Tenerife
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| Tenerife | |||
| — Island — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country |  Spain |
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| Autonomous Community |  Canary Islands |
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| Province | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | ||
| Largest City | Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Pop. 221,627) | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 785.3 sq mi (2,034 km²) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - Total | 852,945 | ||
| - Density | 1,085.2/sq mi (419/km²) | ||
| - Ethnicities | Spanish, other minority groups | ||
| Highest Point | Teide (3,718 metres (12,200 ft)) | ||
Tenerife (previously known and spelled as "Teneriffe" in English, before mass tourism adopted the Spanish spelling), a Spanish island, is the largest of the seven Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. Tenerife is the most populous island in the Canaries, and the most populous of all Spanish islands.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of the island and the head of the island government (cabildo insular). It is the second largest city in the Canary Islands after Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and is co-capital of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands alongside that city, sharing governmental institutions such as Presidency, Parliament and ministries.
The island is home to La Laguna University, which was founded in 1792. La Laguna (World Heritage Site) is the second city of the island and the third one of the archipelago. El Teide is also a World Heritage Site.
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[edit] Toponymy
There are a diversity of names that distinct cultures have attributed to Tenerife in its long history. For example, the first inhabitants on the island, the guanches, referred to the island as Achinet or Chenet, although based on the bibliography that is consulted, the names can acquire different orthographic variations. According to Pliny the Younger, Roman Emperor Juba II sent an expedition to the Canary Islands and Madeira and had had given the Canary Islands its name because he found particularly ferocious dogs (canaria) on the island. [1]. Juba II and Ancient Romans referred to Tenerife as Nivaria, deriving from the Latin words nix, nivis, nieve), meaning snow, in clear reference to the snow that is present on the highest point of the island, the Teide volcano. [2]On the other hand, maps dating to the 14th and 15th century, from authors like Bontier and Le Verrier refer to the island as Isla del Infierno, literally meaning Island of Hell, a reference to the rate of of volcanic activity and eruptions of Mt Teide in its history. Finally, Teide is also responsible for the name of the island widely used today, named by the benehaorits (natives of La Palma) derived from the words Tene (mountain) and ife (white). Later, after colonisation, the hispanisation of the name resulted in the adding of a letter "r" uniting both words to obtain the name Tenerife as a result.[3][4]
[edit] Demonym
The formal demonym used to refer to the people of Tenerife is tinerfeño/a", also used colloquially is the term "Chicharrero/a", [5]. However, in modern society, this is generally only given to inhabitants of the capital, Santa Cruz. The term "chicharrero" was once a derogatory term used by the people of La Laguna, once the capital of the island, in reference to the poor inhabitants and fisherman of Santa Cruz. It was used in reference to the fisherman who would survive by catching poor quality mackerel and the citizens that ate potatoes of a low quality. [5] However, as Santa Cruz grew in commerce and statuts, replacing La Laguna as capital of Tenerife in the 19th century during the reign of Fernando VII, the inhabitants of Santa Cruz ironically began using the insult to honor the new status of the city at La Laguna's expense.[5]
[edit] History
The oldest mountain ranges in Tenerife rose from the Atlantic Ocean by volcanic eruption which gave birth to the island around twelve million years ago. [6] (See origins below) The island as it is today was formed three million years ago by the fusion of three different islands, with the mountain ranges of Anaga, Teno and Valle de San Lorenzo.[6] Volcanic activity from Teide was responsible for this movement and the islands became one, Tenerife. The volcano is visible from most parts of the island today, and the crater is 17 km long at some points. The earliest known settlement in the islands date to around 200 BC, by a tribe known as the Guanche. [7]They were characteristically tall, powerfully built Scandinavian-looking people with blue eyes and long, fair hair. They were an uncivilised people, even by Stone Age comparison and dressed in animal hides and lived in caves on the island. [7] According to legend, many islands in the chain, among them Tenerife, were believed to be the uppermost peaks of Atlantis, which catastrophically sank under the ocean leaving only the highest mountains above sea level.
