Lanzarote
Flag of Lanzarote
Geography
Location
Archipelago	Canary Islands
Area	845. The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish 9 km²
Highest point	Peñas del Chache, Famara 671 m
Administration
Spain
Autonomous Community	Canary Islands
Province	Las Palmas
Largest city	Arrecife (55,203)
Demographics
Population	127,457 (as of 2006)
Density	209/km²

Lanzarote, a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. 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. Geography Location Latitude 2895 (28°57' N Longitude 13533 (13°32' W Altitude Lowest 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 The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra Covering 845. 9 km², it stands as the fourth largest of the islands. The first recorded name for the island, given by Angelino Dulcert, was Insula de Lanzarotus Marocelus, after the Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello, from which the modern name is derived. Angelino Dulcert (fl 1339 probably also the same person known as Angelino Dalorto was a Majorcan mapmaker whose Portolan is the first known to have been produced Lancelotto Malocello ( Latin: Lanzarotus Marocelus; French: Lancelot Maloisel; fl The island's name in the native Guanche language was Titero(y)gaca, which may mean "the red mountains". Guanche is an Extinct language, which used to be spoken by the Guanches of the Canary Islands until the 16th or 17th century

Geography

Lanzarote is situated at 29°00' north, 13°40' west. It is located 11 kilometers north-east of Fuerteventura and 1 km from Graciosa. Fuerteventura, a Spanish Island, is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. There is also a Graciosa in the Azores, see Graciosa Graciosa Island or commonly La Graciosa ( Spanish for graceful The elongated island has an area of 845,9 km². To help compare different Orders of magnitude and geographical regions we list here areas between 100 km² and 1000 km² The dimensions of the island are 60 km from north to south and 25 km from west to east. Lanzarote has 213 km of coastline, of which 10 km are sand, 16. 5 km are beach, and the remainder are rocky. Its dramatic landscape includes the mountain ranges of Famara (671 m) in the north and Ajaches (608 m) to the south. South of the Famara massif is the El Jable desert which separates Famara and Montañas del Fuego.

The mountainous area of Lanzarote is called Timanfaya National Park. Timanfaya National Park or Parque Nacional de Timanfaya is a Spanish national park covering the municipalities of southern portion of Tinajo The tallest mountain is Peñas del Chache elevating 670 m above sea level. The "Tunnel of Atlantis" is the largest submerged volcanic tunnel in the world. The island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve protected site. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A biosphere reserve is an international Conservation designation given by UNESCO under its Programme on

Geology

View over a lava field towards the Montañas del Fuego.

Lanzarote is of volcanic origin. The island was created about 35 million years ago by 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 Alfred Wegener arrived in 1912 and studied the island and showed how it fitted in with his theory of continental drift. Alfred Lothar Wegener ( November 1, 1880 – November 2 or 3 1930 was a German Scientist and Meteorologist. Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Continental drift is the movement of the Earth 's Continents relative to each other The island along with others was created after the breakup of the African and the American continental plates.

Hacha Grande, in the south of the island, viewed from the road to Papagayo beach. Hacha Grande is a mountain on the Canary Island of Lanzarote, with an elevation of 562 m (1844 ft) above sea level.

Demographics

Papagayo beach

As of 2006, a total of 127. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 457 people lived on Lanzarote ^[1]. The seat of the island government (Cabildo Insular) is in the capital, Arrecife, which has a population of 55. Geography Location Latitude 2895 (28°57' N Longitude 13533 (13°32' W Altitude Lowest 203^[2]. The majority of the inhabitants (73. 9%) are Spanish, with a sizeable number of residents from other European nations, mainly British (4. British people, or Britons, are the native inhabitants of Great Britain and their descendants or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the 0%) and Germans (2. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as 6%) and Irish (2. The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate 5%)^[3]. Other populous groups include immigrants from Colombia, Morocco, Ecuador, Western Africa, China and India, which constitute for a large proportion of the remaining 15. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics. West Africa or Western Africa is the Westernmost Region of the African Continent. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country 6% of the population.

