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| Location and expansion |
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Tenerife is the largest of the seven islands that make up the Canary archipelago together. The island lies between the 28ten and 29ten latitude and between the 16th and 17th longitude, just north of the turning circle of cancer, and occupies a central position between the islands of Gran Canaria, La Gomera and La Palma.
The island is only just over 300 km west of the African continent and more than 1300 km south of the Iberian peninsula.
Tenerife has an area of 2034 square kilometres. Like the rest of the Canary Islands, it is of volcanic origin. The last of the three eruptions in which the island was created about 3.5 million years ago. The last earthquake in Tenerife, from about 4 on the Richter scale, was in 2002. The highest point of Spain, Teide (3717 m), is available on this island. The island itself is noticeably different in a very dry southern part and a very wet and green north.
In 1954, the Teide and a large area around the volcano to the National Park Las Cañadas del Teide. The Teide National Park was established in 2007 in the list of World Cultural Heritage.
The climb to the summit is forbidden, but there is the possibility of a special permit in the offices of the national parks.
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| Tenerife History |
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Tenerife, consisted at the time of his conquest of nine different "Menceyatos", as the small kingdoms were named the Guanches. Although the Spanish troops under the Adelantado ( "military governor") Alonso Fernandez de Lugo, in the first battle of Acentejo in 1494 a devastating defeat suffered by the Guanches, joined the Guanches - perhaps because of the superior technology and "imported" against diseases they were not immune - on 25 December 1495 the crown of Castile.
As to the other islands of the Canaries, a large proportion of the population of Tenerife enslaved or succumbed to diseases while immigrants from different parts of Europe to the Spanish Empire (Portugal, Flanders, Italy, Germany) belonged to the island settled. After 1520, the original pine forests in Tenerife cleared to make room for the cultivation of sugar cane to create. In the following centuries, the economy shifted Tenerife in the cultivation of other products of other goods such as wine and cochineal (for dyes) and bananas.
In the 17th and 18th century defied Tenerife different attacks by the fleets of England (including by Admiral Nelson), while Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the year 1778 by the then King Carlos III was given the privilege of trading with America to operate.
Less hostile visitors came in the following centuries to Tenerife. The naturalist Alexander von Humboldt 1799 ascended the summit of Mount Teide and was fascinated by the beauty of the island. The tourists began in the 1890s to Tenerife in large numbers to visit, especially the northern cities of Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
From fear of his political influence was Francisco Franco, before his ascent to power in March 1936 by the republican government sent to Tenerife. However, Franco received information and agreed to continue in Gran Canaria in the military coup cooperate, ultimately to the Spanish civil war resulted. The Canary Islands in July 1936 fell under the power of the nationalists and large segments of the population were for fear of opponents of the new government victims of mass executions.
In the 1950s, led the misery of the post-war period, thousands of inhabitants of Tenerife to emigrate to Cuba and other parts of Latin America.
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| Flora und Fauna |
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Covering an area of slightly more than 2 034 square kilometers, the island of Tenerife, on an unusually large ecological diversity. This is due primarily to their special ecological conditions under which many micro-climates prevail. This favours the growth of a variety of plants, where almost 1 400 different plant a perfect harmony.
At Tenerife, there are about 140 in the world unique species, and thus the largest collection of endemic flowers throughout Macaronesia. We should remember that Macaronesia one of the world's most important natural regions.
Nearly half of the island is in a protected regions of the 48 division, primarily the Teide National Park, half a century ago was built. This place, with its many attractions, is considered the bestbesuchte National Park in Spain since 2007 and is UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The copies to various wild animals, with more than 6000 species of invertebrate animals and 109 species of vertebrates, and a lush flora, is in the Parque Natural de la Corona Forestal admire, where the Canary Island pine dominates.
Other attractions to draw the attention of visitors deserve include the National Parks and Anaga Teno, and the nature reserves Ljuana, Pirajal, Roques de Anaga and Pinorelis, and the special reserves Malpaís de La Rasca, Malpaís de Güímar, Montaña Roja (Red Mountain) , Barranco del Infierno, El Chinyero and Las Palomas.
Tenerife has six well-defined ecosystems: Cardonal-Tabaibal (the typical endemic plants of this area are "tabaibas"), "Card Ones" (species of giant cacti) and "cardoncillos" (small cacti), Thermophilous forests (juniper, dragon trees and palms ), Laurissilva (forests shrubs as acebitos, viñátigos, barbuzanos), Fayal-Brezal (Faye, heather, acebitos), Pinar (Canary Island pine, escobones, Jared), Alta montaña (tajinastes, retamas, violeta del Teide). |
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