Lanzarote

Lanzarote is a Spanish island in the Canary Islands. It is the easternmost of the islands. It lies 125 kilometres (80 miles) off the north coast of Africa and 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from the Iberian Peninsula. Its name is said as "lan-zuh-RO-tee" in British English (UK) and "lan-zuh-ROH-tay" in American English (US). This article is about the Canary Island. For other uses, see Lanzarote (disambiguation).

Lanzarote covers 845.94 square kilometres (326.62 square miles). It is the fourth-largest island in the archipelago. In early 2024, about 163,230 people lived there. This makes it the third most populous Canary Island, after Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

One of the island's main attractions is Timanfaya National Park, which is in the centre-west. In 1993, UNESCO named the island a biosphere reserve. The island's capital is Arrecife, on the east coast. Lanzarote is the smaller of the main islands in the Province of Las Palmas.

The first recorded name for the island was Insula de Lanzarotus Marocelus. The Italian-Majorcan cartographer Angelino Dulcert gave it this name after the Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello. The modern name comes from it.

The island's name in the native Guanche language was Tyterogaka or Tytheroygaka. This may mean "one that is all ochre". Ochre is a yellowish-brown earth, and it described the island's main colour before the eruption at Timanfaya.

History

Lanzarote is believed to have been the first Canary Island to be settled. The Phoenicians may have visited or settled there, but no clear evidence remains. The first known record came from the Roman writer Pliny the Elder in his book Naturalis Historia. He described the Fortunate Isles, which was the old name for the Canary Islands. The Roman poet Lucan and the Greek astronomer and geographer Ptolemy also wrote about where the islands were.

The Majos people, a group of the Guanches, lived on the island. In 1336, a ship arrived from Lisbon led by the Genoese sailor Lancelotto Malocello. In 1402, the French explorer Jean de Béthencourt arrived, and the French took control of the island within a few months. Many Guanches were taken away from their homes against their will. That year, the first European settlement in the Canary Islands was built at El Rubicón, in the south of the Yaiza area. Later, the island sold a lot of grain to other islands. This made Lanzarote and Fuerteventura important helpers to Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

From 1730 to 1736, a series of volcanic eruptions created 32 new volcanoes in an area about 18 kilometres (11 miles) long. Lava covered a quarter of the island, including some of its best farmland and 11 villages. In 1768, a drought hit the island, and many people moved away to Cuba and the Americas. In 1927, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura became part of the province of Las Palmas. Today, the island has UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status, which means it is protected for its nature. A report in the Financial Times said this status was at risk because of a local scandal involving unfair behaviour by some leaders. Police arrested several local leaders over illegal building permits. The President of the Cabildo of Lanzarote said the island's UNESCO status was not in danger.

Geography

Lanzarote is about 125 kilometres (80 miles) north-west of Africa. It is 11 km (7 mi) north-east of Fuerteventura and just over 1 km (5⁄8 mi) from La Graciosa. The island is 60 km (37 mi) long from north to south and 25 km (16 mi) wide from west to east. Most of its 213 kilometres (132 miles) of coastline is rocky. Its mountains include Famara in the north and the Ajaches in the south. The highest peak, Peñas del Chache, rises to 670 metres (2,200 feet) above sea level. The "Tunnel of Atlantis" is part of the Cueva de los Verdes lava tube. It is the largest underwater volcanic tunnel in the world.

Often called the "Island of Eternal Spring", Lanzarote has a subtropical hot desert climate under the Köppen climatic classification. Rain falls mainly in winter, and summers are often very dry. On average, the island gets about 16 days of rain between December and February. Sometimes the hot sirocco wind brings dry, dusty weather across the island.

Geology

See also: Geology of the Canary Islands

Lanzarote is the most northern and most eastern of the main Canary Islands. It was formed by volcanoes. The island rose out of the sea about 15 million years ago because of the Canary hotspot. It formed at the same time as other islands, after the African and American continental plates split apart.

The biggest eruptions happened between 1730 and 1736. They began outside the Timanfaya National Park area, at the Caldera de Los Cuervos volcano, on 1 September 1730. The last eruption was at the Montaña Colorada volcano, which is 1.7 km (1.1 mi) north-east of El Cuervo. It stopped on 16 April 1736.

Biodiversity

Lanzarote has about five hundred kinds of plants. Seventeen of them are endemic, which means they grow only on this island. These plants have adapted to the little water available, much like succulents. Some of them are the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), which grows in the damper northern areas, the Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis), ferns, and wild olive trees (Olea europaea). Laurisilva trees once covered the highest parts of Risco de Famara, but they are rarely found there today. After winter rain, the plants burst into colourful flowers between February and March. Vines in the vineyards of La Gería, part of the Lanzarote DO wine region, are planted in deep pits with small stone walls around them. These walls catch rain and dew and protect the plants from the wind. The island also has 180 kinds of lichen-forming fungi, which grow on rocks and slowly wear them down over time.

