Canary Islands Islas Canarias (Spanish) |
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Autonomous community of Spain | |||
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Location of the Canary Islands within Spain |
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Coordinates: 28°06′N 15°24′W / 28.100°N 15.400°WCoordinates: 28°06′N 15°24′W / 28.100°N 15.400°W | |||
Country | Spain | ||
Capital | Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | ||
Government | |||
• President | Fernando Clavijo Batlle (CC) | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 7,493 km2 (2,893 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 1.5% of Spain; Ranked 13th | ||
Population (2011) | |||
• Total | 2,117,519 | ||
• Rank | 8th | ||
• Density | 280/km2 (730/sq mi) | ||
• Percent | 4.51% of Spain | ||
Demonym(s) |
Canarian canario, canaria (Spanish) |
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Ethnic groups | |||
• Spanish | 85.7% | ||
• Foreign nationals | 14.3% (mainly German, Italian, British, and Latin American) | ||
Time zone | WET (UTC) | ||
• Summer (DST) | WEST (UTC+1) | ||
ISO 3166 code | ES-CN | ||
Anthem | Hymn of the Canaries | ||
Official language | Spanish | ||
Statute of Autonomy | 16 August 1982 | ||
Parliament | Cortes Generales | ||
Congress seats | 15 (of 350) | ||
Senate seats | 13 (of 264) | ||
Website | www |
The Canary Islands (/kəˈnɛəri ˈaɪləndz/; Spanish: Islas Canarias [ˈizlas kaˈnaɾjas], locally: [ˈiʱlːaʰ kaˈnaːɾjaʰ]), also known as the Canaries (Spanish: Canarias), are an archipelago and autonomous community of Spain located on the Atlantic Ocean, 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Morocco. The Canaries are among the outermost regions (OMR) of the European Union proper. It is also one of the eight regions with special consideration of historical nationality recognized as such by the Spanish Government.
The main islands are (from largest to smallest) Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. The archipelago also includes a number of islands and islets: La Graciosa, Alegranza, Isla de Lobos, Montaña Clara, Roque del Oeste and Roque del Este. In ancient times, the island chain was often referred to as "the Fortunate Isles". The Canary Islands is the most southerly region of Spain and the largest and most populated archipelago of the Macaronesia region.