in the municipality of Santiago del Teide . Canary Islands The Canary Islands ( / k ə ˈ n ɛər i / , Spanish : Canarias , Spanish: [kaˈnaɾjas] ), also known informally as

5535-649: The Bichon Bolognese, Bolognese toy dog, Bologneser, Gutschen Hundle or Schoshundle, takes its name from the northern Italian city of Bologna . It is usually claimed the breed descends from the Maltese. It is believed examples of the breed were kept by the Medici family, who gave these dogs as gifts to garner favour. it is said that Louis XIV of France , Philip II of Spain and Catherine the Great of Russia , among other European rulers, all kept some. The Bolonka, also known as

5658-518: The Bolonka Zwetna, is a recently developed breed from Russia . It is a coloured variation of the white Bolonka Franzuska that was established as a breed in 1988. The name of the breed means French lap dog (franzuskaja = French, Bolonka = lap dog, French Bichon). Since the Renaissance, Bolognese lap dogs have enjoyed great popularity and admiration in princely and royal houses. The close ties between

5781-703: 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

5904-474: 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

6027-565: The Canary Islands and Madeira ; he named the Canary Islands for the particularly ferocious dogs ( canaria ) on the island. Juba II and the ancient Romans called the island of Tenerife Nivaria , from the Latin word nix ( nsg. ; gsg. nivis , npl. nives ), meaning "snow", after the snow-covered peak of the Mount Teide volcano. Later maps dating to the 14th and 15th century, drawn by mapmakers such as Bontier and Le Verrier, called

6150-476: The Canary Islands and the Macaronesia region. Tenerife is characterized by a generally dry, warm climate. The island has 2 main different climatic areas (as by Köppen climate classification ) yet it actually has 5 different climatic areas. Global climate change has had a major impact on the island, with diminishing rainfall and hot, dry winds affecting vegetation and contributing to an increasing propensity to being subject to forest fires. On August 15, 2023,

6273-520: 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:

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6396-551: 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

6519-516: 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

6642-513: The French and Russian nobility led to the spread of the lap dogs of the French ladies to tsarist Russia. Even Catherine the Great loved and adored these dwarf puppies. She owned a few puppies during her reign at the Romanov Tsar's Court. The Coton de Tuléar takes its name from the Madagascan port town of Tuléar , where it originated. The ancestors of these dogs were likely brought to Madagascar in

6765-503: The Guanches and the Spanish held periodic treaty talks until the Guanches demolished it around 1472. In 1492 the governor of Gran Canaria Francisco Maldonado organized a raid that ended in disaster for the Spaniards when they were defeated by Anaga's warriors. In December 1493, the Catholic monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, granted Alonso Fernández de Lugo

6888-601: The Havana, is a bichon-type breed from Cuba , taking its name from Havana . The breed is believed to be descended from bichon-type dogs imported to Cuba by Europeans in the 18th century, where it thrived. The breed's fortunes turned with the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s; the Communists saw these dogs as the property of the former elite and sought to eliminate such dogs; the breed was saved by expatriates who fled with their pets to

7011-473: The Health and Industry Ministry in Spain, Tenerife is one of the cleanest places in the country with an air pollution index below the national average. Despite this, there are still agents which affect pollution levels in the island, the main polluting agents being the refinery at Santa Cruz , the thermal power plants at Las Caletillas and Granadilla , and road traffic, increased by the high level of tourism in

7134-568: The New World. The success in cultivation of new crops of the Americas, such as cocoa in Venezuela and tobacco in Cuba, contributed to the population exodus from towns such as Buenavista del Norte, Vilaflor, or El Sauzal in the late 17th century. The village of San Carlos de Tenerife was founded in 1684 by Canary Islanders on Santo Domingo . The people from Tenerife were recruited for settlement to build up