[edit] Territorial organization before the conquest
About one hundred years before the conquest, a mencey existed, a title given to the monarch or king of the guanches of Tenerife, that governed a "menceyato" or territory, later referred to as "captainships" by the conquerors. Tinerfe el Grande, son of the Mencey Sunta governed the island from Adeje in the south. However, upon his death, his nine children rebelled and argued bitterly about how to divide the island. Two independent "achimenceyatos" were created on the island and the island was divided into 9 menceyatos, with the menceyes within them forming what today would be similar to municipalities.[8] The menceyatos and their menceyes (by descendants order) were the following:
- Taoro: Menceyes: Bentinerfe, Inmobach, Bencomo and Bentor. Today this territory is made up with Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, La Victoria de Acentejo, La Matanza de Acentejo, Los Realejosand Santa Úrsula.
- GüÃmar: Menceyes: Acaymo, Añaterve y Guetón. Today this territory is made up of El Rosario, Candelaria, Arafo and GüÃmar
- Abona: Menceyes: Atguaxoña and Adxoña (Adjona). Today this territory is made up of Fasnia, Arico, Granadilla de Abona, San Miguel de Abona and Arona.
- Anaga: Menceyes: Beneharo and Beneharo II. Today this territory is made up of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna.
- Tegueste:Menceyes: Tegueste, Tegueste II y Teguaco. Today this territory is made up of Tegueste, part of the coastal zone of La Laguna.
- Tacoronte: Menceyes: Rumén and Acaymo. Today this territory is made up of Tacoronte and El Sauzal
- Icode: Menceyes: Chincanayro and Pelicar. Today this territory is made up of San Juan de la Rambla, La Guancha, Garachico and Icod de los Vinos.
- Daute: Menceyes: Cocanaymo and Romén. Today this territory is made up of El Tanque, Los Silos, Buenavista del Norte and Santiago del Teide.
- Adeje: Menceyes: Atbitocazpe, Pelinor, and Ichasagua. Today this territory is made up of GuÃa de Isora, Adeje and Vilaflor
Also was the Achimenceyato of Punta del Hidalgo, governed by Aguahuco a "poor noble", who was an illegitimate son of Tinerfe and Zebenzui.
[edit] Spanish conquest
Tenerife at the time of its conquest by Spain was composed of nine distinct menceyatos, as the small kingdoms of the Guanches were known. Though the Spanish forces under the Adelantado ("military governor") Alonso Fernández de Lugo, suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Guanches in the First Battle of Acentejo in 1494, the Guanches, eventually overcome by superior technology and diseases to which they were not immune, surrendered to the Crown of Castile on December 25, 1495.
In December of 1493, Alonso Fernández de Lugo obtained from the king the confirmation of the right to lead a conquest of the island of Tenerife. In April of 1494, and coming from Gran Canaria, the conqueror landed on the coast of present day Santa Cruz de Tenerife and disembarked with troops which amounted to about 2,000 men on foot and 200 on horseback. [9] After taking the fort, the army prepared to move towards the interior of the island, later capturing the native kings of Tenerife and presenting them to Ferdinand and Isabella.
It is important to show that the menceyes of Tenerife took diverse positions during the conquest. They divided themselves into the side of peace (Spanish: bando de paz) and the side of war (Spanish: bando de guerra), with the first including the menceyatos of Anaga, GüÃmar, Abona and Adeje, and the second group with the Tegueste, Tacoronte, Taoro, Icoden and Daute. The opposing group tenaciously fought the conquerors delaying the conquest of the island for two years. The Castilian troops were defeated by the guanches at the First Battle of Acentejo in 1494. The guanches nonetheless, were bested by technology and the new diseases to which they were not immune, and ultimately fell before the troops of the Crown of Castile at the Battle of Aguere and the Second Battle of Acentejo ending the conquest in September 1496.[9]
As in the rest of the islands, many of the natives were turned into slavery, especially those belonging to the group of war, while a good part of the native population succumbed to imported diseases such as the flu and probably smallpox, infectious diseases which the primitive society, due to its isolation had not been immune to. After the conquest, and especially in the following century here was a mass movement of colonization and re-population with the arrival of immigrants from the diverse territories of the growing Spanish Empire, (Portugal, Flanders, Italy, Germany).
