La Venta Marrero. The Canary Islands are divided into two Catholic dioceses, each governed by a bishop: Separate from the overwhelming Christian majority are a minority of Muslims. [2] The total area of the archipelago is 7,493 km2 (2,893 sq mi),[89] resulting in a population density of 287.4 inhabitants per square kilometre. The Canary Islands is a COLONY of Spain in Africa and we, the Canary Islands, want the Spaniards out of our country. In the south of island are the Maspalomas Dunes (Gran Canaria), these are the biggest tourist attractions. 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. Construction makes up nearly 20% of the GDP and tropical agriculture, primarily bananas and tobacco, are grown for export to Europe and the Americas. This sport possibly evolved from the shepherd's need to occasionally get over an open area in the hills as they were tending their sheep.[137]. Very interesting article ! Gran Canaria's surface area is 1,560 km2 (600 sq mi). Deeply entrenched traditions, such as the Mascaras Festival in the town of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, are an example of Canarian culture still preserved in Puerto Rico. 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. While there are no volcanoes currently erupting on the island, there was a great deal of activity on the island of Lanzarote between 1730 and 1736, when over 100 volcanoes appeared on the landscape. The following table shows the highest mountains in each of the islands: The official natural symbols associated with Canary Islands are the bird Serinus canaria (canary) and the Phoenix canariensis palm. In 1479, Portugal and Castile signed the Treaty of Alcáçovas, which settled disputes between Castile and Portugal over the control of the Atlantic. The Russian market is big business here these days, but most stick to organized groups and excursions, and they are one of the few groups of visitors with money to spend. Ordered from west to east, the Canary Islands are El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Graciosa. Unlike most vineyards, where vines are planted in rows, on Lanzarote each vine is placed in a small depression with a semicircular wall of lava stone around it to protect it from the wind. The archipelago's beaches, climate and important natural attractions, especially Maspalomas in Gran Canaria and Teide National Park and Mount Teide (a World Heritage Site) in Tenerife (the third tallest volcano in the world measured from its base on the ocean floor), make it a major tourist destination with over 12 million visitors per year, especially Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. I love these posts. Civilian architecture survives in forms such as Casas de los Sánchez-Ochando or Casa Quintana. In 1402, the Castilian conquest 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. Gran Canaria has 846,717 inhabitants. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has been the largest city in the Canaries since 1768, except for a brief period in the 1910s. [11][12] The archipelago's principal tourist attraction is the Teide National Park (in Tenerife) where the highest mountain in Spain and third largest volcano in the world (Mount Teide), receives over 2.8 million visitors annually.[107]. The “troblemakers”, those Canary Island patriots that resisted the Spanish pirates in our islands were rounded and transported to the Americas. The high volcanic mountains that sit above the clouds make it similar to the observing conditions you can find in Mona Kea in Hawaii. [6][7], The eight main islands are (from largest to smallest in area) Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa. [60] From the 14th century onward, numerous visits were made by sailors from Majorca, Portugal and Genoa. This defines the conquest between 1478 and 1496, carried out directly by the Crown of Castile, during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, who armed and partly financed the conquest of those islands which were still unconquered: Gran Canaria, La Palma and Tenerife. The Canary Islands are part of Spain and 99% of the Canaries Spanish feel, Cooking over a volcano & a whistling language… very cool things. Was this a common practice in that area? In 2002, for example, Morocco rejected a unilateral Spanish proposal.[54]. Statistically it´s second only to the one in Hawaii for optical and infrared astronomy in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most famous and international festival of the archipelago.