CANARY ISLANDS. or CANARIES (Lat. caNaria, from cani.s. dog, perhaps because of the shape of the largest island). A group of islands in the Atlantic. off the northwestern coast of Africa. constituting a province of Spain (Slap: Africa. C 2). They extend from about latitude 27° 40' to 29° 25' N., and from longitude 13' 25' to 18° 16' W., forming a laud area of 2808 square miles. The group consists of the seven large inhabited islands. Teueriffe (752 square miles), Gran Canaria (531 square miles). Palma (280 square miles). Gomera (144 square miles). Ferro or Hierro (107 square miles, the smallest of the large islands), Fuerteventura (G65 square miles) and Lanzarote (326 square miles), and six islets. The entire group is of volcanic origin, and there are extinct volcanoes on all the islands. The volcanoes of Pico de Teyde on Teneriffe and the Mountain of Fire on Lanzarote are but slum bering. The former, the loftiest mountain of the Canaries, often called the Peak of Teneriffe, rises to a height of 12,190 feet.
flc climate is generally mild and healthful. The average temperature for the year is about while the maximum and minimum are about and 52= respectively. Precipitation is very scant and occurs mainly in winter; droughts are frequent. The hot east and southeast winds blowing from Africa dry up the vegetation. There are several zones of vegetation depending on the altitude, but in general the west slopes furnish a more abundant vegetation than those on the east. The vegetation of the lowest zone, extend ing up to 1200 and 1300 feet, is more or less African, and includes the date palm, sugar-cane, the dragon's-blood tree, etc. In the second zone, between 1200 and 2800 feet, the flora resembles that of southern Europe. and comprises the vine, the olive, the orange, and several kinds of Euro pean grain. In the third zone the vegetation is •ontined mostly to trees, and includes the Pin us canariensis, evergreens, the Rctania blanea, and a few other conifers. The native fauna offers little variety, and most of the animals have been imported either from Europe or Africa. The two easternmost islands, Fuerteventura and Lanza rote, possess a richer vegetation and are better wooded than the others.
The chief agricultural products are fruits, onions, and potatoes. which are exported to the
West Indies. The production of wine was for merly of considerable importance, but is at pres ent in a state of decline. The land is held mostly in large estates and the peasants are gen erally very poor and emigrate in considerable numbers to Cuba and to the other West Indian islands. The Canaries were formerly of great com mercial importance through the production of cochineal, but this industry has declined greatly. sugar, and silk are raised only in insig nificant quantities. The manufacturing industries at'e of little account and are confined chiefly to the production of sonic silk and cotton fabrics : nd coarse linen. The commerce is largely with Great Britain and Spain. Inter-insular commit ideation is maintained by means of sailing ves sels. and communication with Europe is effected by mail steamers. For administrative purposes the group is divided into seven districts. There a Spanish garrison and a native militia. The t wns of Santa Cruz de Teneriffe (the eapital) and Ciudad de las Palmas are fortified. The population of the group was 334,521 in 1897.
The Canaries are regarded as the Fortnnata• Insula of the ancients, and are supposed to have been known to the Phomi•ians and the Cartha ginians, judging from the description by Juba 11., King of -Mauritania. Before their annexa tion to Spain they were inhabited by the Guan chos, a Berber tribe, now completely amalga mated with the Spanish settlers. Their discovery It Europeans in modern times dates from the Fourteenth Century, when a vessel was acciden tally driven on the islands. In 1344 they were granted by the I'ope to Luis de la Cerda, who, however, did not take possession of them. They were subsequently granted by Henry 111. of Cas tile to Robert of Bracamonte, and it was only in the beginning of the Fifteenth Century that an attempt was made to take possession of theni. In 1402-05 Jean de Ilthencourt, a French adven turer, to whom Robert of Bracamonte had trans ferred his title, conquered several of the islands, and by the end of the century the entire group was in the possession of Spain, Teneritre, the largest, having, been taken in Consult Brown, Madeira and the Canary Islands (Lou don, 1894).