Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost autonomous community of Spain, lying about 100 kilometres off the northwest coast of Africa. The seven main islands, from largest to smallest by area, are Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, and the small island of La Graciosa depends administratively on Lanzarote. In 2025 the community had 2,258,866 inhabitants on 7,445.58 square kilometres, with about 43 percent of them on Tenerife and 39 percent on Gran Canaria. The Province of Canary Islands created in 1833 was split in 1927 into the provinces of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas, and the autonomous community itself was established in 1982. Its capital is shared by Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which alternate as the seat of the regional president every four-year term, while the parliament sits permanently in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Beaches, a subtropical climate and Mount Teide, a World Heritage Site and the highest peak in Spain, draw more than 14 million visitors a year.