| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 1,600,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Canary Islands 1,544,740 (2024)[1]69% of the total Canary Islands population | |
| SignificantCanary Islander diaspora in | |
 Spain (other) | Total unknown |
 Venezuela | 62,000[2][3] |
 Cuba | 65,000[4] |
 Argentina | 2,390[5] |
 Mexico | 1,600 |
 Dominican Republic | Unknown |
 Puerto Rico | Unknown |
 Western Sahara | Unknown |
| Languages | |
| Canarian Spanish,Silbo Gomero | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Roman Catholic (85%)[6] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Isleños, otherSpaniards,Madeirans,Portuguese,Berbers (Guanches) | |
Canary Islanders, orCanarians (Spanish:canarios), are the people of theCanary Islands, anautonomous community ofSpain near the coast ofNorthwest Africa. The distinctive variety of theSpanish language spoken in the region is known ashabla canaria (Canary speech) or the (dialecto) canario (Canarian dialect). The Canarians, and their descendants, played a major role during the conquest, colonization, and eventual independence movements of various countries in Latin America. Their ethnic and cultural presence is most palpable in the countries ofUruguay,Venezuela,Cuba and theDominican Republic as well as theUS territory ofPuerto Rico.
The original inhabitants of the Canary Islands are commonly known asGuanches (although this term in its strict sense only refers to the original inhabitants ofTenerife). They are most probably descendants of theBerbers of North Africa.[7][8]
The islands were conquered byCastile at the beginning of the 15th century. In 1402, they began to subdue and suppress the native Guanche population. The Guanches were initially enslaved[citation needed] and gradually absorbed. As a result, genetic analyses of modern Canarians show mainly a mixture of European and North African genes, and low frequencies of sub-Saharan genes, with quite a lot of variation (seeAncestry).
After subsequent settlement by Europeans, the remaining Guanches were gradually assimilated by the settlers and their culture largely vanished.Alonso Fernández de Lugo, conqueror ofTenerife andLa Palma, oversaw extensive immigration to these islands during a short period from the late 1490s to the 1520s from mainland Europe, mostly Castile and Portugal. At subsequent judicial enquiries, Fernández de Lugo was accused of favoringGenoese and Portuguese immigrants over Castilians.[9]
The native inhabitants of the Canary Islands hold a gene pool that is predominantlyEuropean (predominantlyAndalusians,Portuguese andGalicians, but alsoNormans andFlemings)[10][11] and native Guanche. Guanche genetic markers have also been found recently in Puerto Rico and, at low frequencies, inpeninsular Spain after later emigration from the Canary Islands.[12]
The most frequent (maternal-descent)mtDNA haplogroup in Canary Islands isH (37.6%), followed byU6 (14.0%),T (12.7%), not-U6U (10.3%) andJ (7.0%). Two haplogroups, H and U6, alone account for more than 50% of the individuals. Significant frequencies of sub-Saharan maternalL haplogroups (6.6%) is also consistent with the historical records on introduction of sub-Saharan female slave labour in Canary Islands. However, some Sub-Saharan female lineages are also found in North African populations, and as a result, some of these L lineages could have been introduced to the Islands from North Africa.[13][14] A 2009 study of DNA extracted from the remains of aboriginal inhabitants found that 7% of lineages were haplogroup L, which leaves open the possibility that these L lineages were part of the founding population of the Canary Islands.[15] Sub-Saharan female lineages have been found in frequencies of 10% or more in some islands.
