Lanzarote

Lanzarote

Native name: Lanzarote Nickname: Lanza
Flag of Lanzarote
Geography
Location	Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	29°02′06″N 13°37′59″W / 29.035°N 13.633°W / 29.035; -13.633Coordinates: 29°02′06″N 13°37′59″W / 29.035°N 13.633°W / 29.035; -13.633
Archipelago	Canary Islands
Total islands	7
Major islands	Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria
Area	845.9 km2 (326.6 sq mi)
Highest elevation	671 m (2,201 ft)
Highest point	Peñas del Chache, Famara
Administration
Spain
Autonomous Community	Canary Islands
Province	Las Palmas
Largest settlement	Arrecife (pop. 55,203)
Demographics
Population	142,132 (2011)
Pop. density	227,6 /km2 (5,895 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Spanish, other minority groups

Lanzarote (/ˌlænzəˈrɒti/; Spanish pronunciation: [lanθaˈɾote, lansaˈɾote]) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 kilometres (78 miles) off the coast of Africa and 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.94 square kilometres (326.62 square miles), it is the fourth-largest of the islands in the archipelago. With 141,938 inhabitants, Lanzarote is the third-most populous island of the Canary Islands, after Tenerife and Gran Canaria. In the centre-west of the island is the Timanfaya National Park, which is one of the main attractions of Lanzarote. Its capital is Arrecife.

The first recorded name for the island, given by Angelino Dulcert, was Insula de Lanzarotus Marocelus, after the Genovese navigator Lancelotto Malocello, from which the modern name is derived. The island's name in the native language was Tyterogaka or Tytheroygaka, which may mean "one that is all ochre" (referring to the island's predominant colour).

Lanzarote is located 11 kilometres (7 miles) north-east of Fuerteventura and just over 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) from Graciosa. The dimensions of the island are 60 kilometres (37 miles) from north to south and 25 kilometres (16 miles) from west to east. Lanzarote has 213 kilometres (132 miles) of coastline, of which 10 kilometres (6 miles) are sand, 16.5 kilometres (10 miles) are beach, and the remainder is rocky. Its landscape includes the mountain ranges of Famara (671 metres (2,201 ft)) in the north and Ajaches (608 metres or 1,995 feet) to the south. South of the Famara massif is the El Jable desert which separates Famara and Montañas del Fuego. The highest peak is Peñas del Chache rising to 670 metres (2,200 feet) above sea level. The "Tunnel of Atlantis," the largest underwater volcanic tunnel in the world, is part of the Cueva de los Verdes lava tube.