Tenerife's forests were gradually affected by population growth and the need to clear land for agriculture for local consumption and for export. This was the case with the introduction of sugar cane at the beginning of the 16th century while in the following centuries, the island's economy was centered on the use of other crops such as wine grapes and plantains.[10]
[edit] Slavery and plantations
As on the other islands of the same group, much of the native population of Tenerife was enslaved or succumbed to diseases at the same time as immigrants from various places in Europe associated with the Spanish Empire (Portugal, Flanders, Italy, Germany) settled on the island. Native pine forests on the island were cleared to make way for the cultivation of sugarcane in the 1520s; in succeeding centuries, the island’s economy was centered around the cultivation of other commodities such as wine and cochineal for making dyes, as well as bananas.
[edit] Emigration to the Americas
Tenerife, as is with the other islands, has maintained a close relationship with South America. From the start of the colonization of the New World, many expeditions stopped at the island on their way to the Americas, and added to their crews with many tinerfeños which formed an integral part of the conquest expeditions or simply left in search of future betterment. It is also important to note the exchange in plant and animal species that made those voyages.[11]
After a century and a half of relative growth, around the year 1670 the complex foreign commerce of the grape growing sector, there is an extended emigration of families especially towards Venezuela and Cuba. Also by these times there was a new interest on the part of the Crown of populating those empty zones in the Americas to preempt the occupation by foreign forces as it had happened with the English in Jamaica or the French in the Guianas or the western Hispaniola, so many groups of canary islanders including many tinerfeños left for the New World. The growing new crops of the Americas, such as cacao in Venezuela and tobacco in Cuba, by the end of the 17th Century, contributed to the population exodus from towns such as Buenavista del Norte, Vilaflor or El Sauzal. Witness to the emigration history of the island is the foundation in the outskirts of Santo Domingo of the village of San Carlos de Tenerife in 1684. This village founded by tinerfeños was created with a clear strategic purpose as it permitted the protection of the town from the French established in the western side of Hispaniola. Between 1720 and 1730 the Crown moved 176 canary families, including many tinerfeños to the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. In 1726, about 25 island families migrated to the Americas to collaborate on the foundation of Montevideo. Four years later, in 1730, another group left which would found the following year the city of San Antonio in Texas. Later, between 1777 and 1783, the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife sent a new group to ultimately help in the foundation of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, and also some groups went to Florida.[11]
Emigration to the Americas continued during the 19th and beginnings of the 20th century due to economic problems, lack of raw materials, and the long distance to Europe. Migration in these times went primarily to Cuba and Venezuela. In the last few decades, with newer island protectionist economic laws and the resurgence of the tourism industry, the migration flows have reversed, and today Tenerife receives an influx of people, including the return of many descendants of the islanders, many of whom had left five centuries earlier.[11]
[edit] British Invasion
Throughout its history, Tenerife has been attacked by many pirates of various nationalities (French, English, Dutch and Barbarians) and at various times as been subject to attacks and wars with Spain.
The First Fleet, led by British Captain Arthur Phillip, stopped at Tenerife on June 3, 1787 for fresh water, vegetables and meat. It would then continue on to Botany Bay, where it would create the first European settlement in Australia on January 26, 1788. Amongst the most notable however, is the British invasion of Tenerife in 1797.[12]
On July 25 1797, Admiral Horatio Nelson launched an attack at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of the island. After a ferocious fight which led to many casualties, a defense was organised by General Antonio Gutiérrez de Otero to repel the invaders. Nelson lost his right arm from canon fire, widely believed in legend to have been the cannon Tiger (Spanish: Tigre) as he was trying to disembark on the Paso Alto coast.[10]
On September 5, another attempt was made in the Puerto Santiago region and was repelled by the inhabitants of Santiago del Teide, who threw rocks at the British from the heights of the Cliffs of the Giants (Spanish: Acantilados de Los Gigantes).