A 2003 genetics research article by Nicole Maca-Meyeret al. published in theEuropean Journal of Human Genetics compared aboriginal Guanche mtDNA (collected from Canarian archaeological sites) to that of today's Canarians and concluded that "despite the continuous changes suffered by the population (Spanish colonization, slave trade), aboriginal mtDNA lineages constitute a considerable proportion [42–73%] of the Canarian gene pool". According to this article, both percentages are obtained using two different estimation methods; nevertheless according to the same study the percentage that could be more reliable is the one of 73%.[16]
Although the Berbers are the most probable ancestors of the Guanches, it is deduced that important human movements (e.g., theIslamic-Arabic conquest of the Berbers) have reshaped Northwest Africa after the migratory wave to the Canary Islands and the "results support, from a maternal perspective, the supposition that since the end of the 16th century, at least, two-thirds of the Canarian population had an indigenous substrate, as was previously inferred from historical and anthropological data".[17] mtDNA haplogroup U subcladeU6b1 is Canarian-specific[18][17]
A 2019 genetics research article confirms that most lineages observed in the ancient samples have a Mediterranean distribution, and belong to lineages associated with theNeolithic expansion in the Near East and Europe (T,J,X…). This phylogeographic analysis of Canarian ancient mitogenomes, the first of its kind, shows that some lineages are restricted to Central North Africa (H1cf, J2a2d and T2c1d3), while others have a wider distribution, including both West and Central North Africa, and, Europe and the Near East.[19]
Y-DNA, or Y-chromosomal, (direct paternal) lineages were not analysed in this study; however, an earlier[which?] study giving the aboriginal y-DNA contribution at 6% was cited by Maca-Meyeret al., but the results were criticized as possibly flawed due to the widespread phylogeography of y-DNA haplogroupE1b1b1b, which may skew determination of the aboriginality versus coloniality of contemporary y-DNA lineages in the Canaries. Regardless, Maca-Meyeret al. state that historical evidence does support the explanation of "strong sexual asymmetry...as a result of a strong bias favoring matings between European males and aboriginal females, and to the important aboriginal male mortality during the Conquest".[20]
Indeed, according to a recent study by Fregelet al. 2009, in spite of the geographic nearness between the Canary Islands andMorocco the genetic ancestry of the Canary islands males is mainly of European origin. Nearly 67% of the haplogroups resulting from are Euro–Eurasian (R1a (2.76%),R1b (50.62%),J (14%),I (9.66%) andG (3.99%)). Unsurprisingly the Castillian conquest brought the genetic base of the current male population of the Canary Islands. Nevertheless, the second most important haplogroup origin is Northern Africa.E1b1b (14% including 8.30% of the typicalberber haplogroup E-M81),E1b1a and E1a (1.50%), andT (3%) haplogroups are present at a rate of 33%.[21][22] According to the same study, the presence of autochthonous North African E-M81 lineages, and also other relatively abundant markers (E-M78 and J-M267) from the same region in the indigenous Guanche population, "strongly points to that area [North Africa] as the most probable origin of the Guanche ancestors". In this study, Fregelet al. estimated that, based on Y-chromosome and mtDNA haplogroup frequencies, the relative female and male indigenous Guanche contributions to the present-day Canary Islands populations were respectively of 41.8% and 16.1%.[21]
The maternal lineages of mitochondrial DNA in Canary Islanders show the prevalence of European ancestry in all islands except La Gomera, in which the Northwest African lineage is stronger:
| Island/NW African mtDNA | Sample size | % U6 | % L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Gomera | 46 | 50.01 % | 10.86 % | 60.87 % |
| El Hierro | 32 | 21.88 % | 12.49 % | 34.37 % |
| Lanzarote | 49 | 20.40 % | 8.16 % | 28.56 % |
| Gran Canaria | 80 | 11.25 % | 10 % | 21.25 % |
| Tenerife | 174 | 12.09 % | 7.45 % | 19.54 % |
| La Palma | 68 | 17.65 % | 1.47 % | 19.12 % |
| Fuerteventura | 42 | 16.66 % | 2.38 % | 19.04 % |
Study: Fregel 2009[23]
A 2002 study analyzing the mitochondrial DNA from the teeth of the 18th-century Canarian population, found that the 18th-century Canary Islanders had a bit more of North African heritage than European, with minor sub-Saharan roots, which the author links to the former trade of black slaves.
| North-African | European | Sub-Saharan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canary Islands[24] | 50.2% | 43.2% | 6.6% |
Anautosomal study in 2011 found an average Northwest African influence of about 17% in Canary Islanders with a wide interindividual variation ranging from 0% to 96%. According to the authors, the substantial Northwest African ancestry found for Canary Islanders supports that, despite the aggressive conquest by Castile in the 15th century and the subsequent immigration, genetic footprints of the first settlers of the Canary Islands persist in the current inhabitants. Paralleling mtDNA findings, the largest average Northwest African contribution was found for the samples fromLa Gomera.[25]
| Island | N | Average NW African ancestry |
|---|---|---|
| La Gomera | 7 | 42.50 % |
| Fuerteventura | 10 | 21.60 % |
| La Palma | 7 | 21.00 % |
| El Hierro | 7 | 19.80 % |
| Lanzarote | 13 | 16.40 % |
| Tenerife | 30 | 14.30 % |
| Gran Canaria | 30 | 12.40 % |
| Total Canary Islanders | 104 | 17.40 % |
Another recent study by Guillen-Guioet al. 2018 sequenced the entire genomes of a sample of 400 adult men and women from all the islands except La Graciosa to determine the relationship of Canarian genetic diversity to the more frequent complex pathologies in the archipelago. The study indicated that Canarian DNA shows distinctive genetic markers, the result of a combination of factors such as the geographic isolation of the islands, the adaption to the environment of its inhabitants and the historic admixture of the Pre-Hispanic population of the archipelago (coming from North Africa), with European and from Sub-Saharan area individuals. Drawing on these data, it was estimated that the Canarian population is, on average at an autosomal level, 75% European, 22% North African and 3% Sub-saharan.[27] According to the authors "the proportion of SSA ancestry we observed in Canary Islanders likely originated in the postconquest importation of enslaved African people.". This study reported the below Genomic Ancestry Proportions in Canary Islanders.[26]
| Island | North African | Sub-Saharan African | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min. | Mean | Max. | Min. | Mean | Max. | |
| Fuerteventura | 0.218 | 0.255 | 0.296 | 0.011 | 0.027 | 0.046 |
| Lanzarote | 0.214 | 0.254 | 0.296 | 0.014 | 0.032 | 0.057 |
| Gran Canaria | 0.155 | 0.200 | 0.264 | 0.005 | 0.032 | 0.082 |
| Tenerife | 0.149 | 0.208 | 0.255 | 0.002 | 0.015 | 0.057 |
| La Gomera | 0.160 | 0.221 | 0.289 | 0.013 | 0.048 | 0.092 |
| La Palma | 0.170 | 0.200 | 0.245 | 0.000 | 0.013 | 0.032 |
| El Hierro | 0.192 | 0.246 | 0.299 | 0.005 | 0.020 | 0.032 |
Source:Genomic Ancestry Proportions (from ADMIXTURE, K-4) in Canary Islanders (Guillen-Guioet al. 2018)[26]
TheGuanches are related to the indigenous Berbers. In 2017, the first genome-wide data from the Guanches confirmed a North African origin and that they were genetically most similar to ancient North African Berber peoples of the nearby North African mainland. It also showed that modern inhabitants of Gran Canaria carry an estimated 16%–31% Guanche autosomal ancestry.[28]
Modern-day Canarian culture is Spanish, with some Guanche influences. Some of the Canarian traditional sports such aslucha canaria ("Canarian fight"),juego del palo ("stick game") orsalto del pastor ("shepherd's jump"), among others, have their roots in Guanche culture. Additionally, other traditions include Canarian pottery, words of Guanche origin in the Canarian speech and the rural consumption ofguarapo gomero andgofio. The inhabitants ofLa Gomera also retain an ancient way of communicating across deep ravines by means of awhistled speech calledSilbo Gomero, which can be heard up to 3 km (2 miles) away.[29] This indigenous whistled language was invented by the Guanches, and was then adopted by the Spanish settlers in the 16th century after the Guanches were culturally assimilated into the population. The language was also formerly spoken onEl Hierro,Tenerife andGran Canaria[30][29]
The holidays celebrated in the Canary Islands are of international, national and regional or insular character. The official day of the autonomous community isCanary Islands Day on 30 May. The anniversary of the first session of theParliament of the Canary Islands, based in the city ofSanta Cruz de Tenerife, held on 30 May 1983, is commemorated with this day. The most famous festival of the Canary Islands is the carnival. The carnival is celebrated in all the islands and all its municipalities, perhaps the two busiest being those of the two Canarian capitals; theCarnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tourist Festival of International Interest) and theCarnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It is celebrated on the streets between the months of February and March. But the rest of the islands of the archipelago have their carnivals with their own traditions among which stand out: The Festival of the Carneros ofEl Hierro, the Festival of the Diabletes ofTeguise inLanzarote, Los Indianos deLa Palma, the Carnival ofSan Sebastián de La Gomera and the Carnival ofPuerto del Rosario inFuerteventura.
The strong influence of Latin America in Canarian culture is due to the constant emigration and return over the centuries of Canarians to that continent, chiefly toPuerto Rico, Cuba, theDominican Republic, and Venezuela. To a lesser extent, they also went to the US states ofLouisiana (mostly the southern portion) andTexas (mostly in and aroundSan Antonio), and some areas in eastern Mexico includingNuevo León andVeracruz.[31]
TheSpanish language variety that is typical and conventional in the Canary Islands is usually called theCanarian Spanish,Canarian dialect orCanarian speech, and is used by the approximately two million Spanish speakers who live in the Canary Islands. It is a dialect variety that falls within what has been called the "Atlantic variety", similar to those of Spanish-speaking America, and also to those of the south of the Iberian Peninsula, especially western Andalusia.
The dialect most similar to the Canarian dialect, given the historical link between both areas, is the Caribbean dialect, spoken in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic), and the coast of theCaribbean Sea (Venezuela, northern Colombia, and Panama). In addition, lexically, the Canarian dialect is widely influenced by thePortuguese language, from which a certain part of its lexicon is derived.
The majority of native Canary Islanders areCatholic with various smaller foreign-born populations of otherChristian beliefs such asProtestants from northern Europe.
The appearance of theVirgin of Candelaria (Patron of Canary Islands)[32][33] was credited with moving the Canary Islands towardChristianity. In this sense, it is also important to highlight the figure ofSaint Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur, a missionary inGuatemala in the 17th century, who is the first saint of Canarian origin.[34] Another saint venerated by the Catholic Church with this ethnic origin isSaint Joseph of Anchieta, also a missionary, in this case in 16th centuryBrazil.[35]
The Canary Islands are divided into two Catholic dioceses, each governed by a bishop:
Around 5 percent of Canarians belong to a minority religion. Separate from the overwhelming Christian majority are a minority ofMuslims who are usually foreign-born.[36] At present, there are in the Canary Islands a figure of approximately 70,000 Muslims and 40 mosques and places of worship throughout the archipelago.[37]
Among the followers ofIslam, theIslamic Federation of the Canary Islands exists to represent the Islamic community in the Canary Islands as well as to provide practical support to members of the Islamic community.[38] For its part, there is also theEvangelical Council of the Canary Islands in the archipelago.
Other religious faiths represented includeJehovah's Witnesses,The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well asHinduism.[5] Minority religions are also present such as theChurch of the Guanche People which is classified as aneo-pagan native religion.[5] Also present areBuddhism,[5]Judaism,[5]Baháʼí,[5]African religion,[5] andChinese religions.[5]
The distribution of beliefs in 2012 according to the CIS Barometer Autonomy was as follows:[39]
Among the believers 38.7% attend religious services frequently.
Historically, the Canary Islands have served as a hub between Spain and the Americas; favoured by that circumstance, large groups of Canary islanders have emigrated and settled all over theNew World as early as the 15th century, mainly in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Uruguay.
The Canarian population includes long-tenured and new waves of mainland Spanish immigrants, old settlers ofPortuguese,Italian,Dutch,British, andFrench origin, as well as recent foreign-born arrivals.[40] In 2019 the total population was 2,153,389, of which 72.1% were native Canary Islanders.[41] A total of 80.6%, or 1,735,457, were born in Spain and 19.4%, or 417,932, were born outside the country. Of these, the majority are from the Americas, mainly fromVenezuela (66,573) andCuba (41,792) andColombia (31,368). There are 38,768 people from Africa, the majority fromMorocco (24,268).[40][42]
| Population history[43] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Population | |
| 1768 | 155,763 | |
| 1787 | 168,928 | |
| 1797 | 173,865 | |
| 1842 | 241,266 | |
| 1860 | 237,036 | |
| 1887 | 301,983 | |
| 1900 | 364,408 | |
| 1920 | 488,483 | |
| 1940 | 687,937 | |
| 1960 | 966,177 | |
| 1981 | 1,367,646 | |
| 1990 | 1,589,403 | |
| 2000 | 1,716,276 | |
| 2010 | 2,118,519 | |
| 2011 | 2,082,655[44] | |
| 2019 | 2,152,590[1] | |
| Birthplace | Population | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canary Islands | 1,553,517 | 72.1 | |
| Other regions (Spain) | 176,302 | 8.2 | |
| Total, Spain | 1,735,457 | 80.6 | |
| Foreign-born | 417,932 | 19.4 | |
| Americas | 201,257 | 9.3 | |
| Venezuela | 66,573 | - | |
| Cuba | 41,792 | - | |
| Colombia | 31,361 | - | |
| Argentina | 17.429 | - | |
| Uruguay | 8,687 | - | |
| Rest ofEurope | 154,511 | 7.2 | |
| Italy | 39,469 | - | |
| Germany | 25,921 | - | |
| United Kingdom | 25,339 | - | |
| Africa | 38,768 | 1.8 | |
| Morocco | 24,268 | - | |
| Asia | 23,082 | 1.1 | |
| China | 9,848 | - | |
| Oceania | 314 | 0.0 | |
| Total | 2,153,389 | 100.0% | |
| Source[42][41] | |||
According to a 2012 study by theCentro de Investigaciones Sociológicas, when asked about national identity, the majority of respondents from the Canary Islands (49.3%) consider themselves Spanish and Canarian in equal measures, followed by 37.1% who consider themselves more Canarian than Spanish. Only 6.1% of the respondents consider themselves only Canarian.[45]
| Only Spanish | 3.5% |
| More Spanish than Canarian | 2.0% |
| Equally Spanish and Canarian | 49.3% |
| More Canarian than Spanish | 37.1% |
| Only Canarian | 6.1% |
| Did not answer | 2.0% |
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