Canary Islands - Tourism and Travel

The Canary Islands consist of an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, 67 miles (108 kilometers) away from Africa's northwest coast. The Canaries have a total area of 2,893 square miles (7,493 square kilometers). They are part of the Kingdom of Spain, and are considered to be an autonomous community of Spain.

Volcanic eruptions caused the Canary Islands to form aabout 23 million years ago.

The western Canaries are made up of the islands of Gran Canaria, La Palma, Tenerife, El Hierro and La Gomera. These islands are really the peaks of mountains on the ocean floor.

The eastern islands consist of Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and six islets that lie above a submarine plateau known as Canary Ridge.

Teide Peak on Tenerife, a popular tourist attraction, is the highest point in the Canary Islands as well as the highest point in Spanish territory. It is 12,198 feet (3,178 meters) high.

Climate in the the Canary islands is subtropical. There is little variation from season to season.

The capital of the Canary Islands is Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The Canary Islands have a population of 2,1117,519.

86% of the people are Spanish, and Spanish is the official language.

Most of the population is Roman Catholic.

Agriculture is an important industry. Important crops include tobacco, bananas, coffee, tomatoes dates, oranges and grapes.

Tourism is very important. The Canary Islands are famous for their beaches and volcanoes.

As the Canary Islands are a part of Spain, the euro is the official currency.

The Phoenicians were the first people to settle in the Canary Islands, in the tenth century BC.

The Canary Islands were conquered by Spain in the fifteenth century.