Regional information for the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are an archipelago consisting of seven islands in the Atlantic Ocean. They are located 108 km off the north-western coast of Africa (Morocco and the Western Sahara) and form an autonomous community of Spain consisting of two provinces, Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The Greeks and Romans reported on this volcanic archipelago, and called it the Happy Islands, Garden of the Hesperides, Atlantida; some historians suppose that the legendary continent Atlantis was located here.

In 1496 the islands became part of the Spanish kingdom and the ships of Christopher Columbus stopped here on their journeys to discover the New World.

The islands and their capitals are:

The islands, with their steady climate, constant temperature all year, and magnificent beaches of fine sand form the Macaronesia eco-region 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. Due to the position of the islands with respect to the trade winds, the climate can be mild and wet or very dry. Surprisingly, the landscape of each island is radically different to the others.

Hacha Grande, a mountain in the south of Lanzarote, viewed from the road to the Playa de Papagayo.

Four of Spain's thirteen national parks are located in the Canary Islands, more than any other autonomous community.

They are:

- Parque Nacional de la Caldera de Taburiente (La Palma)
- Garajonay National Park (La Gomera)
- Teide National Park (Tenerife)
- Timanfaya National Park (Lanzarote).

The combination of high mountains, proximity to Europe, and clean air has made the Roque de los Muchachos peak (on La Palma island) a leading location for telescopes like the Grantecan.

The islands are outside European Union customs territory, though politically within the EU. Goods subject to Spanish customs and excise duties and Value Added Tax (VAT), such as tobacco or electronic goods, are, therefore, significantly cheaper in the Canaries. The currency is the euro.

Canarian time is GMT, in summer one hour ahead of GMT, so one hour behind that of mainland Spain and the same as that of London all year round.

Canarian Cuisine

Typical dishes and ingredients in the cuisine of the Canary Islands include Papas Arrugás (a potato dish), Mojos (such as mojo picón) and wine from the malvasia grape.

Mojo (pronounced mo-ho) is a sauce which may be orange, red, or green depending on its ingredients. Mojo is heavy in garlic and can be moderately spicy, referred to as mojo picón.

Papas Arrugás are small potatoes which have been boiled in salt water and are usually served with chicken and topped with mojo. Their name in Spanish means "wrinkled potatoes" and refers to their condition after being boiled.

One very typical Canarian product is gofio, a flour created by grinding roasted sweetcorn. Gofio is produced locally and is added to many foods and also to warm milk as a drink.

The use of oil is prevalent in many Canarian dishes, which are often prepared from scratch.

Other typical Canarian foods include ropa vieja ("old clothes"), a dish of different meats mixed with potatoes and garbanzo beans, and potaje, a generic name for one of many stews. Canarians often use a local azafran (saffron) in preparing their dishes and also frequently dye the food yellow with food colouring.