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The Canary Islands are an archipelago of
seven islands of volcanic origin in the Atlantic
Ocean, off the northwestern coast of Africa
(Morocco and the Western Sahara). They form an
autonomous community of Spain. The name comes
from the Latin Insularia Canaria meaning Island
of the Dogs, a name applied originally only to
the island of Gran Canaria.
Fuerteventura Island
Gran Canaria Island
La
Palma Island Lanzarote Island Tenerife Island
La Gomera
El Hierro
History
The Canary Islands have been known since
antiquity. The peak of Teide on Tenerife can be
seen on clear days from the African coast. It is
possible that the islands were among those
discovered by the Carthaginian captain Hanno the
Navigator in his voyage of exploration along the
African coast. It is barely possible that the
islands were visited by the Phoenicians seeking
the precious red dye extracted from the orchilla,
if the Canaries are considered to be The Purple
Isles, or alternatively identified with the
Hesperides. Legendary islands in the Western
Ocean that recure in European traditions are
often linked with the Canaries, even the
legendary voyage of Saint Brendan.
During the Middle Ages, the islands were visited
by the Arabs for commercial purposes. From the
14th century onward numerous visits were made by
sailors from Mallorca, Portugal, and Genoa.
Lancelotto Malocello settled on the island of
Lanzarote in 1312. The Mayorcans established a
mission with a bishop in the islands that lasted
from 1350 to 1400. It is from this mission that
the various paintings and statues of the Virgin
Mary that are currently venerated in the island
were preserved.
Main article: Guanches
At the time of their discovery by Europeans, the
Canary Islands were inhabited by the Guanches,
an indigenous people thought to be related to
the Berbers of North Africa. The currently
accepted theory of their origin is that the
Guanches were brought to the islands by the
Phoenicians or the Romans. The most probable
hypothesis claims succesive waves of migration
from the mainland of Northern Africa. The steady
westward trade winds prohibited repeated
connection with the African coast
The principal economic activities of the
Guanches were shepherding, agriculture, inshore
fishing, and gathering wild fruits. However, the
conquest of the islands by the Spaniards
resulted in the extinction of the Gaunches as a
separate race by the 1600's. However, many
Guaches intermarried with the Spaniards,
creating a mestizo race on the island. Guanche
traits can still be seen among many present day
Canarians who tend to have slightly darker
complexions than most Spaniards, but who are
otherwise indistinguishable.
In 1402, the conquest of the islands began, with
the expedition of Juan de Bethencourt and
Gadifer de la Salle to the island of Lanzarote,
Norman nobles who were vassals of Henry III of
Castile. From there, he conquered Fuerteventura
and Hierro. Béthencourt received the title King
of the Canary Islands, but recognized King Henry
III as his overlord.
Béthencourt also established a base on the
island of Gomera, but it would be many years
before the island was truly conquered. The
people of Gomera, as well as the Gran Canaria,
Tenerife, and La Palma people, resisted the
Spanish invaders for almost a century.
The conquest of the Canaries, which took almost
100 years, set a precedent for the conquest of
the New World, with complete annhilation of the
native culture and rapid assimilation to
Christianity. Due to the topology and the
resistance of the native Guanches, the conquest
was not completed until 1496, when the conquest
of Tenerife was completed and the Canaries were
incorporated into the Castilian kingdom. Between
1448 and 1459, there was a crisis between
Castile and Portugal over the control of the
islands, when Maciot de Bethencourt sold the
lordship of Lanzarote to Portugal's Prince Henry
the Navigator, an action that was not accepted
by the natives or the Castilian residents of the
island, who initiated a revolt and expelled the
Portuguese.
After the conquest, the Spanish imposed a new
economic model based on single-crop cultivation—
first, sugar cane, then wine, an important trade
item with England. In this era, the first
institutions of government were founded.
The islands became a stopping point in the trade
routes with America, Africa, and India, and the
port of La Palma became one of the most
important ports of the Spanish Empire. The town
of Santa Cruz, on La Palma, became a stopping
point for the Spanish conquerors, traders, and
missionaries on their way to the New World. This
trade route brought great prosperity to some of
the social sectors of the islands. The islands
became quite wealthy and soon were attracting
merchants and adventurers from all over Europe.
Magnificent palaces and churches were built on
the island of La Palma during this busy,
prosperous period. Of particular interest to
visitors is the Church of El Salvador, one of
the island's finest examples of the architecture
of the 1500s.
However, because of the crises of single-crop
cultivation in the 18th century and onward, the
independence of Spain's American colonies in the
19th century caused severe recessions on the
islands. A new cash crop, the cochinilla, came
into cultivation during this time, saving the
island's economy. .
During the 19th century and the first half of
the 20th, owing to economic crises in the
archipelago, a series of emigrations took place,
primarily for the Americas.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the
English introduced a new cash-crop, the banana,
the export of which was controlled by companies
such as Fyffes.
The rivalry between the elites of the cities of
Santa Cruz de Tenerife and La Palma for the
capital-ship of the islands would lead to the
division of the archipelago in two provinces in
1927, though this has not laid to rest the
rivalry between the two cities, which continues
to this day.
During the time of the Second Spanish Republic,
workers' movements with marxist and anarchist
ideologies began to develop, led by figures such
as Jose Miguel Perez and Guillermo Ascanio.
However, outside of a few municipalities, these
organizations were a minority.
In 1936, Francisco Franco traveled to the
Canaries as General Commandant. From the
Canaries, he launched the military uprising of
July 17. He quickly took control of the
archipelago, with the exception of a few focal
points of resistance on the island of La Palma
and in the town of Vallehermoso, on Gomera
island. Despite the fact that there was never a
proper war in the islands, they were one of the
places where the post-war repression was most
severe.
Opposition to Franco's regime did not begin to
organize until the late 1950s, which saw the
formation of groups such as the Communist Party
of Spain and various nationalist, leftist, and
independence-terrorist movements, such as the
Free Canaries Movement and the MPAIAC.
After Franco's death and the installation of a
democratic constitutional monarchy, a bill of
autonomy was put forth for the Canaries, which
was approved in 1982. In 1983, the first
autonomous elections were held, and were won by
the Spanish socialist party, PSOE. The current
ruling party is the Canarian Coalition.
During the second world war, Churchill prepared
plans for the British seizure of the Canary
Islands as a naval base, in the event of
Gibraltar being invaded from the Spanish
mainland.Physical geography
The islands and their capitals are:
Gran Canaria (capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria);
Tenerife (capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife);
Lanzarote (capital Arrecife);
La Palma (capital Santa Cruz de La Palma);
La Gomera (capital San Sebastián de La Gomera);
El Hierro (capital Valverde);
Fuerteventura (capital Puerto del Rosario).
The nearest island is 108 km from the northwest
African coast.
The islands form the Macaronesia ecoregion with
the Azores, Cape Verde, Madeira, and the Savage
Isles. The Teide volcano on Tenerife is the
highest mountain in Spain, and the third largest
volcano on Earth. According to the position of
the islands with respect to the trade winds, the
climate can be mild and wet or very dry. Several
native species are conserved, like the dragon
tree Dracaena draco and the Laurisilva forests.
Four of Spain's 13 national parks are located in
the Canary Islands, more than any other
autonomous community:
Parque Nacional de la Caldera de Taburiente on
La Palma,
Garajonay National Park on La Gomera,
Teide National Park on Tenerife,
Timanfaya National Park on Lanzarote.
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