About the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands can thank their position, to the north of the Tropic of Cancer and to the west of Saharan Africa, for their extremely agreeable climate. A holiday in the Canaries virtually guarantees a healthy dose of winter sunshine for those wanting to split up the winter, a fact that draws back thousands of holidaymakers year after year. The Canary Islands have a very warm climate. With temperatures ranging from 18ºC in the winter to about 24ºC in summer. Daily highs can easily reach the mid to high 30sºC in the summer. The sun will usually fade about 7:00pm. The variations between the islands ensure there is a Canary Island to suit all tastes and preferences and all hold something to entice you. The Canary Islands are seven islands and six islets 112km from the Atlantic coast of North Africa and 1120km southwest of Spain.
The main tourist resorts are excellent for watersports, windsurfing, sailing, fishing, tennis, golf and so on. The outdoor lover's winter playground, the walker's paradise and the beach bum's dream come true, the Canaries offer one of the easiest escapes to relax. The local people take great pride in their folklore traditions and the carnival festivities are famous throughout Spain. This paradisiac group of islands, with a preferred climate and constant temperature through all the year, and splendid beaches of fine sand, consists of 7 larger islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, Gomera, Hierro) and a few smaller ones (Alegranza, Graciosa, Montaña Clara, Roque del Este, Roque del Oeste und Lobos). Surprisingly, the landscape of each island is radically different to the others.
Already Greeks and Romans reported on this archipelago of volcanic origins, and called it the Happy Islands, Garden of the Hesperides, Atlantida, ... Some historians suppose that the legendary continent Atlantis was located here. The islands' original population, called Guanches, is tall and of white skin. In 1496 the islands became part of the Spanish kingdom, and the ships of Christopher Columbus stopped here on their travel to discover the New World.