Canary Islands

Canary Islands
   The Guanches, now an extinct population and an offshoot of the race of Berbers, were the native inhabitants of the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands form an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean facing the Moroccan Atlantic coast and is an autonomous region of Spain. The archipelago consists of seven important islands and some islets. They are Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the nearest to the Moroccan shores; then come Tenerife and Gran Canaria, while farther westward are Palma, Gomera, and El Hierro. The total area of the islands is about 7,273 square kilometers; their current population is about 1, 635,000. The country in general is mountainous and volcanic; in Tenerife, the Pico de Teide reaches a height of 3,718 meters and towers above other mountains that extend throughout the islands, generally from northeast to southwest. There is no large river, but there are numerous springs and torrents. The fauna differ little from that of Europe, with the exception of the dromedary and the thistle finch, or canary bird. There are extensive forests of pine and laurel, and some tranks reach a gigantic height. The climate of the islands is mild; hence, they are much frequented as winter resorts. The Canary Islands are essentially agricultural. Their economy, though subject to frequent droughts, produces an abundance of fruits, sugarcane, tobacco, bananas, tomatoes, fish, and wines. The most important centers of population are Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Orotava, and La Laguna on the island of Tenerife; Las Palmas and Arrecife on Gran Canaria; Santa Cruz de la Palma on Palma; and Quia and Valverde on El Hierro.

Historical Dictionary of the Berbers (Imazighen) . . 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Canary Islands — Islas Canarias (Spanish)   Autonomous community   …   Wikipedia

  • CANARY ISLANDS — CANARY ISLANDS, islands belonging to Spain, off N.W. Africa. Since the Canary Islands were taken over by Spain after the Expulsion of 1492, the first Jewish immigrants to the Canary Islands were conversos from Spain and Portugal seeking refuge… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Canary Islands — [ēz′läs kä nä′rē äs] group of islands in the Atlantic, off NW Africa, forming a region of Spain: 2,808 sq mi (7,273 sq km); pop. 1,494,000: Sp. name Islas Canarias [ēz′läs kä nä′rē äs] …   English World dictionary

  • Canary Islands — Canarian, adj., n. a group of mountainous islands in the Atlantic Ocean, near the NW coast of Africa, comprising two provinces of Spain. 1,138,801; 2894 sq. mi. (7495 sq. km). Also called Canaries. * * * Spanish Islas Canarias Island group and… …   Universalium

  • Canary Islands — Ca|na|ry Is|lands the Canaries the Canary Islands a group of islands near northwest Africa which belong to Spain and are popular with tourists …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Canary Islands — Admin ASC 1 Code Orig. name Canary Islands Country and Admin Code ES.53 ES …   World countries Adminstrative division ASC I-II

  • Canary Islands Quail — Conservation status Fossil Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum …   Wikipedia

  • Canary Islands, The — • An archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean facing the western coast of Africa Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Canary Islands autonomous football team — Infobox National football team Name = Canary Islands Badge = Canary Islands fa.gif FIFA Trigramme = Elo Rank = Nickname = Canario (The Canaries) Association = Federación Canaria de Fútbol Coach = José Caballero Most caps = Top scorer = pattern… …   Wikipedia

  • Canary Islands Chiffchaff — Taxobox name = Canary Islands Chiffchaff regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes familia = Phylloscopidae genus = Phylloscopus species = P. canariensis binomial = Phylloscopus canariensis binomial authority =… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”