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Covering 845.94 square kilometres (326.62 square miles), Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the islands in the archipelago. With 163,230 inhabitants at the beginning of 2024,[2] it is the third most populous Canary Island, afterTenerife andGran Canaria. Located in the centre-west of the island isTimanfaya National Park, one of its main attractions. The island was declared abiosphere reserve byUNESCO in 1993.[5] The island's capital isArrecife, which lies on the eastern coastline.[6] It is the smaller main island of theProvince of Las Palmas.
The first recorded name for the island, given by Italian-Majorcan cartographerAngelino Dulcert, wasInsula de Lanzarotus Marocelus, after theGenoese navigatorLancelotto Malocello, from which the modern name is derived. The island's name in the nativeGuanche language wasTyterogaka orTytheroygaka, which may mean "one that is allochre" (referring to the island's predominant colour previous to theTimanfayaeruption).[7]
Lanzarote is believed to have been the first Canary Island to be settled. ThePhoenicians may have visited or settled there, though no material evidence survives. The first known record came fromRoman authorPliny the Elder in the encyclopaediaNaturalis Historia on an expedition to the Canary Islands.[8] The names of the islands (then calledInsulae Fortunatae or the "Fortunate Isles") were recorded asJunonia (Fuerteventura),Canaria (Gran Canaria),Ninguaria (Tenerife),Junonia Major (La Palma),Pluvialia (El Hierro), andCapraria (La Gomera). Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the two easternmost Canary Islands, were only mentioned as the archipelago of the "purple islands".[clarification needed] The Roman poetLucan and the Greek astronomer and geographerPtolemy gave their precise locations.[9] It was settled by the Majos tribe of theGuanches.[10] After thefall of the Western Roman Empire, interaction with the Canary Islands is unrecorded before 999, when theArabs arrived at the island which they dubbedal-Djezir al-Khalida (among other names).[citation needed]
In 1336, a ship arrived fromLisbon under the guidance of Genoese navigatorLancelotto Malocello, who used the alias "Lanzarote da Framqua". A fort was later built in the area of Montaña de Guanapay near today's Teguise. Castilian slaving expeditions in 1385 and 1393 seized hundreds of Guanches and sold them in Spain, initiating the slave trade in the islands.[11][12] French explorerJean de Béthencourt arrived in 1402, heading a private expedition under Castilian auspices. Bethencourt first visited the south of Lanzarote at Playas de Papagayo, and the French overran the island within a matter of months.[citation needed] The island lacked mountains and gorges to serve as hideouts for the remaining Guanche population, and so many Guanches were taken away as slaves that only 300 Guanche men were said to have remained.[citation needed]
At the southern end of theYaiza municipality, the first European settlement in the Canary Islands appeared in 1402 in the area known asEl Rubicón, where the conquest of the Archipelago began.[13] In this place, the Cathedral ofSaint Martial of Limoges was built. The cathedral was destroyed byEnglish pirates in the 16th century. A diocese was moved in 1483 toLas Palmas de Gran Canaria (Roman Catholic Diocese of Canarias).[13] In 1404, the Castilians (with the support of the King of Castile) came and fought the local Guanches, who were further decimated. The islands of Fuerteventura and El Hierro were later similarly conquered. In 1477, a decision by the royal council of Castile confirmed a grant of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, with the smaller islands of Ferro and Gomera to the Castilian nobles Herrera, who held their fief until the end of the 18th century.[14] In 1586, theOttoman admiralMurat Reistemporarily seized Lanzarote.[citation needed] In the 17th century, pirates raided the island and took 1,000 inhabitants into slavery inCueva de los Verdes.[citation needed]
Lanzarote andFuerteventura would be the main exporters of wheat and cereals to the central islands of the archipelago during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries;Tenerife andGran Canaria.[15] Although this trade was almost never reversed for the inhabitants of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura (due to the fact that the landowners of these islands profited from this activity), producing periods of famine, so the population of these islands had to travel to Tenerife and Gran Canaria. The island of Tenerife is a major focus of attraction for the inhabitants of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, hence the feeling of union that has always existed in the popular sphere with Tenerife.[15]
Lava and pyroclast-covered fields in the central part of Lanzarote, with volcanoes from the 1730-1736 eruption in the background.
