Canary Islands snow globes
The volcanically formed Canary Islands are in the Atlantic Ocean, located about 100 kilometres off the northwest coast of Africa. The 2 million inhabitants are mostly concentrated on the two capital islands, 43% on Tenerife and 39% on Gran Canaria.
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The name Islas Canarias maybe from the Latin name Canariae Insulae, meaning 'Islands of the Dogs' Canary birds are named after the islands.
There are seven main islands, from largest to smallest, they are Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro.
The Canary Islands form the southernmost and westernmost region of Spain . Owing to their location, the Islands have been considered a link between Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
The Islands, especially Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote, are a major tourist destination, with over 14.1 million visitors a year
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The globe shows the main islands, location and relative size.
Lanzarote
Lanzarote is a Spanish island, and the easternmost of the Canary Islands, 125 kilometres off the north coast of Africa and 1,000 kilometres from mainland Europe.
Lanzarote is believed to have been the first Canary Island to be settled. Its name is derived from an Italian-Majorcan explorer known as Lanzarote da Framqua.
​It is the fourth-largest of the Canary islands with about 163,000 inhabitants and is third in population size.
In the centre of the island is the Timanfaya National Park. The island's capital is Arrecife.
Canary Island globes tend to concentrate on sun, beach and sand unlike city globes which concentrate on buildings. These globes show what the island has to offer to tourists.
The first camels here were brought over from Africa in the late 1400’s, they were ideal for transporting people, and goods including water around the island. On farms they ploughed fields and turned mills grinding wheat or gofio, into flour.
As recently as 1940s, there were more than 3,000 camels on the island. Now there are about 400 who transport tourists up the mountain
Plaza de la Constitución and Michael's Church in Teguise, Lanzarote, with one of the guardian lion statues
Perched on the palm-studded main plaza. The church began in the 15th century but was restored in the 20th century after enduring a fire and before that a series of pirate attacks. Bronze copies of the two lions that originally decorated the square were made in 2001 to replace and protect the original ochre, cement lions, made in 1920.
The Lanzarote camels are a popular tourist attraction and the best way to travel across the volcanic soil and rock
The statue of a lion stands guard by the church of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe in Teguise
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Tenerife
The Timanfaya devil occurs as a symbol all over the island. The fire devil was designed in 1968 by the artist César Manrique. The figure was intended as a trademark for his restaurant "El Diablo" situated in the Fire Mountains. It depicts a dancing devil, who is hoisting a five pointed trident over his head.
The richly decorated base celebrates the volcanic lands, camels and blue sea. A detailed picture of the Michael's Church in Teguise, with lion statues also occurs.
Michael's Church in Teguise, Lanzarote, with one of the guardian lion statues
Tenerife is the largest and most-populous island of the Canary Islands, and a population of nearly 1 million inhabitants. It is the most-populous island in Spain. Tenerife is also home to 42.7% of the total population of the Islands.
More than seven million tourists visit Tenerife each year, making it by far the most visited island in the archipelago and is one of the most important tourist destinations in Spain.
The capital of the island, is Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
The word Tenerife is believed to come from the original inhabitants, Guanches' language, which roughly translates to snow-capped mountain and refers to the Mount Teide, volcano.
Loro Parque has the largest collection of parrots in the world.
It was founded in 1972 as a refuge for parrots and has since become one of the Canary Islands foremost tourist attractions. It is now home to about 4,000 parrots from 350 different species and sub-species. The base of the globe reflects the snow capped volcanic mountain at the heart of the Island.
Loro Parque residents
Mount Teide is a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Teide is the third-tallest volcano in the world and Tenerife the tenth highest island in the world.
Teide formed 170,000 years ago and is still active, its last eruption was in 1909. The volcano and its surroundings make up Teide National Park with some 3 million visitors yearly.
The globes emphasises the volcanic snow capped mountain which can be seen anywhere on the island and the greenery around it.
The volcanic nature of the island is shown on the aerial photo with the Mount Teide crater
The volcanic soil is so hot just under the surface in places that a paper dropped into a newly dug hole will ignite and volcanic steam will escape
The moonlike surface of the volcanic slopes have little vegetation. Temperatures at the top of the sometimes snow covered mountain can be cold whilst warm by the beaches.
Tenerife globes are unusual in that many form a central shell like structure with the scene within. The outside shell is usually blue reflecting the sea and sky with in this case beach and palm trees added.
These globes below are also based around the shell design
Canary Island globes like to stress the rich and luxuriant vegetation which occurs in some parts of the Islands and contrasts strongly with the barren volcanic soils. It is similar to a Mediterranean climate, with a cool season with rain and dry summers. Ecosystems include bare coastal desert scrub, rich woodland, laurel forest, pine forest, summit heath and summit scrub. Succulents and cacti and palm trees enjoy the climate and many plants are unique having evolved in isolation from the mainland.