7257-491: The Pico del Teide. Emigration to the Americas (mainly Cuba and Venezuela) continued during the 19th and early 20th century, due to the lack of economic opportunity and the relative isolation of the Canary Islands. Since the late 20th century, island protectionist economic laws and a strong development in the tourism industry have strengthened the economy and attracted new migrants. Tenerife has received numerous new residents, including

7380-431: The Spanish Empire. From the start of the colonization of the New World , many Spanish expeditions stopped at the island for supplies on their way to the Americas. They also recruited many tinerfeños for their crews, who formed an integral part of the conquest expeditions. Others joined ships in search of better prospects. It is also important to note the exchange in plant and animal species that made those voyages. After

7503-453: 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

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7626-413: The United Kingdom, and northern Europe in large numbers in the 1890s. They especially were attracted to the destinations of the northern towns of Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Independent shipping business, such as the Yeoward Brothers Shipping Line, helped boost the tourist industry during this time, adding to ships that carried passengers. The naturalist Alexander von Humboldt ascended

7749-406: The United States. The Löwchen, whose name means "little lion dog" in German, is another French breed of the bichon-type. The breed was known as early as the 16th century; by the 1970s, it was estimated only 70 remained, although thanks to a publicity drive the breed has recovered. Usually clipped to resemble a lion with a mane, when its hair grows naturally its resemblance to other breeds of the type

7872-400: 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

7995-411: 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

8118-424: 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

8241-406: 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

8364-448: The center of the island, is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site . It includes Mount Teide , which has the highest elevation in Spain, and the highest elevation among all the islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the third-largest volcano in the world, when measured from its base. Another geographical feature of the island, the Macizo de Anaga (massif), has been designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2015. Tenerife also has

8487-412: 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,

8610-417: The conquest. They divided into the side of peace (Spanish: bando de paz ) and the side of war (Spanish: bando de guerra ). The first included the menceyatos of Anaga, Güímar, Abona and Adeje. The second group consisted of the people of Tegueste, Tacoronte, Taoro, Icoden and Daute. Those opposed to the conquest fought the invaders tenaciously, resisting their rule for two years. Castillian forces under

8733-401: The deaths of 583 passengers and crew. A few years later, Dan Air Flight 1008 crashed into a mountain while on approach to Tenerife North, killing 146 people. The plane was travelling too close to an Iberia Air turboprop plane and was asked to go into a holding pattern. At the beginning of the 21st century, the so-called Riada de Tenerife of 2002 took place on 31 March of that year. It was

8856-568: The fleet, Capt. Arthur Phillip and the chief officers were entertained by the local governor, while one convict tried unsuccessfully to escape. On 10 June they set sail to cross the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro, taking advantage of favourable trade winds and ocean currents. In June 1799, the Prussian-born naturalist Alexander von Humboldt spent five full days on Tenerife on the first leg of his soon world-famous American journey (1799–1804) and climbed

8979-650: The following year in what became Texas . Between 1777 and 1783, more islanders emigrated from Santa Cruz de Tenerife to settle in what became St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana , during the period when Spain ruled this former French territory west of the Mississippi River. Some groups went to Western or Spanish Florida. Tenerife saw the arrival of the First Fleet to Botany Bay in June 1787, which consisted of 11 ships that departed from Portsmouth, England, on 13 May 1787 to found

9102-456: The greater maritime influence. At a higher elevation in San Cristóbal de La Laguna , the climate transitions to a Mediterranean climate with higher precipitation amounts and lower temperatures year round. The climate of Santa Cruz is very typical of the Canaries, albeit only slightly warmer than the climate of Las Palmas. Major climatic contrasts on the island are evident, especially during

9225-494: 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

9348-455: The island Isla del Infierno , ("Hell Island"), due to Mount Teide's volcanic eruptions and other volcanic activity. Although the name given to the island by the Benahoaritas (the indigenous peoples of La Palma) was derived from the words teni ("mountain") and ife ("white"), after the island was colonized by the Spanish the name was modified by Spanish phonology: the letter "r"

