The autonomous region of the Canary Islands (Spanish: Islas Canarias) is part of Spain and is located in the Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of Africa, close to Morocco. It consists of eight inhabited and a number of uninhabited islands and covers 7,447 km². The distance to mainland Spain is 1,100 km, but the easternmost island of Lanzarote is only 100 km from Africa. The Portuguese archipelago of Madeira lies 550 km to the north. The Canary Islands extend 212 km from north to south and 340 km from west to east. There are two provinces, each with a capital:
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife with La Gomera, La Palma, El Hierro and Tenerife (capital is Santa Cruz de Tenerife)
- Las Palmas with Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote (capital is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
History
When the Romans landed on the island of Fuerteventura in ancient times, they found numerous packs of wild dogs, which is why they called the island "Insula Canaria" (Dog Island). In 1402, a Spanish ship landed on Gran Canaria and found the indigenous Guanche people there, who were still living as they had in the Stone Age. The Spaniards and Portuguese brought their native grape varieties with them until the end of the century and established viticulture.
At that time, sweet, high-alcohol wines made from Moscatel and Malvasia were popular. They were known as "Canary sack" and were exported in large quantities to England and Europe. At the time of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the island wine was already famous; in "What you will", Sir Toby Belch asks for "a cup of canary".
Climate & soils
These are volcanic islands. For this reason, the soil is volcanic and ideally suited to viticulture. The most recent eruption from September 2021 on La Palma caused severe damage due to the destruction of vineyards. The subtropical climate, which is pleasant all year round, has earned the archipelago the nickname "Islands of Eternal Spring". The flora is characterised by a high level of biodiversity and a high proportion of indigenous plant species. The...