From 1730 to 1736, the island was hit by a series ofvolcanic eruptions, producing 32 new volcanoes in a stretch of 18 kilometres (11 miles).[16] The priest of Yaiza, Don Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo, documented the eruption in detail until 1731. Lava covered a quarter of the island's surface, including the most fertile soil and 11 villages. 100 smaller volcanoes were located in the area calledMontañas del Fuego, the "Mountains of Fire".[17] In 1768, drought affected the deforested island, and winter rains did not fall. Much of the population was forced to emigrate toCuba and theAmericas, including a group which formed a significant addition to the Spanish settlers inTexas atSan Antonio de Bexar in 1731.[citation needed]
In 1927, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura became part of the province ofLas Palmas. Several archaeological expeditions have uncovered the prehistoric settlement at the archaeologic site ofEl Bebedero in the village ofTeguise.[18] In one of those expeditions, by a team from theUniversity of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and a team from theUniversity of Zaragoza, yielded about 100 Roman potsherds, nine pieces of metal, and one piece of glass. The artefacts were found in strata dated between the 1st and 4th centuries. They show that Romans did trade with the Canarians, though there is no evidence of settlements.[9]
Characteristic white houses of the towns and villages on the volcanic landscape of Lanzarote.
The island has aUNESCOBiosphere Reserve protected site status. According to a report in theFinancial Times, this status was endangered by a local corruption scandal. Since May 2009, police have arrested the former president of Lanzarote, the former mayor of Arrecife and more than 20 politicians and businessmen in connection with illegal building permits along Lanzarote's coastline. UNESCO has threatened to revoke Lanzarote's Biosphere Reserve status, "if the developments are not respecting local needs and are impacting on the environment".[19][20] The President of theCabildo of Lanzarote denied "any threat to Lanzarote's UNESCO status".[21]
The El Jable area and Famara Beach seen from the Famara cliffs in the northwest part of Lanzarote.
Lanzarote is located 125 kilometres (80 miles) north-west ofAfrica, 11 km (7 mi) north-east ofFuerteventura and just over 1 km (5⁄8 mi) fromLa Graciosa. The dimensions of the island are 60 km (37 mi) from north to south and 25 km (16 mi) from west to east. Lanzarote has 213 kilometres (132 miles) of coastline, of which 10 km (6 mi) are sand,16.5 km (10+1⁄4 mi) are beach, and the remainder is rocky. Its landscape includes the mountain ranges ofFamara (671 metres or 2,201 feet)[22] in the north andAjaches (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 theCueva de los Verdeslava tube.[23]
Often called the "Island of Eternal Spring",[24] Lanzarote has a subtropicalhot desert climate (BWh) according to theKöppen climatic classification.[25] The small amount of precipitation is mainly concentrated in the winter. Rainfall during summer is a rare phenomenon and very often summers are completely dry without any precipitation. On average the island receives approximately 16 days of precipitation between December and February.[24] Sometimes, the hotsirocco wind prevails, causing dry and dusty conditions across the island.[24] Average precipitation in June and August is less than 0.5 millimetres (0.020 inches).