9471-448: 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

9594-412: The island around twelve million years ago. The island as it is today was formed three million years ago by the fusion of three islands made up of the mountain ranges of Anaga , Teno and Valle de San Lorenzo , due to volcanic activity from Teide . The volcano is visible from most parts of the island today, and the crater is 17 kilometres (11 miles) long at some points. Tenerife is the largest island of

9717-720: The island is characterized by forests because of the much higher precipitation, mostly Canary Island pine forests in the Teide National Park at altitudes from 1,300 to 2,100 metres (4,300 to 6,900 ft). Subtropical cloud forests characterised by laurisilva are commonly found in the Anaga National Park and Monte de Agua in the Teno Rural Park, with altitudes from 600 to 1,000 metres (2,000 to 3,300 ft) and annual averages from 15 to 19 °C (59 to 66 °F) and 600 to 1,200 metres (2,000 to 3,900 ft) in

9840-424: 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

9963-612: The island), attempts to annex the island of Tenerife to the Crown of Castile date back at least to 1464. In 1464, Diego Garcia de Herrera , Lord of the Canary Islands, took symbolic possession of the island in the Barranco del Bufadero (Ravine of the Bufadero), signing a peace treaty with the Guanche chiefs ( menceyes ) which allowed the mencey Anaga to build a fortified tower on Guanche land, where

10086-643: The island. In addition on the island of Tenerife like on La Palma light pollution must be also controlled, to help the astrophysical observatories located in the island's summits. Water is generally of a very high quality, and all the beaches of the island of Tenerife have been catalogued by the Ministry of Health and Consumption as waters suitable for bathing. Tenerife is a rugged volcanic island, sculpted by successive eruptions throughout its history. There are four historically recorded volcanic eruptions, none of which has led to casualties. The first occurred in 1704, when

10209-403: The kind typically associated with rituals have been found on the island. Scholars believe they were used as idols, the most prominent of which is the so-called Idol of Guatimac , which is thought to represent a genius or protective spirit. The title of mencey was given to the monarch or king of the Guanches of Tenerife, who governed a menceyato or kingdom. This role was later referred to as

10332-688: The landscape plays a role in climatic differences on the island with its many valleys. The moderating effect of the marine air makes extreme heat a rare occurrence and frost an impossibility at sea level. The lowest recorded temperature in central Santa Cruz is 8.1 °C (46.6 °F), the coldest month on record still had a relatively mild average temperature of 15.8 °C (60.4 °F). Summer temperatures are highest in August, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) in Santa Cruz, similar to those of places as far north as Barcelona and Majorca , because of

10455-424: 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

10578-470: 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

10701-582: The largest number of endemic species in Europe. The name 'Tenerife' likely comes from Tamazight , but there is no consensus on its correct interpretation. The island's indigenous people , the Guanche Berbers , referred to the island as Achinet or Chenet in their language (variant spellings are found in the literature). According to Pliny the Younger , Berber king Juba II sent an expedition to

10824-478: The latter. The north and south of Tenerife similarly have different climatic characteristics because of the rain shadow effect. The windward northwestern side of the island receives 73 percent of all precipitation on the island, and the relative humidity of the air is superior and the insolation inferior. The pluviometric maximums are registered on the windward side at an average altitude of between 1,000 and 1,200 metres (3,300 and 3,900 feet), almost exclusively in

10947-416: The local native population. For a century after the conquest, many new colonists settled on the island, including immigrants from the diverse territories of the growing Spanish Empire , such as Flanders , Italy, and Germany. As the population grew, it cleared Tenerife's pine forests for fuel and to make fields for agriculture for crops both for local consumption and for export. Sugar cane was introduced in

11070-536: 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

11193-417: 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

11316-473: The most important were Achamán (the god of the sky and supreme creator), Chaxiraxi (the mother goddess, identified later with the Virgin of Candelaria ), Magec (the god of the sun), and Guayota (the demon who is the main cause of evil). Especially significant was the cult of the dead, which practiced the mummification of corpses. In addition, small anthropomorphic and zoomorphic stone and clay figurines of

