Although Tenerife and the Canary Islands are a part of Spain, the culture and history is quite distinct. The island was colonised by the Guanches in around 200 BC, who remained in control of the islands until the Spanish invaded in around 1494.
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Originally inhabited by an Indigenous civilization called the Guanches, these islands fell under Spanish rule in the 15th century. Since then, they have become an important stop on international trade routes between Europe and the Americas.
History: Created by a volcano 10 millions years ago, Tenerife was originally inhabited by the Guanches, which were a cavern tribe originally from African. Until the arrival of the Spaniards the Guanches had been living in peace with their prehistoric customs and culture.
Alonso Fernandez de Lugo is an aristocrat of Andalusia and conquered the Island La Palma. Tenerife is the last of the Canary Island that has been conquered and is now subordinated to the Spanish king.
Tenerife, the largest of the islands, wouldn't fall under Spanish control until 1495, after two invasions. As in the Americas, warriors on horseback and diseases were the most effective European methods of conquest.
National Intercultural Cities Network - SpainOut of the total, the 80.44% of its inhabitants is Spanish from birth, with 72.63% born on the Canary Islands and 7.82% born in another Spanish territory. Out of the total, the 13.04% are non-nationals, whereas the 6.51% are foreign-borns.
As in the rest of Spain, in the Canary Islands the official language is Spanish. However, as in the majority of countries, there are many people who speak English, the second most spoken language, and many people also understand German.
According to the reliable Encyclopedia Britannica, the Guanches are thought to have been of Cro-Magnon origin... and had a brown complexion, blue or gray eyes, and blondish hair.
Tenerife newspaper, Diario de Avisos, report that experts from the University of La Laguna have uncovered remains of a viking drakkar - or long ship - used by the Scandinavian Vikings and the Saxons to raid coastal and inland settlements during the European Middle Ages - on Tenerife's Las Teresitas beach.
Tenerife is also a province of Spain and is therefore part of the European Union and belongs therefore to Europe. Tenerife is part of the most southerly islands of Europe very close to the western side of Africa.
Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman traders are known to have visited the islands and Roman artifacts have been found in the Canaries dating from around the 4th century CE, although there is no evidence of a Roman settlement.
Geographically the islands are part of the African continent but from a historical, economical, political and socio-cultural point of view, the Canarias are completely European.
It was the last of the Canary Islands to fall to Spain in 1496 and subsequently became an important trading centre. Although part of the European Union, the Canary Islands are physically closer to Africa, with Tenerife lying just 300km off the coast of Morocco.
No, they consider themselves to be Spanish and Canarian. The Canary Islands were conquered by Spain more than five centuries ago and are culturally European. They are proud of their Guanche heritage but feel it as their own distinct native roots, not as related to Berbers or North Africa.
The Canary Islands (/k?'n??ri/; Spanish: Canarias, pronounced [ka'na?jas]), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the Atlantic Ocean. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Morocco.
The crystal-clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean around Tenerife and the Canary Islands are internationally known for their quality and temperatures of 70 degrees. Filled with a rich diversity of marine life, the island is an undersea paradise for experienced or first time divers.
Between 1420 and 1479 a Portuguese force subdued Gomera. In 1479 the Treaty of Alcáçovas recognized Spanish sovereignty over the Canaries, and the conquest of the remaining islands was completed in 1496.
The crystal-clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean around Tenerife and the Canary Islands are internationally known for their quality and temperatures of 70 degrees. Filled with a rich diversity of marine life, the island is an undersea paradise for experienced or first time divers.