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| | Before the arrival of the Spanish in the 1400s, the Canaries were populated by a light-haired people called Guanches, who were mainly farmers and shepherds. The conquest was slow, it took nearly 100 years before the Guanches were totally defeated, and by the 1600s these islands were totally colonized and Christian. |
| The temperature in the Canaries varies very little during the year; averages are constantly between the mid-60s and the mid-70s. The water is always pleasant and suitable for swimming. Fuerteventura and Lanzarote get very little rainfall, while the other islands may experience the occasional tropical rainfall. Sometimes there is snow on top of the high mountains. |
| The seven islands of the Canaries are located less than 70 miles from the western coast of Africa, although it is a Spanish territory. The Teide volcano of Tenerife is Spain’s highest mountain. |
| Tourism is the main source of income, about 10 million people vacation here each year. Banana, tobacco, cochinilla—the red dye used in lipstick among other things, as well as other tropical crops are also important for this economy. |
| Cesar Manrique, a pioneer in Spanish abstract art was born and lived on Tenerife. He is probably the most well known artist from the Canaries. Handicrafts like lace, embroidery, pottery and such are great little works of art that you should buy and take with you home. |
| If Spain has a laid back atmosphere, the Canary Islands take it to another level. Things here are allowed to take time and almost everyone honors the four-hour mid day siesta, when businesses close and people take a break from the sun. In the main tourist areas most of the shops and restaurants will not close since they are very dependent of foreign business patrons. |
| Like Spain, the Canaries belong to the Catholic Church, in the countryside many small temples and shrines dedicated to local saints are open for tourists to visit. |
| Spanish is spoken on all the islands, and on Gomera the people developed a form of whistling that sounds a bit like a mix between Spanish yodeling and can be used to communicate over the mountains and valleys. |
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