11439-451: 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)

11562-506: The names of descendants of Tinerfe who ruled them) were the following: The achimenceyato of Punta del Hidalgo was governed by Aguahuco, a "poor noble" who was an illegitimate son of Tinerfe and Zebenzui. Tenerife was the last island of the Canaries to be conquered and the one that took the longest time to submit to the Castilian troops. Although the traditional dates of the conquest of Tenerife are established between 1494 (landing of Alonso Fernández de Lugo) and 1496 (the complete conquest of

11685-473: The new capital, at La Laguna's expense. The earliest known human settlement in the islands, dating to around 200 BCE , was established by Berbers known as the Guanches . However, the Cave of the Guanches in the northern municipality of Icod de los Vinos has provided the oldest chronologies of the Canary Islands, with dates around the sixth century BCE. In terms of technology, the Guanches can be placed among

11808-579: The offices of the presidency and the ministries. This has been the arrangement since 1927, when the Crown ordered it. (After the 1833 territorial division of Spain , until 1927, Santa Cruz de Tenerife was the sole capital of the Canary Islands). Santa Cruz contains the modern Auditorio de Tenerife , the architectural symbol of the Canary Islands. The island is home to the University of La Laguna . Founded in 1792 in San Cristóbal de La Laguna , it

11931-462: 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,

12054-577: 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

12177-687: The peak of Mount Teide and remarked on the beauty of the island. Before his rise to power, Francisco Franco was posted to Tenerife in March 1936 by a Republican government wary of his influence and political leanings. However, Franco received information and in Gran Canaria agreed to collaborate in the military coup that would result in the Spanish Civil War ; the Canaries fell to the Nationalists in July 1936. In

12300-506: The penal colony that became the first European settlement in Australia. The Fleet consisted of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict ships carrying between 1,000 and 1,500 convicts, marines, seamen, civil officers and free people (accounts differ on the numbers), and a vast quantity of stores. On 3 June 1787, the fleet anchored at Santa Cruz at Tenerife. Here, fresh water, vegetables and meat were brought on board. Commander of

12423-454: The peoples of the Stone Age , although scholars often reject this classification because of its ambiguity. Guanche culture was more advanced culturally, possibly because of Berber cultural features imported from North Africa, but less technologically advanced due to the scarcity of raw materials, especially minerals that would have allowed for the extraction and working of metals. The main activity

12546-404: The poorer inhabitants and fishermen of Santa Cruz. The fishermen typically caught mackerel and other residents ate potatoes , assumed to be of low quality by the elite of La Laguna. As Santa Cruz grew in commerce and status, it replaced La Laguna as capital of Tenerife in 1833 during the reign of Fernando VII . Then the inhabitants of Santa Cruz used the former insult to identify as residents of

12669-550: 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

12792-580: 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

12915-521: The right to conquer Tenerife. Coming from Gran Canaria in April 1494, the conqueror landed on the coast of present-day Santa Cruz de Tenerife in May, and disembarked with about 2,000 men on foot and 200 on horseback. After taking the fort, the army prepared to move inland, later capturing the native kings of Tenerife and presenting them to Isabella and Ferdinand . The menceyes of Tenerife had differing responses to

13038-463: 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

13161-405: The summer. The moderate climate of Tenerife is controlled to a great extent by the trade winds , whose humidity is condensed principally over the north and northeast of the island, creating cloud banks that range between 600 and 1,800 metres (2,000 and 5,900 feet) in height. The cold sea currents of the Canary Islands also have a cooling effect on the coasts and its beaches, while the topography of

