Lanzarote

Lanzarote is a Spanish island in the Canary Islands, the easternmost of them. 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. At the beginning of 2024, it had 163,230 inhabitants, making 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 located in the centre-west. In 1993, UNESCO declared the island a biosphere reserve. The island's capital is Arrecife, on the eastern 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, and 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", which 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 material evidence survives. The first known record came from the Roman writer Pliny the Elder in his book Naturalis Historia, which described the Fortunate Isles, the old name for the Canary Islands. The Roman poet Lucan and the Greek astronomer and geographer Ptolemy also gave their locations. The island was settled by the Majos tribe of the Guanches. In 1336, a ship arrived from Lisbon led by the Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello. In 1402, the French explorer Jean de Béthencourt arrived, and the French took over the island within a few months. Many Guanches were taken away as slaves, and the first European settlement in the Canary Islands appeared that year at El Rubicón, in the south of the Yaiza municipality. Later, the island's grain trade made Lanzarote and Fuerteventura important suppliers to Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

From 1730 to 1736, a series of volcanic eruptions created 32 new volcanoes in a stretch of 18 kilometres (11 miles). Lava covered a quarter of the island, including its most fertile land and 11 villages. In 1768, drought struck the island, and many people left for 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. A report in the Financial Times said this status was threatened by a local corruption scandal, and police arrested several local leaders in connection with illegal building permits. The President of the Cabildo of Lanzarote denied any threat to the island's UNESCO status.

Geography

Lanzarote is located 125 kilometres (80 miles) north-west of Africa, 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) from north to south and 25 km (16 mi) from west to east. It has 213 kilometres (132 miles) of coastline, and most of it 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", the largest underwater volcanic tunnel in the world, is part of the Cueva de los Verdes lava tube.

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

Geology

See also: Geology of the Canary Islands

Lanzarote is the northernmost and easternmost of the main Canary Islands, and it has a volcanic origin. The island emerged about 15 million years ago as a product of the Canary hotspot. Along with other islands, it emerged after the African and American continental plates broke apart.

The greatest recorded eruptions took place between 1730 and 1736. They started outside the Timanfaya National Park area, at the Caldera de Los Cuervos volcano, on 1 September 1730. The eruptions ended with the eruption of the Montaña Colorada volcano, 1.7 km (1.1 mi) north-east of El Cuervo, which stopped on 16 April 1736.

Biodiversity

Lanzarote has about five hundred kinds of plants, and 17 of them are endemic, meaning they are found only on the island. These plants have adapted to the scarce water, much like succulents. They include 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 today. After winter rain, the plants burst into colourful blooms 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. This method catches rainfall and overnight dew and shelters the plants from the wind. The island also has 180 kinds of lichen-forming fungi, which live on rock surfaces and help wear the rock down over time.

Apart from native bats and mammals that came with people, such as the dromedary, which was used for farming and is now a tourist attraction, few backboned animals live on Lanzarote. These include birds such as falcons and reptiles. Some interesting animals that live only here are the Gallotia lizards and the blind Munidopsis polymorpha crabs found in the Jameos del Agua salt lake, which was formed by a volcanic eruption. The island is also home to one of two surviving groups of the threatened Canarian Egyptian vulture. The lava mouse (Malpaisomys insularis) once lived on the island but is now extinct, while the Canarian shrew (Crocidura canariensis) still lives there.

Natural symbols

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

The official natural symbols of Lanzarote are Munidopsis polymorpha (Blind crab) and Euphorbia balsamifera (Tabaiba dulce).

Demographics

As of 2024, 163,230 people live on Lanzarote, an increase of 4.6% from the previous year (156,112). The island government's seat, the Cabildo insular, is in the capital, Arrecife, which had a population of 68,025 in 2024. According to the 2024 census, most inhabitants are Spanish (76.1%), and there are also many residents from other countries, including 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, and is divided into seven municipalities:

Transport

The island's main airport is César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport, which handled 7327019 passengers in 2018. It was renamed in 2019 to include the name of local artist César Manrique. Inter-island flights to the other Canary Islands use its T2 terminal and are run by Binter Canarias and Canaryfly. The airport is about 5 kilometres southwest of the capital, Arrecife, and is connected to it by the LZ-2 road. 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 also 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, and the LZ-2 road connects Arrecife to Playa Blanca. LZ-3, a highway, forms a ring road around Arrecife. Buses run by Intercity Bus Lanzarote operate 30 lines across the island, including 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. Others include politicians such as 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 such as Saúl Coco, Archie Davies, Jordi Martín, Óscar Martín, Claudio Mendes, Carlos Mendes Gomes, Rafael Morera, Jonathan Pérez Olivero, and Jonathan Proietti, as well as 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, Carlos Morales Quintana, an architect who is married to Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark, a member of Greek royalty who lives on the island, and Beverly Swerling, an American writer.

Festivals

The most established festival on the island is held each 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 take part in this pilgrimage, and most wear traditional costumes.

Sport

The island's only professional football team is UD Lanzarote, which was founded in 1970. The team plays at the Ciudad Deportiva de Lanzarote, which holds 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 hosted 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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