 The island of Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands, is situated in
the Atlantic Ocean about 200 miles off the coast of West
Africa (Longitude: 16.34ºWest, Latitude 28.19ºNorth), and has a population of 852,945 (2006 census).
Its capital - Santa Cruz de Tenerife - has a population of 221,627
(2006). Just like the other Canary Islands, Tenerife, whilst
autonomous, is a protectorate of
Spain and is NOT YET PART OF THE EU - so watch your Customs Allowances
on cigarettes and spirits when travelling home to EU member countries
such as the UK!
With a land area of just over 2,000 square kilometres
Tenerife is the largest of the 7 Canary Islands (Tenerife, Gran Canaria,
Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma,
El Hierro and La Gomera). Although quite small, the island has as many
different climatic zones as a continent and you can see many different types of
agriculture from the growing of potatoes and grapes to the commercial cultivation of
bananas, lemon, peach, apricot and orange trees. You can also see snow covered
mountain peaks whilst sunbathing and swimming in the warm coastal waters!
The island’s dominant feature is, of
course, the inert (but NOT extinct!) volcano, Mount
Teide. At 3,717.91
metres
(12,198 ft) Teide (pronounced Tay-dee) forms the highest peak on any
Spanish territory and
its sheer size and height dominate the landscape for miles around. The
earliest recorded mention of 'El Teide' and its snow-mantled, fiery
cone was by the 15th century explorer and navigator, Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon in his
native Portuguese) as well as many of the other early explorers.
Tenerife’s most important feature – and one that will stand it in good stead for
residents and investors (present and future) – is its climate. Not for nothing
is Tenerife, with temperatures in mid-winter reaching 20º (15º at night) and in
the summer, 30º (18º at night), known as The Island of Eternal
Springtime!
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