Canary Islands Travel Guide

Canary Islands Travel Guide and Online Tourist Information including beaches, attractions, maps, hotels, tips and more by photos4travel

Introducing Canary Islands

Canary Islands
Canary Islands - photo by Julius2043

Sitting off the northwest coast of Africa, the Spanish archipelago Islas Canaries, better known as the Canary Islands, is filled with rolling sand dunes, rugged cliffs, dense forests and hundreds of volcanoes. Spain’s tallest peak, Mount Teide is located on Tenerife, which is just one island in a group of islands. Fuerteventura, La Palma, El Hierro, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, La Graciosa, Alegranza and Montana Clara are also part of this archipelago.

There are over 2 million people living on the Canary Islands and most of them live on Tenerife or Gran Canaria. There are two capital cities, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. San Cristobal de La Laguna on Tenerife is the third largest city.

The islands were named by the Romans in the first century AD. They named them after the monk seals that inhabited the islands. The Romans called them dogs in Latin, so Islas Canaries means Island of the Dogs. Four of Spain’s national parks are located on the islands and they are the only place in Spain where volcanic eruptions still occur. Spain and Morocco have been verbally fighting over the boundaries of the islands for years. Morocco does not agree with the boundaries set by Spain, because the islands are autonomous. The argument continues because of the rich seabed oil deposits and other resources that are found around the islands.

The most popular islands

The most popular islands are Tenerife and Gran Canaria, but Lanzarote and Fuerteventura have modern eco-friendly resorts that are aesthetically beautiful in design and functionality. The island of La Gomera is a small underdeveloped island, which tourist visit daily by ferry from Tenerife. It has become a popular destination for walkers and El Hierro also attracts a few walkers, even though the island is windblown and isolated.

The Canary islands have their own exotic flavor. The mixture of natural volcanic beauty, costal magnificence and the ocean’s magnetic attraction, can not be found anywhere else in the world. Some consider the islands the remnants of the lost continent of Atlantis and they say it holds secrets from the past that are yet to be discovered. Whatever you believe about this mystical group of islands, it seems to materialize once you relax and let the islands enchant you with their ambience. A trip to these spectacular islands is an adventure that will stay in your memory and dance through your thoughts forever.

Canary Islands Hotels

Canary Islands Hotels
Canary Islands Hotels