The island was also attacked by numerous other men, mostly English including Robert Blake, Walter Raleigh, John Hawkins, Woodes Rogers, amongst others.[13]
[edit] Modern history
Less hostile visitors arrived at the island in succeeding centuries. The naturalist Alexander von Humboldt ascended the peak of Mount Teide and remarked on the beauty of the island. Tourists began visiting Tenerife in large numbers in the 1890s, especially the northern towns of Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.[14] y Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Before his rise to power, Francisco Franco was posted to Tenerife in March 1936 by a Republican government wary of his influence and political leanings. However, Franco received information and in Grand Canary agreed to collaborate in the military coup that would result in the Spanish Civil War; the Canaries fell to the Nationalists in July 1936 and its population was subject to the mass executions of opponents to the new regime. In the 1950s, the misery of the post-war years caused thousands of the island’s inhabitants to emigrate to Cuba and other parts of Latin America.
The Tenerife disaster, the airliner collision that took place on March 27, 1977 at Los Rodeos airport in the north of the island, was the deadliest aircraft disaster in history until the September 11, 2001 attacks, and remains the deadliest aviation accident in history.
[edit] Volcanic history
The volcanic eruptions in Tenerife which are recounted in history are limited to the last four. The first occurred in 1704, when the Arafo, Fasnia and Siete Fuentes volcanoes erupted simultaneously. Two years later, in 1706, the greatest eruption known in the island happen at Trevejo. This volcano produced great quantities of lava which buried the city and port of Garachico, in those days one of the most important cities in the island. The last eruption of the 17th century happened in 1798 at Cañadas de Teide, in Chahorra. Finally, in 1909 the Chinyero volcano, in the municipality of Santiago del Teide, erupted. There have not been any eruptions since. Interestingly, even though the island is volcanic by nature, the four known episodes have not had any fatal victim.[15]
[edit] Geography
Tenerife is a rugged and volcanic island sculpted by successive eruptions throughout its history (the most recent was at Chinyero in 1909).[16]
The island is located between the 28º and 29º N parallel and the 16º and 17º meridian. It is situated slightly to the north of the Tropic of Cancer, occupying a central position between the other Canary Islands of Gran Canaria, La Gomera and La Palma. The island is located a little more than 300 km (186 mi) from the African continent, and approximately 1,000 km (621 mi) from the Iberian Peninsula.[17]Tenerife is the largest island of the Canary Islands archipelago, with a surface area of 2,034.38 km2 (785 sq mi)[18] and the longest coastline amounting to 342 km (213 mi).[19]
In addition, the highest point, Mount Teide, with an elevation of 3,718 m (12,198 ft) above sea level is the highest point in all of Spain. [20] It comprises about 200 small barren islands or large rocks including Roques de Anaga, Roque de Garachico, and Fasnia adding a further 213,835 m2 (2,301,701 sq ft) to the total area. [21]
[edit] Origins and geological formation
Tenerife is an island created volcanically, whose formation started to develop itself in the ocean bottom 20-50 million years ago. [22]
According to the most current accepted theory by the scientific community (known as the Theory of Plate Tectonics), the ascent of magma originating from the terrestrial mantle is produced from the effects of tectonic activity from faults or fractures that exist at the oceanic plate. These fractures lie along the structural axes of the island itself, forming themselves from the Alpine orogeny during the Tertiary Period due to the movements of the African plate.
