| Fuerteventura | |
|---|---|
 Flag of Fuerteventura |
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| Geography | |
 |
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| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | |
| Archipelago | Canary Islands |
| Area | 1,660 km² |
| Highest point | Mount Jandia 807 m |
| Administration | |
 Spain |
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| Autonomous Community | Canary Islands |
| Province | Las Palmas |
| Largest city | Puerto del Rosario (28,357) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 74,983 (as of 2003) |
| Density | 45/km² |
Fuerteventura, a Spanish island, is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish In addition to its autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty Provinces. Las Palmas is a province of Spain, consisting of the eastern part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. Puerto del Rosario is a Canarian municipality in the northern portion of the island of Fuerteventura Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish It is situated at 28°20' north, 14°00' west. At 1,660 km² it is also the second largest of the islands.
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History
The first settlers are believed to have arrived here from North Africa - the word Mahorero (Majorero) or Maho is still used today to describe the people of Fuerteventura and comes from the ancient word 'mahos' meaning a type of goatskin shoe worn by the original inhabitants. They lived in caves and semi-subterranean dwellings, a few of which have been discovered and excavated revealing relics of early tools and pottery. In antiquity, the island was known as Planaria, among other names, in reference to the flatness of most of its landscape.
In the 11th century BC, the Phoenician settlers arrived in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun In 850 BC, the island was mentioned by Homer in the Odyssey, the Canary Islands as Insulae Fortunatae. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer.
Several Spanish and Portuguese expeditions occurred in about 1340 around the island and the island were inhabited by Maurs and were afflicted with European slave holders.
In 1405, the French conqueror Jean de Bethencourt took the island and gave his name to the former capital, Betancuria, on the west coast (Puerto Rosario took over the mantle as island capital in 1835). Jean de Béthencourt (c 1360 - 1425 was a French Explorer who in 1402 led an expedition to the Canary Islands, landing first on the north side of Geography Location Latitude 2841667 (28°25' N Longitude 1405 (14°3' W Altitude Lowest The name of the island itself is believed to have come from Bethencourt's exclamation "Que forte aventure!" ("What a grand adventure"). A less romantic explanation is that the name simply means "strong wind".
In 1852, the free trade zone was extended by Isabella II to the Canary Islands. "Isabella II" redirects here For the Queen of Jerusalem also known as Isabella II see Yolande of Jerusalem. The military rule over the island which began from 1708 dissolved in 1859 and Puerto de Cabras (now Puerto del Rosario) became entirely the new capital.
The Canary Islands obtained the right to self-govern in 1912. Ajuy is a small remote fishing village in the west coast of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.
In 1927, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote became part of the province of Gran Canaria. Lanzarote, a Spanish Island, is the easternmost of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa Gran Canaria (in English " Grand Canary " is an island of the Canary Islands, an Archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean 210 km from
By the 1940s the island had an airport (just west of Puerto del Rosario on the road to Tindaya, still visible today). Puerto del Rosario is a Canarian municipality in the northern portion of the island of Fuerteventura
Tourism arrived in the mid-1960s with the building of the present airport at El Mattoral and the first tourist hotels. Fuerteventura Airport serves the Spanish island of Fuerteventura and is situated near the capital Puerto del Rosario.
The seat of the island government (cabildo insular) is in Puerto del Rosario. Puerto del Rosario is a Canarian municipality in the northern portion of the island of Fuerteventura A total of 74,983 people (2003) live on the island.
Since the island is close to Africa, many illegal African immigrants try to enter the European Union through it, by a dangerous boat trip from Morocco.
Geography
The elongated island has an area of 1660 km². The island is 100 km long from and 31 km wide.
It is part of the province of Las Palmas. Las Palmas is a province of Spain, consisting of the eastern part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. It is divided into six municipalities:
100 individual settlements are distributed through these municipalities. This is a list of the municipalities in the province of Las Palmas in the Autonomous community of the Canary Islands, Spain. Geography Location Latitude 2841667 (28°25' N Longitude 1401667 (14°1' W Altitude Lowest Geography Location Latitude 2841667 (28°25' N Longitude 1405 (14°3' W Altitude Lowest For the monastery in Navarre, see Santa María de la Oliva. Geography Location Latitude 28 Pájara is a Canarian municipality in the central and the eastern portion of the island of Fuerteventura Puerto del Rosario is a Canarian municipality in the northern portion of the island of Fuerteventura Tuineje is a Canarian municipality in the central and the eastern portion of the island of Fuerteventura A nearby islet, Islote de Lobos, is part of the municipality of La Oliva. Islote de Lobos or Lobos Island is a small island of the Canary Islands located between the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. For the monastery in Navarre, see Santa María de la Oliva. Geography Location Latitude 28
Located just 100 kilometres off the coast of North Africa, it is the second biggest of the islands, after Tenerife, and has the longest beaches in the archipelago. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Tenerife (previously known and spelled as "Teneriffe" in English before mass tourism adopted the Spanish spelling a Spanish Island, is the largest The island is a paradise for sun, beach and watersports enthusiasts.
The island is on the same latitude as Florida and Mexico and temperatures here rarely fall below 18 °C or rise above 24 °C. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. There are no fewer than 152 beaches along its coastline - 50 kilometres of fine, white sand and 25 kilometres of black volcanic shingle.
