Breña Alta
Encyclopedia
Breña Alta is a municipality on the eastern side of the island of La Palma
, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
, in the Canary Islands
. The ayuntamiento
(municipal office) is in the town of San Pedro, at 350 m above sea-level, and only 9 km south of the island's capital Santa Cruz de la Palma
. Breña Alta lies on the main highway encircling the island, just north of La Palma Airport
. Until the 17th century the area was known as Breña, but was then divided into Breña Alta and Breña Baja
.
Breña Alta offers a panoramic view of La Gomera
to the southeast. The coastline and the valley areas are made up of farmland, while the mountainous areas are forested, or grassy in the west where much of the area has been deforested. The main industry is agriculture. Breña Alta has a fishing port, an artificial beach at Bajamar, and an industrial area. The municipality is known for its tobacco
production.
Over the years, the population has steadily increased, except for a 10% drop between 1960 and 1970.
The 1991 and 2001 figures, taken from the census, are lower than the surrounding figures, taken from municipal records.
s. There is a 100 year old dracaena
tree near San Isidro.
La Palma
La Palma is the most north-westerly of the Canary Islands. La Palma has an area of 706 km2 making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands...
, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009...
, in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. The ayuntamiento
Ayuntamiento
Ayuntamiento In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . is the general term for the council of a municipality, or sometimes the municipality itself, in Spain and Latin America. Historically Ayuntamiento was often preceded by the word excelentísimo , when referring to...
(municipal office) is in the town of San Pedro, at 350 m above sea-level, and only 9 km south of the island's capital Santa Cruz de la Palma
Santa Cruz de La Palma
Santa Cruz de la Palma is located on the eastern part of the island of La Palma in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz de la Palma is the second largest city and is the capital of the island...
. Breña Alta lies on the main highway encircling the island, just north of La Palma Airport
La Palma Airport
La Palma Airport is an airport located in Breña Baja and Villa de Mazo, south of the city of Santa Cruz de La Palma on La Palma in the Canary Islands. It is operated by Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea, who operate the vast majority of civil airports in Spain...
. Until the 17th century the area was known as Breña, but was then divided into Breña Alta and Breña Baja
Breña Baja
Breña Baja is a municipality on the eastern side of the island of La Palma, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. The ayuntamiento is in the town of San José with an elevation of 300 m. Villa de Mazo lies on the main highway encircling the island, south of the capital...
.
Breña Alta offers a panoramic view of La Gomera
La Gomera
La Gomera is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. In area, it is the second-smallest of the seven main islands of this group.- Political organization :...
to the southeast. The coastline and the valley areas are made up of farmland, while the mountainous areas are forested, or grassy in the west where much of the area has been deforested. The main industry is agriculture. Breña Alta has a fishing port, an artificial beach at Bajamar, and an industrial area. The municipality is known for its tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
production.
Subdivisions
The municipality has 13 subdivisions, or "parishes" (population figures from 2005):- Bajamar
- Botazo (pop: 389)
- Breña (pop: 509)
- Buenavista de Abajo (pop: 484)
- Buenavista de Arriba (pop: 605)
- La Cuesta (pop: 684)
- Las Letas (pop: 464)
- El Llanito (pop: 758)
- Miranda (pop: 711)
- San Isidro
- San Pedro (municipal seat) (pop: 2,434)
- El Socorro
- Las Vueltas
Historical population
| Year | Population | Change | Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 2,589 | - | - |
| 1910 | 2,863 | +274 | - |
| 1920 | 3,078 | +215 | - |
| 1930 | 3,437 | +359 | - |
| 1940 | 3,843 | +406 | - |
| 1950 | 4,049 | +206 | - |
| 1960 | 4,762 | +713 | - |
| 1970 | 4,290 | -472 | - |
| 1981 | 4,792 | +502 | - |
| 1990 | 5,467 | +675 | - |
| 1991 | 5,432 | -35 | - |
| 1996 | 5,816 | +384 | 188.71/km² |
| 2001 | 5,715 | -101 | 184.35/km² |
| 2002 | 6,396 | +681 | 207.53/km² |
| 2003 | 6,665 | +269 | 216.26/km² |
| 2004 | 6,847 | +182 | 222.17/km² |
| 2005 | 7,039 | +192 | 228.39/km² |
| 2006 | 7,158 | +119 | 232.25/km² |
| 2007 | 7,184 | +26 | 233.09/km² |
Over the years, the population has steadily increased, except for a 10% drop between 1960 and 1970.
The 1991 and 2001 figures, taken from the census, are lower than the surrounding figures, taken from municipal records.
Other
Breña Alta has schools, a few lyceums, a gymnasium, churches, a small beach, a small port, a post office and a few squares plazaPlaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
s. There is a 100 year old dracaena
Dracaena
Dracaena can mean:*Drakaina, a Greek mythological entity*Dracaena , a genus of plants*Cordyline australis, a plant commonly known as the Dracaena palm...
tree near San Isidro.
External links
- Official Web Site
- Map and aerial photos
- Street map: Street map from Mapquest, MapPoint or Google
- Satellite images: Google
See also
- La GomeraLa GomeraLa Gomera is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. In area, it is the second-smallest of the seven main islands of this group.- Political organization :...
- List of municipalities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife