Spain

Canaries: the paradise islands of the kingdom of Spain off the coast of Africa

Oone simple Spaniard won a colossal amount in the lottery - about a million dollars. It is clear that the horizons before him opened almost limitless. Friends, relatives, journalists are tearing apart: how will you manage and how will you spend? he thought and said:

... “I have a dream, since childhood, at least once in my life, to relax in the Canary Islands. I'll rest here...

It would seem, well, what about the Spaniards of the Canary Islands, a province that is one and a half thousand kilometers away, when they have the best resorts in Europe at their side, on the mainland coast? An no...

Where are the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands or the famous Canary Islands is an archipelago of 7 large and 6 small islands. These islands, like the popular Tenerife and Gran Canaria, belong to Spain.

Legally, according to international law regarding the recognition of state borders, they are a Spanish autonomous community, but this does not mean that the Canary Islands are in Europe.

The Canary Islands are located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. So, geographically, this is not Europe, but Africa. The islands are located about 100 km west of the coast of Africa.

They are close, for example, to Morocco. Much closer to Casablanca than to Madrid. The geographically collective term used for the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Azores, Madeira and the Selvagos Islands is Macaronesia.

The conclusion about what is "Canary Islands"It turns out to be rather strange.

As a result, we can say that the Canary Islands are in Macaronesia, we can say that this is part of Spain, but we can say that this is Africa ...

Well, to make it absolutely clear where they are, below Canary Islands on the world map. The world map is interactive and scalable.


Tourists are drawn here all year round in a continuous stream, loaded with suitcases and trunks, since there are no “dead” seasons in the Canary Islands. And after the Spaniards, the British, Germans, Scandinavians, Slavs go ... Who once visited - everything, as if bewitched, does not want to rest anywhere else, returns again and again.

These places are just famous for their great weather all year round and mild climate. Weather in the Canary Islands predictable. In winter, the average temperature there is + 18 °, in summer it reaches + 30 °, but the Atlantic breeze and light clouds evoke a pleasant coolness, and it is impossible to overheat. The climate is truly unique. For this they were nicknamed "the islands of eternal spring."

So, these “islands of eternal spring”, lost in the Atlantic, have some big secret, some kind of unearthly attraction that excites fantasies and at the same time calms the soul? There is, and many are willing to testify to it. It is not for nothing that it was there, having previously traveled all over the world, that the main traveler of the planet, Thor Heyerdahl, settled.

Where did the Canaries come from? Blue-eyed Guanches and Spaniards

The origin of the islands is mysterious, and the history is cruel and at the same time romantic. Scientists tend to believe that 20 million years ago a powerful volcanic ejection occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, as a result of which new islands began to form. The first to appear was Lanzarote, and the last was Tenerife.

canary islands photos
Snow-capped islands

Much later, they were settled by blue-eyed and white-skinned immigrants from North America - the Guanches. According to another version, the Guanches sailed from Africa - several small pyramids similar to the Egyptian ones were found on the islands. And besides, it is known that the Guanches, like the ancient Egyptians, knew how to embalm the bodies of the dead.

The ancient authors called the islands Champs Elysees or Gardens of the Hesperides and directly pointed to their divine origin. Romantics stubbornly argue that the Canary Islands were the highest part of the sunken Atlantis, where the souls of dead travelers settled, and the Guanches were the descendants of the Atlanteans.

flowering plant
They were called the islands of eternal spring

The Spaniards began the conquest of these lands in the 15th century - at the same time they finished after a series of bloody battles. The Guanche men were sold into slavery, and the women were treated as the victorious booty. This is how the current Canarians appeared: dark-haired, but blue-eyed southerners. Since then, the question of which country the Canary Islands belong to has not been in doubt - Spain.

And Christopher Columbus, every time on his way to America, always looked at the Canaries. But always only on La Gomera - not the most remarkable island. The answer is simple: it turns out that it was there that his beloved Beatrice de Bobadier was exiled there as punishment for a secret relationship with a celebrity.