Geology
Fuerteventura is the oldest island in the Canary Islands dating back 20 million years to a volcanic eruption from the Canary hotspot. The Canary hotspot is a volcanic hotspot believed to be located at the Canary Islands off the north-western coast of Africa, although alternative The majority of the island was created about 5 million years ago and since then eroded by wind and weather. On the seabed off the west coast of the island rests a block of rock 22 km long and 11 km wide, which appears to have slid off the island largely intact at some point in prehistory, similar to the predicted future collapse of Cumbre Vieja, a geological fault on the neighboring island, La Palma. Cumbre Vieja ( Spanish: "Old Ridge" is an active volcanic ridge on the volcanic ocean island of Isla de La Palma in the Canary Islands Isla de La Palma (known in English as "La Palma" not to be confused with "Palma" in the Balearic Islands is a Spanish volcanic ocean island The last volcanic activity in Fuerteventura was between 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.
The highest point in Fuerteventura is Mount Jandía (807 m) in the southwestern part of the island. Jandía is an area and a peninsula covering the whole southwestern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands forming the westernmost and the southernmost Geographical features include Istmo de la Pared which is 5 km wide and is the narrowest part of Fuerteventura. The island is divided into two parts, the northern portion which is Maxorata and the southwestern part called the Jandía peninsula. The island is the least settled in the Canary Islands.
Climate
The climate on the island throughout the year is pleasant. The island is also called the island of eternal springs. The sea adjusts the temperature making the hot Sahara winds blow away from the island of Fuerteventura. The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest The island's name in English translates as "strong wind". During the winter months, temperatures average a high of 21 °C and a low of around 15 °C, whereas during the summer a mean high of 27 °C and a low of 20 °C can be expected. Precipitation is about 147 mm per year, most of which falls in the winter. The sandstorm known as the scirocco, Leveche in Spain blows to the southwest from the Sahara desert causing high temperatures and low visibility and drying air. Temperatures during this phenomenon rise by 10 degrees Celsius. The wind brings in fine white sand, visibility drops to about 100 to 200 m or lower, and also African locusts. Locust is the Swarming phase of short-horned Grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. The local inhabitants call this phenomenon the "Calima".
Economy
The main economy on Fuerteventura is based on tourism; other main industries are fishing, agriculture (cereals and vegetables), and businesses. Primary tourist areas are around the existing towns of Corralejo in the north and Morro Jable in Jandia, plus the purely tourist development at Caleta de Fuste / Costa Caleta south of Puerto del Rosario. The town and resort of Corralejo is located on the northern tip of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, facing the small islet of Lobos ( Islote de Lobos Jandía is an area and a peninsula covering the whole southwestern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands forming the westernmost and the southernmost Puerto del Rosario is a Canarian municipality in the northern portion of the island of Fuerteventura
Majorero cheese is locally made from the milk of the indigenous majorera goat. Majorero (pronounced ma-HOR-ero is a Goat milk Cheese from Spain. The cabra majorera or Fuerteventura goat is a species of Dairy Goat native to the Canary Islands.
Tourism
The first tourist hotel was built here in 1965 followed by the construction of Fuerteventura Airport at El Mattoral, heralding the dawn of a new era for the island. Fuerteventura Airport serves the Spanish island of Fuerteventura and is situated near the capital Puerto del Rosario. Fuerteventura, with its 3,000 sunshine hours a year, was placed firmly on the world stage as a major European holiday destination.
The summer Trade Winds and winter swells of the Atlantic make this a year-round surfers' paradise. Sailors, scuba divers and big game fishermen are all drawn to these clear blue Atlantic waters where whales, dolphins, marlin and turtles are all common sights.
Much of the interior, with its large plains, lavascapes and volcanic mountains, consists of protected areas which can be best be explored in a 4x4 or (for the more daring) with a cross-country motorbike.
Flag
The flag colour of Fuerteventura is green on the left and white on the right.
Sites of interest
The sites of interest includes Corralejo and El Jable to the north which are made up of fine sand dunes, the south is filled with long beaches and remote bays. The town and resort of Corralejo is located on the northern tip of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, facing the small islet of Lobos ( Islote de Lobos In physical Geography, a dune is a Hill of Sand built by Aeolian processes. The constant winds blowing the beaches make the paradise for windsurfing. Windsurfing is a surface water sport using a windsurf board also commonly called a sailboard usually two to five meters long and powered by a single sail Surfing is common in the west and north coast where there are large waves. Surfing is a surface water sport in which the participant is carried along the face of a breaking wave, most commonly using a Surfboard, although wave-riders Windsurfing is common around Corralejo or Playas de Sotavento, wave sailing (windsurfing in waves) at the coast along the northern half of the island.
At Cofete on the western side of Jandía a remote and imposing house - Villa Winter - looks out to sea across wide and generally empty beaches. Cofete is a small village in the western part of the Jandia peninsula in Fuerteventura. Villa Winter is a villa located in the area around Cofete, Canary Islands, in front of the mountain range of Jandía and in the peninsula on the southwestern It was reputedly built by a Herr Winter on land given by Generalissimo Franco. Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid
In January 18, 1994, the SS American Star (former America, USS Westpoint, Australis) was beached in Playa de Garcey during a storm. Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Construction (1936–1939 America was laid down under the first Maritime Commission contract on 22 August 1938, at Newport News By 2007, the ship had collapsed to the side and is now almost completely submerged. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. By 2008 the wreck is completely gone.
External links
- Fuerteventura Portal
- Beaches on Fuerteventura
- Information and news about Fuerteventura in several languages
- Fuerteventura Maps
- Guide to family activity on Fuerteventura
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