Underwater fissural eruptions originated from the pillow lava, which are produced by the rapid cooling of the magma when it comes in contact with water, obtaining their peculiar shape. This pillow-lava accumulated, constructing the base of the island underneath the sea. As this accumulation approached the surface of the water, gases erupted from the magma due to the reduction of the surrounding pressure. The volcanic eruptions became more violent and had a more explosive character, and resulted in the forming of peculiar geological fragments.[22]
After long-term accumulation of these fragments, the birth of the island occurred at the end of the Miocene Epoch. The zones on Tenerife known as Macizo de Teno, Macizo de Anaga and Macizo de Adeje were formed 7,000,000 years ago; these formations are called the Ancient Basaltic Series (Serie Basáltica Antigua) or Series I (Serie I). These zones were actually three separate islands lying in what is now the extreme west, east, and south of Tenerife.[23]
A second volcanic cycle began 3,000,000 years ago called the Post-Miocene Formations or Latest Series II, III, IV (Formaciones Postmiocenas o Series Recientes II, III y IV). This was a much more intense volcanic cycle, which united the Macizo de Teno, Macizo de Anaga and Macizo de Adeje into one island. This new structure, called the Pre-Cañadas Structure (Edificio pre-Cañadas), would be the foundation for what is called the Cañadas Structure I (Edificio Cañadas I). The Cañadas Structure I experienced various collapses and emitted a great variety of explosive material that gave rise to the area known as Bandas del sur (in the present-day south-southeast of Tenerife).[22]
Subsequently, upon the ruins of Cañadas Structure I would emerge Cañadas Structure II (Edificio Cañadas II), which was 2,500 meters above sea level, and would also emerge with intense explosive activity.
About 1,000,000 years ago would emerge the Dorsal Range (Cordillera Dorsal) by means of fissural volcanic activity occurring amidst the remains of the Ancient Basaltic Series (Serie Basáltica Antigua) or Series I (Serie I). This Dorsal Range emerged as the highest and the longest volcanic structure in the Canary Islands; it was 1,600 meters high and 25 kilometers long.[22]
About 800,000 years ago, two gravitacional landslides would occur, living rise to the present day valleys of La Orotava and GüÃmar.[22]
Finally, in more recent times (approx. 200,000 years), eruptions started that would raise the Pico Viejo-Teide area in the center of the island, over the Las Cañadas caldera.[22]
[edit] Orography and landscape
The uneven and steep orography of the island and its variety of climates has resulted in a diversity of landscapes and geographical and geological formations, from the Parque Nacional del Teide with its extensive pine forests, juxtaposed against the volcanic landscape at the summit of Teide and MalpaÃs de GüÃmar, to the Acantilados de Los Gigantes (Cliffs of the Giants) with its vertical precipices. Semidesert areas exist in the south with plants resistant to the dryness and Tenerife counts many natural beaches such as the one at El Médano. Other areas range from those protected and enclosed in mountains such as Montaña Roja and Montaña Pelada, the valleys and forests with a tropical and subtropical vegetation and climate, to those with deep gorges and precipices such as at Anaga and Teno.
[edit] Central heights
The principal structures in Tenerife, make the central highlands, with the Teide-Pico Viejo complex and the Las Cañadas areas as most prominent. It comprises a semi-caldera of about 130 km2 (50 sq mi) in area, originated by several geological processes explained under the Origin and formation section. The area is partially occupied by the Teide-Pico Viejo strato-volcano and completed by the materials emitted in the different eruptions that took place. A known formation called Los Azulejos, composed by green-tinted rocks were created by hydrothermal processes.[22][24][10]
South of La Caldera is Guajara Mountain, which has an elevation of 2718 meters, rising above Las Cañadas del Teide. At the bottom, is an endorheic basin flanked with very fine sedimentary material which has been deposited from its volcanic processes, and is known as Llano de Ucanca.[22][24][10]
The peak of Teide, at 3718 meters above sea level and more than 7,000 metres above the ocean floor, is the highest point of the island, Spanish territory and in the Atlantic Ocean. The volcano is the third largest on the planet, and its central location, substantial size, looming silhouette in the distance and its snowy landscape give it a unique personality. [25]The original settlers considered Teide a god and Teide was a place of worship.
In 1954, the Teide and the whole area around it, although there was later a further expansion of its territory, was declared a national park. In addition, since June 2007 it is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage sites as a natural asset. [26]To the west lies the volcano Pico Viejo (Old Peak). On one side of it, is the volcano Chahorra o Narices del Teide, where the last eruption occurred in the vicinity of Mount Teide in 1798.
