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Canary Islands

The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost autonomous community of Spain, located about off the northwest coast of Africa. The archipelago has a population of approximately 2.27 million inhabitants, making it the most populous overseas special territory of the European Union.

The seven main islands, listed from largest to smallest by area, are Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro. The only other inhabited island is La Graciosa, which is administratively dependent on Lanzarote. The archipelago also includes numerous smaller islands and islets, such as Alegranza, Isla de Lobos, Montaña Clara, Roque del Oeste, and Roque del Este, as well as various rocks, including Garachico and Anaga. Historically, the island chain was referred to as "the Fortunate Isles". The Canary Islands are the southernmost and westernmost region of Spain as well as the largest and most populous archipelago of Macaronesia. They are also the largest and most populated archipelago in Spain. Owing to their strategic location, the Canary Islands have long been considered a link between Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

In October 2025, the Canary Islands had a population of 2,268,035, with a density of 305 inhabitants per km², making them the seventh most populous autonomous community in Spain and the third-highest in population density, behind only Madrid and the Basque Country. The population is mostly concentrated on the two capital islands, with around 43% on Tenerife and 39% on Gran Canaria. In 2026, the Canary Islands are expected to have a nominal GDP of €64.123 billion, resulting in a GDP per capita of €28,272.

The Canary Islands, especially Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote, are a major tourist destination, with over 14.1 million visitors in 2023. This is due to their beaches, subtropical climate, and important natural attractions, especially Maspalomas in Gran Canaria and Mount Teide, a World Heritage Site in Tenerife. Mount Teide is the highest peak in Spain and the 3rd tallest volcano in the world, measured from its base on the ocean floor. The islands have warm summers and winters warm enough for the climate to be technically tropical at sea level. The amount of precipitation and the level of maritime moderation vary depending on location and elevation. The archipelago includes green areas as well as semi-desert. The islands' high mountains are ideal for astronomical observation, because they lie above the temperature inversion layer. As a result, the archipelago has two professional astronomical observatories: the Teide Observatory on Tenerife, and Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma.

In 1927, the Province of Canary Islands was split into two provinces, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas. In 1982, the autonomous community of the Canary Islands was established. The cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are, jointly, the capitals of the islands. Those cities are also, respectively, the capitals of the provinces of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has been the largest city in the Canaries since 1768, except for a brief period in the 1910s. Between the 1833 territorial division of Spain and 1927, Santa Cruz de Tenerife was the sole capital of the Canary Islands. In 1927, it was ordered by decree that the capital of the Canary Islands would be shared between two cities, and this arrangement persists to the present day. The third largest city in the Canary Islands is San Cristóbal de La Laguna, another World Heritage Site on Tenerife.

During the Age of Sail, the islands were the main stopover for Spanish galleons during the Spanish colonisation of the Americas, which sailed that far south in order to catch the prevailing northeasterly trade winds. Provided by Wikipedia