Tenerife – Spanish Lifestyle between Idleness and Friskiness
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Tenerife Garachico
Garachico is a resort town on the north coast of Tenerife
Having the total area of 2034 square kilometres, Tenerife is the biggest of the Canary Islands. The island is situated in the Atlantic Ocean, about 300 kilometres away from the African coast and about 1300 kilometres away from the Spanish mainland. The island has 686 thousand inhabitants, most of them living in the capital town Santa Cruz de Tenerife. When coming to Tenerife, no matter if you come by air or by sea, you will be impressed by the huge 3718 metres high Pico del Teide, which is the highest mountain of Spain. It was in 1909, when this volcanic mountain was active for the last time.The history of the island goes back to the ancient times. In the year 500 B.C., the island was first inhabited by the Berber tribes. About 200 A.D. the famous geographer Ptolemy defined the prime meridian through the small neighbouring island Hierro, which was in those times known as the last explored island at the end of the world. In the 15th century, the powerful king of the Guanches named Tinerfe was reigning on the island. Afterwards, the island was named after him. The Canary Islands belong to the Spanish territory since the 16th century. The sailing region around Tenerife is very attractive because of its great sailing conditions. The mild climate all the year through is influenced by the north-east trade winds. Especially in the daytime, the air, which contains sea water, rises to the top of the Teide mountain. This effects the cloud formations in the height of 1000 to 1500 metres, which are then condensed to a fine drizzle through the pine and laurel forests. The agriculture on the northern side of the island benefit enormously from this fact, especially in the dry summer months. Sometimes, the air temperature of over 35 degrees Celsius may hold over some weeks. Due to the isolated geographical situation, there are many endemic animal and plant species that cannot be found elsewhere. The impressive Canarian dragon tree, for instance, is one of the characteristic Canarian plant species. Among the typical Canarian animal species is the famous Canarian serin. One of the highlights of the 3000 metres deep straits between Gomera and Tenerife is definitely the impressive grey whale school. This place is highly estimated by the animal lovers, as no other place on Earth is home for so many whales, being so close to the coast.
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