[edit] Cliffs/Massifs
The Anaga cliffs (Macizo de Anaga), located on the northeastern end of the island, have an irregular and unique topographical profile, rising at Cruz de Taborno with a height of 1,024 meters. Due to the age of the rock (5.7 M. a.), and the deep erosive processes that have shaped it, there are numerous roques that appear in the area and a high number of steep precipices that exists. The cliffs dominate the coastline of Anaga which is why few beaches exist, except in areas between precipices where occasionally rocks and a small area of black sand appears. [22][24][10]
The Teno Cliffs (Macizo de Teno) are located in the far northwest. As with Anaga, this is an area of deep ravines and rock that has been heavily influenced by erosion. However, the materials here are older, being about 7.4 million years old. The Gala Mountain at 1342 meters represents its highest elevation. The Acantilados de Los Gigantes, further south have vertical walls which reach heights of up to 500 meters.[22][24][10]
The Adeje cliffs (Macizo de Adeje) are located on the southern tip of the island, rising to prominence at Roque del Conde, with an elevation of 1001 meters. This cliff is not as significant as the others, being of a small structure, but this is because of the intense erosion and geological processes which over thousands of years has seen it lose its original appearance and size.[22][24][10]
[edit] Dorsales
The Dorsal mountain range or Dorsal of Pedro Gil covers the area from the start at Mount La Esperanza, at a height of about 750 m (2,461 ft), to the center of the island, near the Caldera de Las Cañadas, with Izaña, as its highest point at 2,350 m (7,710 ft) (MSLP). These mountains have been created due to basaltic fisural volcanism through one of the axis that gave birth to the vulcanism of this area.[22][24][10]
The Abeque dorsal was formed by a chain of volcanoes that join the Teno with the central insular peak of Teide-Pico Viejo starting from another of the three axis of Tenerife's geological structures. On this dorsal we find the historic volcano of Chinyero whose last eruption happened in 1909.[22][24][10]
The South dorsal or Dorsal of Adeje is part of the last of the structural axis. The remains of this massive rock show the primordial land, also showing the alignment of small volcanic cones and rocks around this are in Tenerife's South.[22][24][10]
[edit] Valleys
Valleys are another of the island's features. The most important are Valle de La Orotava and Valle de GüÃmar, both formed by the mass sliding of great quantities of material towards the sea, creating a depression of the land.
There are other valleys distributed along the geography of Tenerife, but of a different nature. They tend to be valleys in between hills formed by deposits of more quantities of geological material on the side hills, or simply wide ravines which in their evolution have become typical valleys.[22][24][10]
[edit] Ravines
Tenerife, mainly due to its high altitude, has a large number of ravines and are one of the most characteristic elements of the landscape, caused by erosion from surface runoff throughout the islands history. Notable ravines include Ruiz, Fasnia and GüÃmar, Infierno, and Erques, all of which have been designated protected natural areas by Canarian institutions..[22][24][10]
[edit] Coastline
The coasts of Tenerife are typically rugged and steep, particularly on the north of the island than in the south. However, the island has 67.14 kilometers of beaches, surpassed only in this respect by the island of Fuerteventura.[27]On the northern coast are frequent pebble beaches with black sand, while on the south and south-west coast of the island, the beaches are typically much finer and clearer with lighter tones and quality of sand.[22][24][10]
[edit] Climate
Tenerife is known internationally as the "Island of Eternal Spring" (Isla de la Eterna Primavera).[28] The island, being on a latitude of the Sahara Desert, enjoys a warm, all year round climate with an average of 22° - 24°C in the winter and 26° - 28°C in the summer and sunshine all year round. On Tenerife, there are no periods annually even during the winter months of cold, but neither are there periods during the summer of unbearable heat as there are in some of the Greek islands of the Mediterranean. The moderate climate of Tenerife is controlled to a great extent by the tradewinds, whose humidity, principally, is condensed over the north and northeast of the island, creating cloud banks that range between 600 and 1,800 meters in height. The cold sea currents of the Canary Islands, also have a cooling effect on the coasts and its beaches and the topography of the landscape plays a role in climatic differences on the island with its many valleys.