The island has its own international airport, Arrecife Airport, through which 5,626,337 passengers travelled in 2006^[4]. Lanzarote Airport is an Airport serving the Canary Isle of Lanzarote. Tourism has been the mainstay of the island's economy for the past forty years, the only other industry being agriculture.

Lanzarote is part of the province of Las Palmas, and is divided into seven municipalities:

• Arrecife
• Haría
• San Bartolomé
• Teguise (includes Isla de La Graciosa and four smaller islets)
• Tías
• Tinajo
• Yaiza

Climate

Lanzarote's climate is benevolent and relatively stable throughout the year, with an average annual temperature of 21. Las Palmas is a province of Spain, consisting of the eastern part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. 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 2895 (28°57' N Longitude 13533 (13°32' W Altitude Lowest Haría is a municipality in the northern portion of the island of Lanzarote in the Las Palmas province of the Canary Islands and is the northernmost and San Bartolomé ( Spanish meaning Saint Bartholomew) is a village in the Canary Teguise is a Canarian municipality in the north-central and the eastern portion of the island of Lanzarote in the Las Palmas province in the Canary Islands There is also a Graciosa in the Azores, see Graciosa Graciosa Island or commonly La Graciosa ( Spanish for graceful Tías is a town and borough in the southwest of the island of Lanzarote, province of Las Tinajo is a Canarian municipality in the western portion of the island of Lanzarote in the Yaiza Lanzarote is the gateway to the south of the island of Lanzarote and onward to Playa Blanca. 4 ºC in 2006. During the summer months, June to September, daytime maximums can reach 32 ºC, but rarely more, whilst nighttime temperatures remain around 20 ºC. Winter daytime temperatures vary from 15 to 25 °C, and can drop at night to 14 ºC, although seldom below that^[5].

Lanzarote is in the path of the North Atlantic trade winds and profits from their cooling effect on daytime temperatures. The trade winds (also called trades) are the prevailing pattern of easterly winds found in the Tropics near the Earth's Equator. Without this benefit the island's climate would resemble that of the neighbouring Sahara. The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest Every year sandstorms originate in the desert and cross the thin stretch of ocean to the Canary Islands, where temperatures can rise dramatically and visibility can drop to just 100 metres. The locals call the wind that causes these storms siroco and the resulting floating dust calima. Sirocco, scirocco, jugo or rarely siroc is a Mediterranean Wind that comes from The Saharan Air Layer (SAL is an intensely dry warm and sometimes Dust -laden layer of the Atmosphere which often overlies the cooler more-humid surface air of the

Annual precipitation for 2006 was 1. 171 centimetres, although the bulk of this fell in October (164 mm), January (281 mm) and February (488 mm). Due to the particular orographic layout of the island, most of the rain occurs in the north-western half, including the Famara Massif, while the south-eastern half is mainly dry^[6]. Orography is the average height of land measured in geopotential meters, over a certain domain

Surface water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean reach 23 °C during the summer months and can drop as low as 13 °C during the winter.

Flora and fauna

Vines growing in volcanic lapilli in the La Geria region of Lanzarote. Lapilli is a size classification term for Tephra, which is material that falls out of the air during a volcanic eruption. Lanzarote, a Spanish Island, is the easternmost of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa The low, curved walls are traditionally used to protect the vines from the constant wind.

There are five hundred different kinds of plants and lichen on the island. Lichens (ˈlaɪkən or /lɪtʃən/ are symbiotic associations of a Fungus (the mycobiont with a photosynthetic partner (the photobiont also known as 17 of the plants are endemic and there are 180 different lichen. Lichens survive in the suitable areas like the rock and introduce its own weathering. These plants have adapted to the relative scarcity of water, the same as succulents. Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are Water -retaining Plants adapted to Arid climate or Soil conditions Plants includes date sut Phoenix canariensis which are founded in damper areas of the north, Pinus canariensis, ferns, wild olive trees (Olea europaea). The Canary Island Date Palm ( Phoenix canariensis) is a large palm native to the Canary Islands off the Atlantic coast of north Africa. A fern is any one of a group of about 20000 Species of Plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta The Olive ( Olea europaea) is a Species of small Tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern The laurisilva trees which once covered the highest parts of Risco de Famara are rarely found today. Laurisilva or laurissilva ("laurel forest" is an endemic type of Humid subtropical Laurel forest found on several After the winter rainfalls, the vegetation comes to a colorful bloom between February and March.

