Gran Canaria with a surface area of 1560.1 km ² is  next to Tenerife and Fuerteventura the third largest of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. The almost circular island has a diameter of about 50 kilometers and a coastline of around 236 kilometers. The capital is Las Palmas de Gran Canary. In 2008, the island had 829 597 inhabitants.

Gran Canary is situated 210 km west off the coast of southern Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean, between its larger neighboring islands of Tenerife in the west and Fuerteventura in the east. Like all islands of the archipelago Gran Canaria is also volcanic origin. The highest point in the center of the island is 1949 m high extinct volcano Pico de las Nieves. Landmark of Gran Canaria is the 1813 meters high Roque Nublo.

Because of its climatic and geographic diversity and its diverse flora and fauna of the island is Gran Canaria also described as a "miniature continent". The island has its own 14 micro-climate zones. From the highlands of the interior the island many dry valleys, so-called Barrancos, lead up to the coast. On the rare rains, which then can be quite profitable, however, the ravines are filled in part raging torrents.

Climate

The climate of Gran Canary is a small difference in summer and winter temperatures and the day and night temperatures by. On the coast it is during the day on average 25 ° C warm. In winter the temperature rarely falls below 20 ° C and in summer the mercury rises hardly ever above 30 ° C. Rain on the coast you have to reckon only rare, but when it rains, then more intense. Basically, it's raining more frequently in northern island areas and larger heights.

Best time to visit: 

In principle, one can travel the whole year to Gran Canary. Season is from 01 January until 31 December. For swimming and relaxing in Gran Canary are summer and autumn the best  time, because water temperatures are the highest here, though even the winter has a mild climate there and can be bathed. For the hiking and cultural holiday is always in season, a trip is probably the most beautiful in spring when the plants blossom.

History

The Canary Islands were probably settled in the first century BC by North African Berber tribes. They brought in addition to cereals, the first domestic animals such as dogs, pigs or goats of small stature to the Canaries. Only with the conquest by the Spaniards moved the islands in the 15th Century more and more into the focus of Europe. During the 16th Century became the planting of sugar cane on Tenerife, Gran Canary and La Palma very important. The cultivation of wine enjoyed in the 17th Century a strong upswing, while the sugar industry fell into a crisis. At the beginning of the 19th Century, trade with the red dye cochineal insects of the same name for Prickly most important asset. As Europe dye could be produced synthetically, this industry was doomed to destruction.

After the hard times during the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War, began in the fifties and sixties of the 20th Century the tourism boom, and in the seventies of mass tourism. First on Gran Canary and Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lazarote and ultimately also on La Palma. In parallel, the population grew and settlements spread. Initially it was built and developed environmentally uncontrolled wild little vivid concrete fortresses. Meanwhile, however, especially in the smaller islands on an ecologically sustainable tourism (e.g. the model Turismo Rural) taken before.