Tenerife - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Geography

Tenerife is a volcanic island, of which the main thing Volcan, the Teide (pronounce " t-piece-I-dé"), is in the center. The Teide is more the high summit of Spain with 3.718 meters. With the foot of Teide is the astronomical Observatoire of Tenerife. The north of the island is occupied by the solid mass of Anaga and its primary forest of " laurisilva" (one of the last in Europe) and the south is consisted the buttresses of Teide and a rather desert part.

This Canary island makes 81 km maximum length for 45 km of maximum width. The Archipel of the Canaries is located opposite the Morocco, in the Atlantic Ocean.

Climate

The climate is there tropical according to the Classification of Köppen, with an annual average temperature of approximately 22 °C, in winter the thermometer seldom goes down in lower part from 15°C. The climate is very changing on the island, with a dry zone at the south and a wetter zone in north, swept by the winds Alizés.

NB: micro notorious climates between the south and the north of the island separated by Teide and the chain from peaks. Particular phenomena: calima/wind/snow in winter

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Climate of Tenerife

Fauna and flora

One of principal tourist attractions of Tenerife is the presence of Dauphin S and Baleine S Globicéphale S very close to the port of Los Cristianos , in the south. One can meet a great number of these animals between Tenerife and Will gum It where the sea reached depth a 3.000 meters. Many boats propose to go to see these Mammifère S sailors of close, the dolphins and the whales approaching readily the boats.

There are few typical mammals on the island of Tenerife. Close to Teide one finds wildcats as well as rabbits turned over at the wild state. It there forever have poisonous deer or snakes. One will notice also the lizards which are numerous on the island. The ornithological world is richer with some typical species of the the Canaries, such as for example the wild alternative of the Serin of the Canaries ( Serinus Canaria ) or the blue Pinson ( Fringilla Teydea ).

The vegetation of Tenerife is very varied and much of plants are endemic S of the Canaries. Thus the Pine of the Canaries ( Pinus Canariensis ) the shape of immense forests inside the island. In the more desert south, one finds a majority of cactées and prickly peartrees. Another species of emblematic plant of the Canary islands is the Dragonnier ( Dracaena Draco ) which one can admire the oldest specimen of Tenerife with Icod of los Vinos. And the majority of the tourists who visited the archipelago are filled with wonder in front of a splendid flower: " the Bird of paradise " ( Strelizia Reginae ).

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Cetacea of Tenerife
Tajinaste Rojo or Viperine Red

History

In the Tenerife beginning, like all the Canary islands, was populated by the Guanche S. One of the most powerful chiefs of Tenerife lived in XVe S. and named Tinerfe . After its death, the island was divided between its nine sons.

1483: the inhabitants of Gran Canaria, the close island, went to Spanish.

1492: after the discovery of the America, the Canary islands take an strategic importance as a last European stopover before the crossing of the Atlantic. 1494: Alonso Fernández de Lugo unloads in Tenerife and founds a advanced station which will become Santa Cruz of Tenerife.

Contrary to its preceding unloading, one year before, on the island of Palma, it essuie a bloody defeat against Guanches with Matanza de Acentejo.

December 25th 1495 Guanches are definitively overcome by Spanish with Victoria de Acentejo. From now on all the archipelago is subjected to the Spanish crown. Guanches survivors mixed with the conquerors and disappeared as an ethnos group. Laguna becomes the capital of Tenerife.

From this moment there, Tenerife became an important base on the way of navigation between Spain and Americas.

England, which had also interests in the new world, also started to covet the Canary islands. In 1657 the English admiral Robert Blake tried, without success, to conquer Santa Cruz of Tenerife using a fleet made up of 36 warships.

1706: under the orders of the admiral John Jennings English tried once again to conquer the port of Santa Cruz of Tenerife, but in vain.

1778: Charles III of Spain gave to Santa Cruz of Tenerife the privilege to make trade with America.

1792: creation of the single university of the Canaries with Laguna.

1797: the British admiral Horatio Nelson loses his right-hand man at the time of a new unfruitful attack launched against Santa Cruz of Tenerife, the only defeat which Nelson at the time of its military career knew.

1822: Santa Cruz of Tenerife becomes the capital of the whole of the archipelago of the Canaries. It will preserve this statute until 1927.

In 1936 the general Franco launched his putsch from Tenerife. The war of Spain did not reach the Canaries but economic insulation under the dictatorship have very negative consequences. At that time, only of bananas were exported towards the continent.

1975: after the return to the democracy, Tenerife and the other islands of the archipelago obtained more autonomy and tourism taken more and more of importance.

In 1982 the Canary islands obtained the autonomous statute of community of Spain. The towns of Santa Cruz of Tenerife and Las Palmas of Gran Canaria divide the seat of the government of the province. They take turns every four years at this station.

Municipalities

The island of Tenerife is divided into 31 municipalities:

Tourism

The southern area of the island, near to the international Aéroport of Reina Sofia, is famous very tourist, more than north.

Many activities are offered then to the holiday makers:

in love with nature will be filled with the discovery of the national park of the Teide and its multiple excursions, the regional park of Masca and the cliffs of Los Gigantes for example
in love with the sea, the practice of the veil, the kite surfing or deep-sea diving will enable you to remain with the more meadows of your element
for in love ones with the animals, it is possible to observe all the year of the Cetacea which reside between Tenerife and
for the curious ones about culture and architecture Will gum it, Orotava, San Cristobal of Laguna are impossible to circumvent.
for impassioned cultures, traditions and fiestas, they will be filled throughout the year. In February not to forget the Carnival of Tenerife

Plane crash

The worst accident of the world air history took place on the old airport of Tenerife in 1977. A collision on the takeoff of 2 Boeings 747 of the companies Dutchwoman KLM and American Side Am, partly due to the fog, made 583 died.

This accident is known under the name of Catastrophe of Tenerife, and led to the construction of the airport of Reina Sofia in the South of the island, equipped with a better climate.

Gallery Photographs of Tenerife

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