The Canary Islands located nearer to Africa than to Spain, enjoy a mild winter climate and sunshine nearly everyday they also boast beaches and national parks galore.
The Canary Islands are an autonomous community of Spain, yet physically they are nearer to the Moroccan and Western Sahara coast of Africa. Lying in the Atlantic they are about 100 kilometres from coast of Morocco and approximately 1200 kilometres from the coast of Spain.
The Canaries consist of seven larger Islands and several smaller ones, they are volcanic landmasses that are estimated to be 30 million years old, some historians think they are the legendary Atlantis.
No one knows for sure where the name Canary Islands came from, some think it’s from the Latin canere meaning to sing, because of the native Canary bird. Others think its from the Latin canus meaning dog, due to the large dog population that once existed there. Maybe it was the Canarii tribe of Morocco that named the Islands, it’s not really known.
The original natives of the Canary Islands were called the Guanches, and they lived as Stone Age man, arriving by sea with livestock and agricultural implements.
It is not certain when the Islands were first discovered but the Greeks and Romans certainly knew of their existence and named them the Happy Islands, Garden of the Hesperides and Atlantida.
The Canaries were declared a province of Spain in 1821, after attempts by Moroccan troops, the British and the Dutch were successfully repelled. The Islands now peaceful offer fine beaches, fantastic weather and contain four out of the thirteen national parks that Spain boasts.
In 1496, after years of resistance the Canary Islands became part of the Spanish kingdom. The ships of Christopher Columbus then stopped at La Gomera, before continuing their travels westwards to discover the New World.
This began a link in transatlantic crossings, as a welcome stopping place before the journey to Europe, Africa or America. It also became a slave trading post between the continents.
Today the Islands are popular winter holiday resorts with hundreds of glorious beaches, fantastic scenery and almost daily sunshine.
The seven larger and more well-known of the Canaries are
Fuerteventura - With 285 kilometres of coastline and over one hundred and fifty beaches low-lying empty beaches, Fuerteventura is the nearest to Africa and boasts three thousand hours of sunshine a year
Gran Canaria - An almost circular island rising to over 2,000 metres in its center, it has deserts, forests and tons of beaches.
Gomera - The second smallest of group of seven, 10 per cent of it is covered by a UNESCO National Park.
Hierro -At only 287 square kilometres, it has some spectacular cliffs of twisted lava with gentle rolling hills in its centre.
Lanzarote - This is a flat, volcanic Island with sparse vegetation and fields of lava which is now a World Biosphere Reserve.
La Palma - Also known as the green island or the pretty island because of its natural beauty, this is the most north-westerly island.
Tenerife - Within the 45 per cent of protected area is Spain’s highest mountain El Teide. In the words of French poet, André Breton, Tenerife 'offers a surreal paradise'.
The smaller Islands of the Canaries are
Alegranza
Graciosa
Montaña Clara
Roque del Este y Lobos
For further information on travel to and within the islands see Canary-travel.
