Tenerife History

Tenerife or Teneriffe (ancient Pintuaria), island, Spain, largest of the Canary Islands, forming part of Santa Cruz de Tenerife Province. Located in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwestern coast of Africa, northwest of Cape Bojador, the island extends about 97 km (60 mi) in length and ranges from 48 km (30 mi) to 16 km (10 mi) in width, with an area of 2,059 sq km (795 sq mi). Several small rivers originate in the mountains of the island. In the northeastern part of the island is Pinar de la Esperanza, a forest of eucalyptus and pine. The volcanic mountain Pico de Teide (3,718 m/12,198 ft high) occupies the main portion of the island. The soil is fertile, and agricultural products include dates, coconut palms, fruit, grain, maize, tomatoes, cotton, sugar, and grapes. Tourism is important to the economy. Santa Cruz de Tenerife, capital of the province, is the largest city and principal seaport of Tenerife. The next largest town is La Laguna. The population of the island (1986) is 759,388. The name Tenerife means 'snowcapped mountain' in Guanche. In June 1936 Francisco Franco and other army officers met on Tenerife to plan the Nationalist rebellion that sparked the Spanish Civil War.

The indigenous people of the Canary Islands, the Guanches

The first inhabitants of the Canary Islands were the Guanches, a Berber race with light hair and features. Spain laid claim to the islands in the 1400s. The king of Mauritania, describing an expedition to the islands, referred to large, fierce dogs("canis" in Latin)hence the name Canaria. Arabs set up a trade business in 999. Many other groups, including people from Genoa, Majorca, Portugal, and France, visited the area in the 1200s and 1300s. Juan de Bethencourt was named king of the Canary Islands in 1404, and he eventually turned them over to his nephew. In the 1400s a Portuguese army took over the island of Gomera and held it for almost 60 years. A 1479 treaty formally gave Spain control of the islands, which were classified an autonomous community of Spain in 1982

THE YEAR IN WHICH TENERIFE PROPERTY WORLD WAS FOUNDED