Canary Islands
Sombrero Sunset, Tenerife
Tenerife, a Spanish island, is the largest of the seven Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. Tenerife has an area of 2034.38 square kilometers, and 886,033 inhabitants, which make it the most populated island of the Canary Islands and Spain. It also has the metropolitan area most densely populated of the Canary Islands to 1156.33 m/km ² (Santa Cruz de Tenerife-La Laguna).
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of the island and the head of the island council (cabildo insular). It is the second largest city in the Canary Islands after Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and is capital of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands alongside that city, sharing governmental institutions such as Presidency, Parliament and ministries.
Tenerife is a rugged and volcanic island sculpted by successive eruptions throughout its history (the most recent was at Chinyero in 1909).
The island is located between the 28º and 29º N parallel and the 16º and 17º meridian. It is situated slightly to the north of the Tropic of Cancer, occupying a central position between the other Canary Islands of Gran Canaria, La Gomera and La Palma. The island is located a little more than 300 km (186 mi) from the African continent, and approximately 1,000 km (621 mi) from the Iberian Peninsula. Tenerife is the largest island of the Canary Islands archipelago, with a surface area of 2,034.38 km2 (785 sq mi)[18] and the longest coastline amounting to 342 km (213 mi).
In addition, the highest point, Mount Teide, with an elevation of 3,718 m (12,198 ft) above sea level is the highest point in all of Spain. It comprises about 200 small barren islands or large rocks including Roques de Anaga, Roque de Garachico, and Fasnia adding a further 213,835 m2 (2,301,701 sq ft) to the total area.
More Information
Ref: CIL0010