Climate data for Lanzarote Airport (1991–2020 normals)
Caldera de Los Cuervos in Los Volcanes Natural ParkMontaña Colorada in Los Volcanes Natural Park
Lanzarote is the northernmost and easternmost island of the main Canary Islands and has a volcanic origin.[29] The island emerged about 15 million years ago as product of theCanary hotspot. The island, along with others, emerged after the breakup of the African and the American continental plates. The greatest recorded eruptions occurred between 1730 and 1736. The eruption period started outside theTimanfaya National Park area, atCaldera de Los Cuervos volcano on 1 September 1730 and ended with the eruption ofMontaña Colorada volcano, 1.7 km (1.1 mi) north-east of El Cuervo, which has ceased the activity on 16 April 1736.[30]
There are five hundred different kinds of plants on the island, of which 17 species areendemic. These plants have adapted to the relative scarcity of water in the same way assucculents. They include theCanary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), which is found in damper areas of the north, theCanary Island pine (Pinus canariensis),ferns, andwild olive trees (Olea europaea).Laurisilva trees, which once covered the highest parts of Risco de Famara, are rarely found today.[citation needed] After winter rainfall, the vegetation comes to a colourful bloom between February and March.[citation needed]
Thevineyards of La Gería,LanzaroteDO wine region, are a protected area. Single vines are planted in pits 4–5 metres (13–16 feet) wide and 2–3 metres (6 feet 7 inches – 9 feet 10 inches) deep, with small stone walls around each pit. This agricultural technique is designed to harvest rainfall and overnight dew and to protect the plants from the winds.[16]
Apart from the native bats and the mammals which accompanied humans to the island (including thedromedary, which was used for agriculture and is now a tourist attraction), there are few vertebrate species on Lanzarote. These include birds (such asfalcons) and reptiles. Some interesting endemic animals are theGallotia lizards and the blindMunidopsis polymorpha crabs found in theJameos del Agua salt lake, which was formed by a volcanic eruption. The island is also home to one of two surviving populations of the threatenedCanarian Egyptian vulture.
As of 2024[update],163230 people live on Lanzarote, an increase of 4.6% from the previous year (156112).[2] The seat of the island government (Cabildo insular) is in the capital,Arrecife, which has a population of68025 in 2024.[2] According to the 2024 census, the majority of the inhabitants areSpanish (76.1%) with a sizeable number of residents of other nationalities, notablyColombians (4.4%),Britons (3.8%),Italians (2.6%),Moroccans (2.4%) andGermans (1.4%).[32]
The island's main point of entry isCésar Manrique-Lanzarote Airport which, in 2018, handled7327019 passengers.[37] It was renamed in 2019 to include the name of local artistCésar Manrique, in honour of the legacy he left behind on the island and coinciding with the centenary of his birth.[38] The airport has two passenger terminal buildings, T1 and T2, with T2 being used exclusively for inter-island flights to and from the other Canary Islands. These inter-island flights are operated by regional airlinesBinter Canarias andCanaryfly. Lanzarote Airport is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southwest of the island's capital, Arrecife, to which it is connected by theLZ-2 road.
TheLZ-1 road connects the capital, Arrecife, to the northernmost town of Órzola. TheLZ-2 road connects Arrecife to the southernmost town of Playa Blanca.LZ-3 is ahighway that acts as a ring road around Arrecife, connecting Puerto de los Mármoles on the northern side of the city to LZ-2 on the southern side. These three roads form the island's central road axis from which other roads connect to the rest of the island's towns, settlements and points of interest.
Public transport on the island is provided byArrecife Bus, operating under the name of Intercity Bus Lanzarote. The company operates 30 bus lines connecting the island's major and minor settlements, as well as serving the airport, and includes internal bus services in the towns ofPlaya Blanca,San Bartolomé andTías. Most lines begin or end in the capital, Arrecife.[39] The public bus service within the city of Arrecife is provided by the local council and consists of five lines, including one to the neighbouring town of Playa Honda.[40]
The most established festival on the island is held each year on 15 September in the village ofMancha Blanca, in honour ofOur Lady of Dolours (Virgen de los Dolores), also called the "Virgin of the Volcanoes" (the Patron Saint of Lanzarote). People from all over the island participate in this pilgrimage, mostly dressed in traditional costumes.
Panoramic view of Lanzarote, from Los Ajaches on the SW, overTimanfaya National Park, to the Famara cliffs and mountain range on the NE, as seen from the peak of Montaña Blanca.Hacha Grande, in the south of the island, viewed from the road to Papagayo beachPanoramic view of lava and pyroclastic rock covered landscape in the central part of Lanzarote.Salinas de Janubio, in the west of the islandCrater and laguna inEl Golfo
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