The average temperatures, however, can fluctuate between 17-18ºC and 24-25ºC in the winter season. Evidently there are climatic contrasts which do occur on the island, particularly during the winter months when it is possible to enjoy the warm sunshine on the coast and experience snow within just miles, 3000 metres above sea level on Teide.[24] There is also a contrast in climate between different parts of the island at a lower altitude, even in close proximity, notably between the cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna. Santa Cruz generally experiences a warm climate throughout the year with temperatures noticeably greater than at the bordering La Laguna, where frequently it is colder with a greater chance of rainfall. [29]
The north and the south of Tenerife similarly have different climatic characteristics. The windward side of the island receives 73% of all precipitation on the island, and the the relative humidity of the air is superior and the insolation inferior. The pluviometric maximums are registered on the windward side at an average altitude of between 1.000-1.200 ms, almost exclusively in the La Orotava mountain range.[24]However, although climatic differences in rainfall and sunshine on the island exist, overall annual precipitation is very low with some of the summer months often not receiving any days of rainfall. In June and July in particular it is rare to receive any. The wettest season is during the winter, but in December, for instance, an average of five days of rainfall can be expected, and even this is partly attributed to snowfall on Teide.
As an anecdote, it is interesting to note that doctors from northern Europe, mainly English and Dutch, have over the last few centuries, praised the climate of the northern Tenerife, and have even recommended patients to temporarily move there from the south to alleviate ailments and to improve circulation. [30]
 Weather averages for Tenerife  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F | 72 | 72 | 75 | 75 | 77 | 81 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 75 |
| Average low °F | 68 | 68 | 72 | 72 | 73 | 79 | 81 | 81 | 79 | 75 | 72 | 70 | 72 |
| Average high °C | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 24 |
| Average low °C | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 22 |
| Source: [31] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: [32] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Water
The volcanic ground of Tenerife, which is of a porous and permeable character is generally the reason why the soil is able to maximise the absorbtion of water on an island of low rainfall. Also with condensation in forested areas and defrosting on the summit of the island water infiltrates into the subsoil.[33]
Given the irregularity of precipitation and geological conditions on the island, the usual popular methods of water extraction such as the construction of dams have been advised against on the island. As a result, most of the water (90%) comes from wells and mainly from water galleries of which there are thousands on the island, important systems that serve to extract its hydrological resources.[34]
[edit] Pollution and air quality
The Canary Islands have low levels of air pollution thanks to the lack of factories and industry and the tradewinds which naturally move away contaminated air from the islands. According to official data offered by the Health and Industry Ministry in Spain, Tenerife is one of cleanest places in the country with an air pollution index that is below the national average. [35] Despite this, there are still agents which affect pollution levels in the island, the main polluting agents being the refinery at Santa Cruz, the thermal power plants at Las Caletillas and Granadilla, and road traffic, increased by the high level of tourism in the island. In addition the island of Tenerife like at La Palma light pollution must be also controlled, to help the astrophysical observatories located in the island's summits.[36] Water is generally of a very high quality, since all the beaches of the island of Tenerife have been catalogued by the Ministry of Health and Consumption as waters suitable for bathing. [37]
[edit] Flora and Fauna
The island of Tenerife has a remarkable ecological diversity in spite of its small surface area, which is a consequence of special environmental conditions on the island, where its distinct orography modifies the general climatic conditions at a local level, producing a significant variety of microclimates. This vast existence of natural microclimates and, therefore, habitats, means that a rich and diverse flora (1400 species of plants) exists on the island, some of them, well over a hundred, are entirely endemic to Tenerife.[38]Endemic species include Vipers bugloss, Teide white broom, Teide violet etc. The fauna of the island has many endemic invertebrates and unique reptile, bird and mammal species. The fauna of Tenerife includes some 400 species of fish, 56 birds, 5 reptiles, 2 amphibians, 13 land mammals and several thousand invertebrates, along with several species of marine turtles, whales and dolphins.
The vegetation of Tenerife can be divided into 6 major zones that are directly related to altitude and the direction in which they face.