Few backboned animals live on Lanzarote, apart from native bats and animals that people brought with them. One of these is the dromedary, a camel that was used for farming and is now a tourist attraction. Some birds, such as falcons, and reptiles also live here. Some animals live only on this island, such as the Gallotia lizards and the blind Munidopsis polymorpha crabs. The crabs live in the Jameos del Agua salt lake, which was formed by a volcanic eruption. The island is also home to one of only two remaining groups of the Canarian Egyptian vulture, a bird that is at risk of disappearing. The lava mouse (Malpaisomys insularis) once lived on the island but is now extinct. The Canarian shrew (Crocidura canariensis) still lives there.

Natural symbols

Main article: List of animal and plant symbols of the Canary Islands

Lanzarote has two official natural symbols. One is the Munidopsis polymorpha, a small crab that is blind. The other is the Euphorbia balsamifera, a plant also called Tabaiba dulce.

Demographics

As of 2024, 163,230 people live on Lanzarote. That is an increase of 4.6% from the year before. The island government's seat, the Cabildo insular, is in the capital, Arrecife, which had about 68,025 people in 2024. According to the 2024 census, most people on the island are Spanish (76.1%). Many residents come from other countries too. These include Colombians (4.4%), Britons (3.8%), Italians (2.6%), Moroccans (2.4%) and Germans (1.4%).

Administration

Lanzarote is part of the province of Las Palmas. It is divided into seven municipalities:

Transport

The island's main airport is César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport. It handled over 7 million passengers in 2018. In 2019, it was renamed to honour local artist César Manrique. Flights to other Canary Islands leave from its T2 terminal. They are run by Binter Canarias and Canaryfly. The airport is about 5 kilometres southwest of the capital, Arrecife. A LZ-2 road connects the two. Most goods arrive by sea at the Port of Arrecife, Puerto de los Mármoles, which cruise ships also use. Regular ferries link Arrecife with Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Cadiz.

Ferries run several times a day between Playa Blanca, the southernmost town, and Corralejo on Fuerteventura. Ferries to La Graciosa leave from Órzola, the northernmost town. The main companies are Fred Olsen Express and Naviera Armas. On land, the LZ-1 road connects Arrecife to Órzola. The LZ-2 road connects Arrecife to Playa Blanca. LZ-3 is a highway that forms a ring road around Arrecife. Buses run by Intercity Bus Lanzarote operate 30 lines across the island. These include local services in Playa Blanca, San Bartolomé and Tías.

Notable people

Many people connected with Lanzarote have made their mark in different fields. Early figures include soldier and merchant Francisco Aguilar y Leal, journalist José Clavijo y Fajardo, and nobleman and Castilian conquistador Hernan Peraza the Younger. Politicians include Juan Curbelo, who was mayor of San Antonio de Bexar, Texas, Juan Leal, the first mayor of San Antonio, and Salvador Rodríguez, a council member of San Antonio de Bexar. Scientists and writers from the island's history include physicist Blas Cabrera Felipe, Uruguayan Roman Catholic prelate Jacinto Vera, and Portuguese writer José Saramago, who lived on the island.

People from the island and those linked to it also work in music, art, sport, and film. Musicians include singer Rosana Arbelo, guitarist Diego Barber, musician Benito Cabrera, and German musician Stephan Remmler. Artists and designers include César Manrique, an artist, architect and sculptor, traditional ceramist Dorotea de Armas, costume designer Paco Delgado, and British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor. Actors include Pupo De Luca, Nasser Saleh, Kimberley Tell, and Goya Toledo. Athletes include footballers Saúl Coco, Archie Davies, Jordi Martín, Óscar Martín, Claudio Mendes, Carlos Mendes Gomes, Rafael Morera, Jonathan Pérez Olivero, and Jonathan Proietti. Other athletes are triathlete Patricia Díaz Perea, gymnast Rayderley Zapata, para-cyclist Jonas Van de Steene, and high jumper Thomas Zacharias.

Other notable people include Robbie Dale, a radio disc jockey, Penelope Farmer, an English fiction writer, Alan Kitching, a graphic designer and architect, Manuel Medina, a politician, and Carlos Morales Quintana, an architect. He is married to Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark, a member of Greek royalty who lives on the island. Another is Beverly Swerling, an American writer.

Festivals

The oldest festival on the island is held every year on 15 September in the village of Mancha Blanca. It honours Our Lady of Dolours (Virgen de los Dolores), also called the "Virgin of the Volcanoes" and the Patron Saint of Lanzarote. People from all over the island join this pilgrimage, and most of them wear traditional clothing.

Sport

The island's only professional football team is UD Lanzarote, which was started in 1970. The team plays at the Ciudad Deportiva de Lanzarote, a stadium that can hold 7,000 people. The island is also home to the smaller clubs CD Teguise and CD Orientación Marítima.

In tennis, the Open Isla de Lanzarote was held between 2006 and 2008. The island is also well known for its famous Ironman Triathlon race, which was held there for 34 years.

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