The fauna of Lanzarote is more monotonous than the plant life, except for bats and other types of mammals which accompanied humans to the island, including the dromedary which was used for agriculture and is now a tourist attraction. The Dromedary camel ( Camelus dromedarius) is a large Even-toed ungulate. Lanzarote has thirty-five types of animal life, including birds, falcons, and reptiles. A falcon (fɔlkən or fælkən is any Species of raptor in the Genus Falco. Some interesting endemic creatures are the Gallotia lizards, and the blind deep-water Remipedia crabs found in the Jameos del Agua lagoon, which was created by a volcanic eruption. The Genus Gallotia are the Lacertids (wall Lizards of the Canary Islands. Remipedia is a class of blind Crustaceans found in deep caves connected to salt water in Australia and the Caribbean Sea.

The vineyards of La Gería, with their traditional methods of cultivation, are a protected area. A vineyard is a Plantation of Grape -bearing Vines grown mainly for Winemaking, but also Raisins Table grapes and non-alcoholic Single vines are planted in pits 4-5m wide and 2-3m deep, with small stone walls around each pit. This agricultural technique is designed to harvest rainfall and overnight dew and to protect the plants from the winds. The vineyards are part of the World Heritage Site as well as other sites on the island.

History

Lanzarote was probably the first Canary Island to be settled. The Phoenicians settled there around 1100 BC. Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun The Greek writers and philosophers Herodotus, Plato and Plutarch described the garden of Hesperis, the land of fertility where fruits and flowers smell in the part of the Atlantic. Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Greek: Μέστριος Πλούταρχος c The first known record came from Pliny the Elder in the encyclopedia Naturalis Historia on an expedition to the Canary Islands. Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author Naturalis Historia ( Latin for "Natural History" is an Encyclopedia written Circa AD 77 by Pliny the Elder. The names of the islands (then called Insulae Fortunatae) were recorded as Canaria (Gran Canaria), Ninguaria (Tenerife), Junonia Mayor (La Palma) and Capraria (El Hierro). Gran Canaria (in English " Grand Canary " is an island of the Canary Islands, an Archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean 210 km from Tenerife (previously known and spelled as "Teneriffe" in English before mass tourism adopted the Spanish spelling a Spanish Island, is the largest 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 Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were only mentioned as an archipelago.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Canary islands became abandoned until 999 AD when the Arabs arrived at the island and was known as al-Djezir al-Khalida and other names. The Decline of the Roman Empire, leading to the Fall of the Roman Empire, or the Fall of Rome, was the end of the Western Roman Empire. For the emergency number see 999 (emergency telephone number. In 1336, a ship arrived from Lisbon under the guidance of Lanzarote da Framqua, alias Lancelotto Malocello. Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. Lancelotto Malocello ( Latin: Lanzarotus Marocelus; French: Lancelot Maloisel; fl A fort was later built in the area of Montaña de Guanapay near today's Teguise. Jean de Béthencourt arrived in 1402 on a private expedition to the Canary Islands and brought slavery to the island as well as raw materials. 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 Bethencourt first visited the south of Lanzarote at Playas de Papagayo. In 1404, the Castilians with the support of the King of Castile came and fought against a rebellion among the local Guanches. See also Canary Islands in pre-colonial times Guanches (also Guanchis or Guanchos) now extinct as a distinct people were the first known The islands of Fuerteventura and El Hierro were later conquered. In the 17th century, pirates raided the island and took 1,000 inhabitants to slavery in Cueva de los Verdes. Cueva de los Verdes (in Spanish it means "Greens' cave" because in the past its owners were the "Verdes" family is a Lava tube located in

In 1585, the Ottoman admiral Murat Reis captured Lanzarote. Murat Reis the Elder (Koca Murat Reis was a Turkish privateer and Ottoman admiral