Lower Xerophylic Zone: 0 - 700m. Xerophylic shrubs that are well adapted to long dry spells, intense sun-shine and strong winds. Many endemic species. Spurges, cactus spurge, wax plants, etc.
Thermophile forest: 200 - 600 m. Transition zone. Moderate temperatures and rainfall. Area deteriorated by human activity. Many endemic species: Juniper, dragon trees, palm trees, etc.
Laurel Forest: 500 - 1000 m. Dense forest of large trees, descendants of the Tertiary Age flora, situated in a zone of frequent rainfall and mists. A wide variety of species with abundant undergrowth of bushes herbaceous plants and ferns. Laurels, holly, ebony, mahogany, etc.
Wax Myrtle: 1000 - 1500 m. A dryer vegetation, poorer in species. It replaces the degraded laurel forest. Of great forestry importance. Wax myrtles, tree heath, holly, etc.
Pine Forest: 800 - 2000 m. Open pine forest, with thin and unvaried undergrowth. Canary Island pine, broom, rock rose, etc.
High mountain: over 2000 m. Dry climate, intense solar radiation and extreme temperatures. Flora well adapted to the conditions. [38]
[edit] Protected natural areas
Practically half of the island (48.6%), [39] is under protection from the Red Canaria de Espacios Naturales Protegidos (Canary Islands Network for Naturally Protected Areas). Of the 146 protected sites under control of network in the Canary Islands archipelago, [40] a total of 43 are located in Tenerife, the most protected island in the group. [41] The network has criteria which places areas under its observation under eight different categories of protection, all of them are represented in Tenerife. Aside from Parque Nacional del Teide, it counts the Parque Natural de Canarias (Crown Forest), two rural parks (Anaga and Teno), four integral natural reserves, six special natural reserves, a total of fourteen natural monuments, nine protected landscapes and up to six sites of scientific interest.
[edit] Administration
[edit] Law and Order
Tenerife island's government resides with the Cabildo Insular de Tenerife[42] located at the Plaza de España at the island's capital city. The political Canary organization does not have a provincial government body but instead each island has its own government at their own Cabildo. Since its creation in March 1913 it has a series of capabilities and duties, stated in the Canary Autonomy Statutes (Spanish: Estatuto de AutonomÃa de Canarias) and regulated by Law 14/1990, of 26 July 1990, of the Régimen JurÃdico de las Administraciones Públicas de Canarias.[43]
The Cabildo is composed of the following administration offices; Presidency, Legislative Body, Government Council, Informative Commissions, Junta de Portavoces.
[edit] Municipalities
The island, itself a Spanish province named Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is divided administratively into 31 municipalities.
Only three municipalities are landlocked: Tegueste, El Tanque and Vilaflor. The latter is the municipality with the heighest altitude in the Canaries (its capital is 1,400 meters high).
The largest municipality with 207.31 sq km is La Orotava, which covers much of the Teide National Park. The smallest town on the island of the archipelago and is Puerto de la Cruz, with an area smaller than 9 sq. km.[44]
It is also common to find internal division, in that some cities make up a metropolitan area within a municipality, notably the cities of Santa Cruz and La Laguna.
Below is the list of all the municipalities in the island alphabetically:
[edit] Flags and Heraldry
The Flag of Tenerife was originally adopted in 1845 by the navy at its base in the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Later, and at present, this flag represents all the island of Tenerife. It was approved by the Cabildo Insular de Tenerife and the Order of the Government of the Canary Islands on the 9th of May of 1989 and published on the 22nd of May in the government report of the Canary Islands and made official.[45]
The coat-of-arms of Tenerife was granted by royal decree on March 23, 1510 by Ferdinand the Catholic at Madrid in the name of Joan I, Queen of Castile. The coat-of-arms has a field of gold, with an image of Saint Michael (the island was conquered on the saint’s feast day) above a mountain depicted in brownish, natural colors. Flames erupt from the mountain, symbolizing El Teide. Below this mountain is depicted the island itself in vert on top of blue and silver waves. To the right there is a castle in gules, and to