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If you asked for a single word that best describes the Canary Islands, it would be "festive!!" One might think this cloister of seven islands located in the Atlantic, was isolated, quiet, virgin territory- in reality, it is throbbing with music, discos, pubs and nightclubs to cater to the hordes of European tourists who come here to escape their freezing winters. Canary Islands, without doubt, has some of the best beaches in the world. But it is best not to conjure romantic images that might get washed away with waves of people, all out to make the most of their trip. The country earns most of its revenue from tourism, which probably explains the hideous clusters of apartments on rent, unnatural shorelines and uncountable bars. To get the best out of your trip here, you will have to travel beyond the frequented spots and resorts to the small fishing villages and the countryside. If sights and sounds of nature thrill you, the Canaries will offer you the rare roar of the volcano and visions of ancient forests enveloped in tropical mists. As far as tourists go, the Canary Islands believe "to each his own" and pack in enough

for each to have his own kind of fun.

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The Canary Islands is not named after the bird, as one would think. Instead the literal translation of the Latin 'Islas Canarias' is Island of Dogs!

Historically Speaking

Geologists put the age of the Canary Islands at about 30 million years, and that is relatively young in the fraternity of islands. Critics of literature conjecture that when Plato in his dialogues for Timaeus and Critias spoke of Atlantis, the submerged continent with only its peaks breaking through the water surface, he was referring to the Canary Islands. That might just be a coincidence or maybe Plato knew of the mythical beauty of these islands that is evident even today. Classical writers described the islands as a sort of Garden of Eden and it is only befitting that the archipelago had the nickname of 'Fortunate Islands'. There is no historical proof of Greek or Phoenician visitors here. Archaeologists say that the earliest settlements here were around 20 BC, but are mum on the issue of human presence here before that. History has the descriptions given by 15th century Europeans who arrived here to conquer. The logs describe the locals as tall, well built, blue eyed and fair- haired. These were the "Guanches" (guan = man + che = white mountain), which meant they were residents of the Teide volcano a snowcapped mountain.

Europeans discovered the islands inhabited by tribals, and described inter-tribe hostility in their notes. In 1402 the Normans of France made a first attempt to conquer the Gaunches, the final campaigns ended close to 1495. The century was bloodied with massacres and widespread carnage. Guanches were sold into slavery, and the next century saw few Gaunches – most had converted to Christianity, changed names to Spanish ones and forgotten the language. Spain’s control of the islands was attacked but it managed to keep its hold and in1821 the Canary Islands were declared a province of Spain. During World War I, Canarios fled the country in thousands to resettle in Latin America. With the world war quietening there was hope, but it was short-lived because Spain went into a civil war in 1936. In March that year Spain shifted General Franco to the colony. The reason: his suspected involvement in trying to overthrow the government. General Franco seized the islands from Spain. The war again inflicted misery on the Canarios and this time its people migrated but mainly to Venezuela. Of the 16,000 people who fled in the 1950’s a third perished when in desperation they trusted their lives to leaky boats. In the 1960’s General Franco, still at the helm of affairs, decided to let in eager-in-waiting tourists. This one single move changed the country – economically and somewhat culturally - almost overnight. The crowds of sun-starved tourists haven’t stopped pouring in since. In 1982 the Canaries became an autonomous region or comunidad autónoma. The Partido Popular's came to power with the support of the Coalición Canaria in 1996.

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Habitat

Nature has packed in a vast variety of landscapes and colour into the seven islands and 6 islets that comprise the Canary Islands packs. The country nearest the Canaries is Morocco, a close 95 kilometres (59mi) east of Fuerteventura. But you won’t have much time to spare for it if you plan to get the maximum out of your trip here. You’ll expanses of grape vineyards, cliffs weathered by the fury of the Atlantic, rich green forests with grey mist descending and nod in agreement with classical writers that called this the Garden of Eden. The volcanic mountains here are many millions of years old – siblings to the Atlas Mountains that formed in North Africa. Spain’s tallest peak, Tenerife's Teide stands 3718m (12,195ft) high. Apart from being the highest Spanish volcano it is also the world’s third tallest, with two higher than itself located in Hawaii. Volcanic activity means that the surrounding areas are fecund, but since there aren’t any rivers here the islands have water problems from time to time. Most of the water you’ll be drinking will be coming straight to you from the desalination plants. The flora in the

Canaries is amazing – a thousand odd species of plants on the island are found only here, like the Canary Palm and the Canary Pine. The Dragon tree is a botanical wonder – it’s been around since before the last ice age. You’ll find children squealing at the sight of the Canarie’s Lagarto Del Salmor – it’s a large (and repulsive) lizard that, luckily, is found only in El Hierro. There aren’t any canaries to be seen in the cities, and when you sight it be prepared for disappointment – it’s not a brilliant "canary yellow", but a dirty, dusty brown!

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