13284-421: The time; during an ebb in the breed's popularity it found its way into a number of circuses , performing throughout Europe with organ grinders. The breed again fell out of favour from the end of the 19th century and it was due to the efforts of Belgian and French enthusiasts in the 1930s that rescued it from extinction, which is why it is today recognised as a Franco-Belgian dog breed. The Bolognese, also known as

13407-450: The tonnage. In the islands of La Palma and Gran Canaria , the percentage was around 19% for the first and 7% for the second. The volume of traffic between the Indies and the Canary Islands was unknown, but was very important and concentrated almost exclusively in Tenerife. Among the products that are exported were cochineal , rum and sugar cane , which were landed mainly in the ports of

13530-479: The total or partial destruction of at least 400 homes. The losses were calculated at 90 million euros. In November 2005, Tenerife was the Canary Island most affected by Tropical Storm Delta . Winds of 140 km/h were recorded on the coast and almost 250 km/h on the Teide , Tenerife's summit. The oldest mountain ranges in Tenerife rose from the Atlantic Ocean by volcanic eruption which gave birth to

13653-450: The town from encroachment by French colonists established in the western side of Hispaniola. Between 1720 and 1730, the Crown moved 176 families, including many tinerfeños, to the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico . In 1726, about 25 island families migrated to the Americas to collaborate on the foundation of Montevideo . Four years later, in 1730, another group left that founded San Antonio

13776-449: The volcano) of which there are thousands on the island, important systems that serve to extract its hydrological resources. These tunnels are very hazardous, with pockets of volcanic gas or carbon dioxide , causing rapid death. The Canary Islands have low levels of air pollution thanks to the lack of factories and industry and the trade winds which naturally move away contaminated air from the islands. According to official data offered by

13899-431: 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

14022-439: The winter months and 24–26 °C (75–79 °F) in the summer months. There is a high annual total of days of sunshine and low precipitation in the coastal areas. The inland/high altitude areas, such as La Laguna , receive much more precipitation and are generally cloudier, as well as the temperatures have a considerable difference, with an average of 13–14 °C (55–57 °F) in the winter and 20–21 °C (68–70 °F) in

14145-512: The winter months when it is possible to enjoy the warm sunshine on the coast and experience snow within kilometres, 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level on El Teide . There are also major contrasts at low altitude, where the climate ranges from arid ( Köppen BWh ) on the southeastern side represented by Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Mediterranean ( Csa / Csb ) on the northwestern side in Buena Vista del Norte and La Orotava. The center of

14268-460: The world, hosting one of the world's largest carnivals , the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife . The capital of the island, Santa Cruz de Tenerife , is also the seat of the island council ( cabildo insular ). That city and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are the co-capitals of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands . The two cities are both home to governmental institutions, such as

14391-446: Was added to link the two words, producing the single word Tenerife. However, throughout history, other explanations for the origin of island's name have been proposed. For example, the 17th-century historians Juan Núñez de la Peña and Tomás Arias Marín de Cubas , among others, suggested that the indigenous peoples might have named the island for the famous Guanche king, Tinerfe , nicknamed "the Great", who ruled Tenerife before

14514-536: 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

14637-417: Was gathering food from nature; though fishing and shellfish collection were supplemented with some agricultural practices. As for religion and cosmology , the Guanches were polytheistic , with further widespread belief in an astral cult . They also had an animistic religiosity that sacralized certain places, mainly rocks and mountains. Although the Guanches worshiped many gods and ancestral spirits, among

14760-402: 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

14883-547: 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

15006-446: 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

15129-622: Was repelled by the inhabitants of Santiago del Teide . Some threw rocks at the British from the heights of the cliffs of Los Gigantes . The island was also attacked by British commanders Robert Blake , Walter Raleigh , John Hawkins and Woodes Rogers . From 1833 to 1927, Santa Cruz de Tenerife was the sole capital of the Canary Islands. In 1927, the government ordered that the capital be shared with Las Palmas , as it remains at present. This change in status has encouraged development in Las Palmas. Tourists began visiting Tenerife from Spain,

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