Canary Island

THE GROUP OF ISLANDS CALLED THE Canaries is situated in the Atlantic Ocean between 27037' and 29035' north and 13"20' and 18,,12' west, facing the northwest coast of Africa (67 miles west northwest of Cape Juby). The archipelago consists of seven main islands (Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Gomera and Hierro) and other smaller ones.

The area of the entire archipelago is 2808 square miles, the largest island being Tenerife (795 square miles). In 1960 the population was 944,448. Although the archipelago geographically belongs to Africa, it is an integral part of the Spanish state, constituting two provinces, Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The Canaries are volcanic in origin, and in the 19th century active volcanoes still erupted. Topographically, the archipelago is linked to the North African coast. From a base deep under the sea, ancient volcanic action created the present lava formations and the basaltic rocks on which most of the Canaries iie. The volcanoes are today extinct or dormant. The Pico de Teide on Tenerife rises 12,162 feet above sea level, and is therefore the highest peak on Spanish territory.