Gran Canaria tourist information - Canary Isles, Spain

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GRAN CANARIA- CANARY ISLES information - Spain Tourism

Known as the Round Island due to its similarity to a cone, at the top of which is the Pico de las Nieves, at an altitude of 1,949 metres and with gorges and valleys dropping down to the sea. The north half is an agricultural area, as it enjoys the beneficial influence of the trade winds, whereas the south is more arid and barren.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria The most heavily populated city in the archipelago, Las Palmas shares its status as Canaries capital with Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It has had a university since 1989, making it independent from La Laguna. El Puerto de la Luz, in the economic heart of the city, has always been one of the busiest ports in the world. At the beginning o.f the twentieth century, modern barrios or neighbourhoods began to grow around the port. The barrio de la Vegueta, the historical area, contains the finest mansions from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, some with wrought iron work and courtyards reminiscent of Andalusia. In the Plaza de Santa Ana stands the cathedral, begun in the fifteenth century and completed in the nineteenth. It is an architectural marriage of Castilian and Portuguese styles, and adds plateresque features to the Gothic elements. It has a neo-classical main front.

The Casa de Colon, or House of Columbus (who once stayed here), was the residence of the archipelago's governors. It contains on the Columbine era and of earlier cultures. It is an elegant building, set off by its plateresque main entrance, the white sections on the front helping to lessen the loaded effect of the more heavily adorned parts. Traditional elements of Canaries architecture are also incorporated, and the stately and elegant interior has two beautiful courtyards.

Other impressive buildings from the sixteenth century include the Bishop's Palace and the Casa Regental, with has a classicist entrance dating from the era of Philip II.
The Museo Canario houses archaeological pieces from all the islands, as well as recreating atmospheres and customs prior to the Castilian conquest, and valuable exhibits from the evangelisation of America. The Atlantic Centre of Modern Art is located in a mansion from the eighteenth century, though the architect, Saenz de Oiza, kept no more than the facade, adapting the interior to house an art centre with particular emphasis on avant-garde art produced in the Canaries.

The Playa de las Canteras is three kilometres of golden sand, and the promenade that separates it from the city, replete with bars, restaurants and hotels of the same name, does full justice to its reputation A road from Las Palmas heads into to the island's craggy inland landscapes.

In TEROR stands the spiritual centre of the island, the shrine to la Virgen del Pino, whose fifteenth-century image embodies the veneration of the Mother of God by the inhabitants of the Canaries. This devotion and the pilgrimage on 8 September are portrayed in some beautiful popular songs. The neo-classical basilica maintains the original Portuguese Gothic features in the old tower. The old part of the town, particularly the avenue that leads to the basilica, has some excellent examples of civic Canaries architecture.

The road up to TEJEDA leads to the very heart of the island. Located in the Roque Nublo nature park, the town has a varied collection of traditional popular architecture. The nature park contains two important nub/os, promontories of volcanic on a high plateau. The basaltic tower of Roque Nublo measures 60 metres, a height made even more spectacular as it is located at the top of a 1,750-metre peak. Nublo Bentaiga is riddled with caves containing Guanche rock paintings. From the Pico de las Nieves (the highest point on the island at 1,949 metres above sea level), both the dunes of Maspalomas and el Teide can be seen.
In the south of the island, the Playa de Maspalomas and its dunes stretch as far as the Playa dellngles, forming an area of golden sands bordered by restaurants and night-clubs, renowned the world over by holiday makers and sun worshippers.

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