Canary Islands (Canary Islands) geographically they are part of Macaronesia, that is, a group of volcanic islands in the Northeast Atlantic, which also include, among others. Wood, Azores and Cape Verde.
The archipelago consists of seven large islands divided into two administrative provinces: Santa Cruz of Tenerife (Tenerife, La Gomera, The Palm, The iron) and Las Palmas (Gran canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote). In addition, the Canary Islands include the Chinijo archipelago (joy, Funny, Montana Clara, Lobos, Roque del Este and Roąue del Oeste) north of Lanzarote and Isla de los Lobos off the coast of Fuerteventura. The total area of the islands of the archipelago is just 7447 km2, that is half as much as the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. However, this small area is the focus of an extraordinary wealth of landscapes.
We can say without exaggeration, that the seven islands are seven worlds, because
each one is completely different. On the basis of similarity, they can be divided into two groups. Gran Canaria is one of the first, Tenerife, The Palm, La Gomera and El Hierro, whose shape is somewhat conical. More or less steep slopes descend from the highest point to the sea. Their coast is mostly dizzying cliffs and black beaches in small rocky coves.. The exception is the south of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, where there are several extensive golden beaches. A characteristic feature of the landscape of these islands, except for El Hierro, there are deep gorges -barrancos. All the islands rise to a height at least 1000 m n.p.m., thanks to which they are largely green.
Meanwhile, Lanzarote and Fucrtcventura are rather, though not completely, flat and dry. It is here that you can find endless golden beaches.
Volcanoes
All the islands of the archipelago were formed as a result of the eruption of underwater volcanoes. The archipelago is considered honey – there was a trifle 20-40 min years ago. Fuerteventura is the oldest. The second in age is counting 15 years of Lanzarote. It is believed, that it is the oldest of all the islands, however, the theory has not been proven so far, because the oldest part of the island was flooded with lava in the 18th century. The remaining islands rose over the course of the next 13 min years – the youngest of them, The iron, saw the light of day 1,5 min years ago. Recent eruptions have occurred in La Palma in the years 1949 i 1971, although sometimes gases with an intense sulfur smell come out from the top of Teide.
What volcanoes left behind, beyond the islands themselves? The most characteristic sight are of course more or less corroded volcanic cones, to climb on, to look inside the crater. The areas called tnatpats make an amazing impression ("Bad land"), that is, fields covered with different types of lava – e.g.. lava type aa, which looks like freshly plowed soil, and smooth pahcehoe lava. Different types of pyroclastic material can be seen in the malpais areas (also the crumb products of the explosion), such as lapilli (fine slag-like pebbles), bombs (large rock fragments ejected during a volcanic eruption) and hills covered with volcanic ash. One of the most interesting remains of volcanoes are underground tunnels carved by flowing lava. Volcanic landscapes can be found on all islands, however, the most impressive are those in the south of Lanzarote and the mighty caldera surrounding the Teide volcano in Tenerife.
Climate
You hear it very often, that the Canary Islands are a land of eternal spring, and though it is hard to believe, it is not just a marketing gimmick. Thanks to the influence of the Gulf Stream, the climate of the Canaries is indeed extremely mild. It is characterized by the lack of clearly defined seasons and the average maximum temperature from 18 ° C in winter to 24 ° C in summer.
In fact, due to the topography, the climate issue is a bit more complex. In short, it is warm and sunny in the southern part of the islands, while in the north and in the mountains it is cooler and – especially in winter - rainy.
Each of the islands (except for the almost flat Lanzarote and Fuerteventura) is divided into two climatic zones. This is due to the high mountains rising in the center of the islands and the trade winds blowing from the northeast. (trade winds). The mountain ranges trap humid air masses brought by trade winds from the Atlantic, dividing the islands into the cooler and rainier north and the warmer and drier noons. So it often happens, that in the south of Tenerife or Gran Canaria, tourists lie on a hot and sunny beach, while it's gray in the north, cold and rainy. Second wind, which significantly affects the climate of the Canary Islands, to sirocco – A spring wind blowing from Africa brings clouds of sandy dust.
There is little rainfall on the islands, irregular and not likely to exceed 250 mm per year (which means, that it rains half as often in the archipelago than in Poland). In the northern and mountainous regions, precipitation is recorded at a level 750 mm per year. In addition, in the high parts of the mountains you can encounter the phenomenon of horizontal rain, that is, extremely dense condensing fog. It rains most often in La Palma, while the rain in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote is a rare and euphoric phenomenon greeted by the inhabitants. The rainy months are from mid-November to the end of February, it rains but nothing more than 4-7 days in a month. According to many people, the islands are most beautiful just after the rainy season, when even Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are covered with spring greenery and flowers.