Why are the Canary Islands part of Spain and not Africa?

Spain is a transcontinental state, which holds sovereignty over some places in North Africa, including the Canarian Archipelago. These are remnants of its past as a colonial empire, which encompassed at its peak possessions in Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Oceania.



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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.

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Tenerife belongs politically to Spain and it is not in Africa because it is located outseide of the african continent. Fuerteventura is the closest island to Africa, situated at only a 100 km distance from the coast of Morocco.

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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.

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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.

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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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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.

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The African coast lies only ~ 313 km from Mt Teide, but this is greater than the visibility range V ~ 253 km. There are reports of Africa being visible from Fuerteventura.

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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.

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The Canary Islands (Spanish: Islas Canarias) are an Atlantic territory of Spain off the coast of Morocco and Western Sahara.

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The Canary Islands have been known since antiquity. Until the Spanish colonization between 1402 and 1496, the Canaries were populated by an indigenous population, whose origin was Amazigh from North Africa.

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As a result, genetic analyses of modern Canarians show mainly a mixture of European and North African genes, and low frequencies of sub-Saharan genes, with quite a lot of variation (see Ancestry).

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The Canary Islands are the southernmost region of Spain, and the largest and most populous archipelago of Macaronesia. Because of their location, the Canary Islands have historically been considered a link between the four continents of Africa, North America, South America, and Europe.

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Tenerife has earned that status for many Brits. The Spanish island has a great deal to offer and has appealed to multiple generations of UK nationals. Traditions have been built around the place, and many visits are all but written in the stars.

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The Canary Islands were created by a series of volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. The oldest of these is Fuerteventura, which is thought to be over 20 million years old, followed by Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro, respectively.

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Canary Islands Spanish (a distinct dialect of Spanish) is spoken in the Canaries, and certain archaic words peculiar to the archipelago show Portuguese influences.

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