Capitals | Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria |
Area | 7273 km² |
Population | Tenerife - 906,854 Gran Canaria - 838,397 Lanzarote - 141,938 Fuerteventura - 103,167 Palma - 86,996 Homer - 22,769 El Hierro - 10,892 |
Official language | spanish |
Currency | euro |
Climate | summer from +20°C to +40°C winter from +10°C to +25°C |
Recommended type of holiday | beach vacation |
About country
Sun-soaked and of volcanic origin, the Canary Islands archipelago offers strikingly diverse landscapes including remarkable sub-tropical flora, abundant pine woods, giant sand dunes and mountain peaks.
The Canary Islands' most popular holiday playgrounds are Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Lanzarote has managed to combine modern resorts with much-praised eco-friendly development and low-rise aesthetically pleasing design, while Fuerteventura is famous for its wind-driven water sports and some of Europe's finest beaches.
La Gomera is a charming little undeveloped island, often visited as a Tenerife day trip (just 30 minutes by ferry), while La Palma, very green, uncommercialised and arguably the most beautiful island, is primarily a destination for walkers. Most westerly of all is El Hierro, windblown and well off the beaten track, attracting a mere handful of walkers each year.
Sightseeing
Take a hike in the Caldera de Taburiente on La Palma, one of the largest and most fertile volcanic craters on earth. Or just take in the view from the Mirador de La Cumbrecita. Then explore the charming little capital, Santa Cruz. f you can, visit during Carnaval (February/March). The celebrations on Tenerife, in Santa Cruz and Puerto Cruz are some of the biggest and most colourful outside Rio de Janeiro. See as many of the seven César Manrique visitor attractions as you can. This great Lanzaroteño artist, landscape designer and ecological champion defined the essence of the island with his fantastic creations. Don't miss Jameos del Agua or Jardín de Cactus. Spend a day in Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife's north coast. Splash out in the César Manrique-designed Costa Martiánez lido, explore the Colonial-style old town and enjoy Loro Parque, one of the world's finest marine and wildlife parks.
Traditions
People of all ages will not only enjoy the scenic spots of Gran Canaria, but more importantly, also its rich traditions of festivals and celebrations. Varied cultural and musical events take place, along with theater, dancing, feasts and funny events for kids and the young-at heart.
Cabalgata de Reyes or Processions of the 3 Kings
This festival is celebrated every January with a carnival around town. There are a display of processions, singing groups competition, musical bands, and contests of carnival queens. This is often celeberated at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Maspalomas ( San Bartolomé de Tirajana ).
Dramatic Arts - XV Festival of the South 3 Continents Theatre Encounter
This festival is celebrated every September of the year. With various theatrical presentations, potential and emerging talents work together to create impressive and entertaining productions, hence enriching the region s culture and unity.
Cuisine
In the main resorts, restaurants offer the full range of international cuisine, Spanish dishes and a limited choice of local delicacies. Often restaurants and bars, particularly at the cheaper end of the scale, simply cater for the tastes of particular holidaymaker's nationalities. British-oriented, and to a lesser degree, German-oriented establishments are common in the main resorts. Spanish wines and spirits are the best value. Local beers are pilsner-type lagers.
Specialities:
• Mojos (olive-oil based sauces): picón (spicy red to accompany meat) and verde (parsley and coriander sauce to accompany fish).
• Papas arrugadas (wrinkly new potatoes boiled in sea salt).
• Potaje (vegetables only soupy stew), puchero and rancho canario (meat stews).
• Sancocho (stew of salted fish, sweet potatoes and vegetables).
• Bananas, tomatoes, avocados and papayas are grown locally.