Canary Islands today

All islands of the archipelago are arranged in the same way. In the center there is a mountain range, the highest peak of which is a volcano (on Tenerife it is the famous Teide volcano), below, on the coast, resort villages and cities.

spain canary islands
View of the islands from the plane

Beautiful roads are laid through the mountains, along which tourist buses travel all day. Guides' favorite joke: "Don't be afraid, our driver got his license yesterday." Jokes are jokes, but it’s better not to look down - the buses make such turns over the cliffs that everything inside gets colder.

Nature of the Canaries
The nature of these places is truly impressive.

But looking into the distance is highly recommended. The landscapes are stunning, the contrast between north and south is simply stunning, as if in a couple of hours I visited two completely different countries. The south is sunny, yellow-brown, almost without vegetation, only giant cacti bristling with their thorns.

Mill
Mill against the backdrop of the nature of the south

Tourists prefer it - there are more sunny days a year. The north is humid and green, the slopes of the mountains are covered with pine forests, everything is blooming and fragrant. Most of the local population lives in the north.

And in the center around the volcano is a national reserve. A typical Canarian sign: where there is neither a tree nor a blade of grass, there is a nature reserve. But in the reserve there is lava, a lot of hardened lava.

But as soon as the tourist picks up a piece, a guard immediately crawls out from behind a piece of rock and orders to put the national treasure in its original place. Strictly but fair - because of these tourists, the Teide has already dropped by 5 meters, and now the highest mountain in Spain "pulls" only 3718 m.

Canary Islands: Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and others

The islands seem to be similar, but each is different from the rest. Tenerife and Gran Canaria - large, many-voiced, bright. There's just over the edge: tourists, cars, entertainment.

tenerife canary islands
Nature in Tenerife

Tourist settlements - Las Americas, Maspalomas - suffer from megalomania: high-rise hotels seem to be competing, our winter garden against "their" super pool, ten salads for dinner against fifteen.

In the five-star Bahia del Duque ($1600 per day), the interior of none of the rooms is repeated, and outwardly the complex of buildings and parks of the hotel exactly copies the capital of Tenerife, Santa Cruz. Only in miniature.

Lanzarote - cozy, almost "home". He is proud of his most active volcano - a glass of water poured into its mouth immediately causes a small geyser. And the most ancient Canarian wine - "Malvasia" is also best made in Lanzarote. Royal wine with a taste of a volcano - every self-respecting king must keep it in his cellars.

Sunset on Lansorote
Sunset on Lansorote

Fuerteventura famous for its natural beaches that stretch for many kilometers. This island is especially affected by drought, rains there are very rare, so there is almost no vegetation on it. 3 thousand palm trees in oases - and that's it. But its beaches of the finest white sand are excellent.

Beach
Clean beaches with turquoise water

The ancient capital of the island, Betancuria, is more than five centuries old. But since those times, houses have been preserved, and people live in them. Like their ancestors, they weave lace and mold clay pots by hand - the Guanches did not know the potter's wheel. And goat cheese, prepared here according to an old recipe, is considered the best in the world.

canaries vacation
Sailboat off the coast

Well, who would have thought that a jacket potato could serve as a decoration for a restaurant table? Not just potatoes, but “papas bonitas”, or “beautiful potatoes”, the crop of which is harvested three times a year.

Loco Park in Puerto de la Cruz

Parrots live in unprecedented numbers in Loro Parque, which is located in the second largest city of Tenerife - Puerto de la Cruz. There are more than 300 types of them. There are also monkeys and a black panther in the park; a crocodile, on which, like on a knot, little turtles bask in the sun, and a real big Galapagos tortoise; pelicans and bats.

Dolphinarium
Dolphin jump

But the special pride of the founder and owner of this park, Wolfgang Kiesling, is a huge aquarium, behind the glass walls of which the entire oceanic underwater world ...

At sunset, the Atlantic Ocean is especially beautiful. Either tired during the day, or not yet waking up, he lazily rolls up to the coastal stones and, as if pretending to break a couple of small, frivolous waves about them. He knows his strength and is therefore indulgent. He does not need to unravel the mysteries of the Canary Islands.

A few more tens of minutes pass and night falls on the Canary Islands. The stars know exactly the real history of the islands... they have been watching it...

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