Canary Islands
The Canary Islands archipelago lies in the Atlantic Ocean more than 600 miles south of the Iberian Peninsula and just over 70 miles from the African coast. The four western islands, Tenerife plus three lesser known islands, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, have ragged coastlines with cliffs rising straight out of the ocean although Tenerife also boasts some splendid beaches. Closer to Africa, are the three other main Canary Islands, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. These three islands are geologically the oldest and, as they have the most extensive coastal shelf, they also have the largest number of beaches.
Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura is the second largest Canary Island, the least populated and the closest to the African continent with Morocco lying 60 miles to the east and Lanzarote 12 miles to the north.
Gran Canaria
With a winning combination of great weather, good beaches, sophisticated nightlife, interesting history, marvellous scenery, and the equivalent to duty free shopping, Gran Canaria is a great year round holiday destination.
La Gomera
Lying just to the west of Tenerife, La Gomera, is the most relaxing and least spoilt of all the Canary Islands with dense forestry, beautiful cedar groves and breathtaking ravines.
Lanzarote
The most easterly and the fourth largest of the Canary Islands, Lanzarote is 37 miles long and 12 miles wide. The island is similar to other Canary Islands in that it is volcanic in origin, but different to the other islands in that much of its landscape
Tenerife
The largest of the Canary Islands is the triangular shaped Tenerife with its longest side being 80km from east to west and its shortest side 45km from north to south.