Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are a volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 100 kilometres off the coast of Morocco and Western Sahara and more than a thousand kilometres from the Iberian Peninsula. They form an autonomous community with two capitals, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and are divided into two provinces. Thanks to the trade winds and the cold Canary Current, they have a mild subtropical climate all year, with temperatures between 18 and 28 degrees: hence their name, the islands of eternal spring, and their popularity as a winter destination for Europeans.

The islands

• Tenerife, the largest and most populous, dominated by the Teide volcano (3,715 metres), Spain's highest mountain, at the heart of a UNESCO-listed national park. It has the southern resorts, such as Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas in the municipality of Arona, the university town of La Laguna, also a UNESCO site, the Orotava valley and the famous Santa Cruz carnival.
• Gran Canaria, a "miniature continent" of varied landscapes, from the Maspalomas dunes to the central mountains, and the capital Las Palmas, with Las Canteras city beach and the historic Vegueta quarter.
• Lanzarote, an island of volcanoes and lunar landscapes, with Timanfaya National Park, La Geria's vineyards planted in volcanic ash and the works of artist César Manrique, who defended its traditional architecture; see Costa Teguise. The name comes from the Genoese navigator Lanzarotto Malocello, who landed here in the early fourteenth century.
• Fuerteventura, the closest to Africa, with miles of golden beaches and dunes, a windsurfing and kitesurfing paradise.
• La Palma, the "isla bonita", lush green, with the Caldera de Taburiente and some of the clearest skies in the world, home to the Roque de los Muchachos observatory. In 2021 the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano destroyed over a thousand homes.
• La Gomera, with the laurel forest of Garajonay National Park, a UNESCO site, and the silbo gomero, a whistled language recognised by UNESCO; see Valle Gran Rey.
• El Hierro, the smallest and westernmost of the main islands, a biosphere reserve with exceptional diving.
• La Graciosa, a tiny island north of Lanzarote with no paved roads, recognised as the eighth inhabited island in 2018.

A little history

The islands were inhabited by the Guanches and other peoples of Berber origin when, in the fourteenth century, Genoese, Portuguese and Catalan navigators arrived. The Castilian conquest, between 1402 and 1496, was long and violent. The Canaries then became a vital stop for ships bound for America: Christopher Columbus called at La Gomera in 1492 before crossing the ocean. For centuries many Canarians emigrated to Cuba and Venezuela. Since the 1960s tourism has transformed the economy, which also relies on subtropical farming, such as bananas, and a special tax regime.

Practical information

The Canaries have direct flights from many European cities, especially to Tenerife South, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura; there are flights and ferries between the islands. The archipelago is one hour behind mainland Spain. Volcanic beaches are often black sand, but there are golden beaches too, especially on Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria. See also Spain's islands; below are a map of our guides and the municipalities.

Destinations on the map

Guides to the community

Municipalities, province by province

• Municipalities of the province of Las Palmas (30)
• Municipalities of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (32)

All the main municipalities of Spain