"Islas Las Canarias" Canary Islands by Beach_dog

The seven islands of the Canary group are Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma. Together they form the Canary Islands one of Spain's seventeen Autonomous Regions. They are located off the North African coast in the Atlantic Ocean. Formed during the last 20 million years from volcanic activity they are still very much active, with four of the islands having eruptions in the last 500 years. You need not worry if visiting though, as there are no active eruptions at present, although Lanzarote has hot springs and the volcano El Teide on Tenerife does give off sulpherous fumes.

A common misbelief is that the Canary Islands are named after the little yellow bird of that name, this is not true, the Roman 'Pliny the Elder' called the Islands the Dog Islands (Canaria from the Latin 'Canis') after the many wild dogs that roamed there. The canary birds do in fact exist on the Islands and are in fact named after them.

Before the Spanish conquered the islands in the 15th century, they were occupied by the Guanche Indians, although the origins of the Guanches is not known they are thought to possibly be from Berber tribes of North Africa that somehow made the journey across the water. The Guanches were either killed off by the Spanish or integrated into the Spanish community.

They are a perfect holiday destination, with their warm and stable sub tropical climate throughout the year, they have been referred to as the Islands of eternal spring. Temperatures are stable throughout the year, at around 22ºC in the northern winter months and 27ºC in the northern summer months.

Until now, I have only visited two of the Islands, Tenerife and La Gomera.

El Teide, Spains highest mountain.

Tenerife is the largest of the Islands, it is dominated by Spain's highest mountain 'El Teide' also the worlds third largest volcano. It is 3717.91 metres ( 12,198 ft ) in height. El Teide is one of the worlds 15 volcanoes that is expected to wake up in the next 50 years. The last eruptions occured in 1704-06, 1798 and 1909.

The south of the Island is clearer and slighly warmer than the north, where cloud is a little more common, caused by the mountains. The south is therefore more popular with tourists than the north, but dont miss north as many of the more interesting things to see are located there.

Hermigua a town in the mountains of La Gomera.

Although one of the smallest of the seven main Islands, La Gomera has a lot to offer. Round in shape the island rises steeply from the sea, with rugged cliffs and impressive mountains and valleys. Roads wind up the mountains in winding hairpin bends, until you reach the central plateau, covered in Laural forests and designated the Parque National de Garajonay. A must see for scenery, botany and intersting walks. It is a relatively quiet island, not full of tourists and populated with quiet towns and villages.