From 1730 to 1736 (for 2,053 days), the island was hit by a series of volcanic eruptions, creating 32 new volcanoes in a stretch of 18 km. The minister of Yaiza Don Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo documented the eruption in detail until 1731. Lava covered a quarter of the island's surface, including the most fertile soil and eleven villages. One hundred smaller volcanoes were located in the area called Montañas del Fuego. In 1768, drought affected the island and winter rains did not fall. Year 1768 ( MDCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Much of the population was forced to emigrate to Cuba and the Americas. Another volcanic eruption occurred within the range of Tiagua in 1824 which was not as bad as the major eruption between 1730 and 1736. Year 1824 ( MDCCCXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year

In 1927, Lanzarote as well as Fuerteventura became part of the province of Las Palmas. Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Notables

Among the notables who have lived on the island are César Manrique, an artist; José Saramago, a Portuguese Nobel Prize for Literature winner, and Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark and her husband, Carlos Morales Quintana. César Manrique ( April 24, 1919 in Arrecife, Lanzarote - September 25, 1992 in Fundación Teguise) was an artist José de Sousa Saramago, GColSE (ʒuˈzɛ sɐɾɐˈmagu born November 16, 1922) is a Nobel-laureate Portuguese The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west The Nobel Prize in Literature (Nobelpriset i litteratur is awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has in the words from the will of Alfred Titles styles honours and arms Titles and styles Princess Alexia has used the following titles and styles Her Royal Highness Princess Alexia Carlos Morales Quintana (born December 31, 1970) is a Spanish Architect and yachtsman.

See also

• El Golfo crater
• Timanfaya, a volcanic nature reserve. Timanfaya National Park or Parque Nacional de Timanfaya is a Spanish national park covering the municipalities of southern portion of Tinajo
• Salinas del Janubio
• Jameos del Agua
• Los Hervideros
• Mirador del Rio
• Cueva de los Verdes
• Puerto del Carmen
• Jardín de Cactus, a cactus garden in Guatiza. Mirador del Río is a viewpoint situated on an approximately 475 meters high escarpment called Batería del Río in the very north of the Canarian island of Lanzarote Cueva de los Verdes (in Spanish it means "Greens' cave" because in the past its owners were the "Verdes" family is a Lava tube located in Puerto del Carmen is the main tourist resort on the island of Lanzarote, Canary Islands.
• Guatiza

References

1. ^ Datos de Lanzarote - Población de derecho según municipio (html). Guatiza is a Canarian community that is located in the northeastern part of the municipality of Teguise in the northeastern portion of the island of Lanzarote in the Retrieved on 2007-11-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration
2. ^ Datos de Lanzarote - Población de derecho según municipio (html). Retrieved on 2007-11-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration
3. ^ Informe sobre la Población de Lanzarote - Marzo 2006 (pdf). Retrieved on 2007-11-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration
4. ^ Tráfico de pasajeros, operaciones y carga en los aeropuertos españoles 2006 (pdf). Retrieved on 2007-11-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration
5. ^ Datos de Lanzarote - Temperatura registrada según mes 2006 (html). Retrieved on 2007-11-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration
6. ^ Datos de Lanzarote - Datos meteorológicos según mes 2006 (html). Retrieved on 2007-11-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration

• Pott, Joachim/Hüppe, Joachim/de la Torre, Wofredo Wildpret Die Kanarischen Inseln. Natur- und Kulturlandschaften = The Canary Islands. Natural and Cultural Landscapes, Ulmer : Stuttgart 2003, 320 S. Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. , 295 color photos, 28 colored graphica, 3 tables. (represented and illustrated by Geobotanik). ISBN 3-8001-3284-2.

External links

• Lanzarote travel guide from Wikitravel
• Aerial Photos of Lanzarote
• Web Centers of Art, Culture and Tourism of Lanzarote(English) (Italian)(Spanish)(German) (French)
• Official Lanzarote Website(English) (Spanish)(German)
• La Opinion de Lanzarote
• Ocio Lanzarote