Graciosa, Canary Islands
Encyclopedia
There is also a Graciosa in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...

, see Graciosa
Graciosa
Graciosa Island is referred to as the White Island, the northernmost of the Central Group of islands in the Azores. The ovular Portuguese island has an area of 60.65 km², a length of 10 km and a width of 7 km...



Graciosa Island or commonly La Graciosa (la gɾaˈθjosa; Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 for graceful) is a volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

 island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 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...

 of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, located 2 km north of the island of Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...

 with the strait named Río. It was formed by the Canary hotspot
Canary hotspot
The Canary hotspot, also called the Canarian hotspot, is a volcanic hotspot believed to be located at the Canary Islands off the north-western coast of Africa, although alternative theories to explain the volcanism there exist. The Canary hotspot is believed to be underlain by a mantle plume that...

. The island is part of Parque Natural del Archipiélago Chinijo, Reserve of the Biosphere, "Marine Reserve of La Graciosa and the islands to the North of Lanzarote" it is linked to the municipality of Teguise
Teguise, Las Palmas
Teguise is a Canarian municipality and town in the north-central and the eastern portion of the island of Lanzarote in the Las Palmas province in the Canary Islands The population is 14,214 , its density is 53.84/km² and the area is 263.98 km². The town population is around 3,000...

. The island forms a part of the Chinijo Archipelago
Chinijo Archipelago
The Chinijo archipelago is an archipelago located in the northeastern part of the Canary Islands. The archipelago includes the islands of Montaña Clara, Alegranza, Graciosa, Roque del Este, Roque del Oeste and various islands of volcanic origin....

. The village is in the southeastern part of the island with houses encircling the harbor which has two piers and a yacht area in the bay. The only two settlements are Caleta del Sebo
Caleta de Sebo
Caleta del Sebo, in the Canary Islands, is the main settlement and capital community of La Graciosa.The population is 656 , La Graciosa is included in the municipality of Teguise on Lanzarote....

 and summer-residence Casas de Pedro Barba
Casas de Pedro Barba
Casas de Pedro Barba, in the Canary Islands, Spain, is a small community of summer residences in La Graciosa island. The population is 2 . It's part of the municipality of Teguise on Lanzarote. There is a road to the other inhabited place in the island, Caleta de Sebo....

. The island is entirely made up of volcanic rock and sands.

The population is 700. Tourism is the main industry along with fishing. Every year, tourists flock to the island for its tempered climate and its sandy volcanic coasts. The island has a school, lyceum, post office, supermarkets, a bank, port, beaches, and — except bar-restaurants — a square where bicycles can be hired (plaza
Plaza
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...

).

Streets and roads on La Graciosa are unpaved sand. The Gracioseras can often be seen early each morning sweeping the streets smooth of the previous night's footprints. Motor vehicles are strictly prohibited and limited to a handful of licensed vehicles for special purposes. Since the roads are bad, and cars have to be shipped to Lanzarote for repair, about 70% of the motor vehicles on the island are old Land Rovers which often can be repaired by a local serviceman.

Access to the Island is by a 35-minute ferry crossing from Orzola
Órzola
Órzola is a village in the municipality of Haría in the Las Palmas province of northern Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It is the departure point for the ferry to La Graciosa....

 on Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...

 to the harbour in the village.

Graciosa Island has been raided by pirates for treasures.

Geographical features

As part of the easternmost islands in the archipelago, and the smallest inhabited Canary Island, the island is extremely arid and entirely made up of bushes and dry soil. Its length is 8 km and the width is 4 km, making an area of 29 km². There are no natural water sources on the island; desalinated water has been piped directly from neighbouring Lanzarote since 2001.

The mountains lie to the northern and the western part. The southern and the eastern part are hilly. The tallest mountain is Aguja Grandes rising to 266 m. The second tallest is Las Agujas Chicas at 228 m. Other mountains include Montaña Amarilla (Spanish for yellow mountain), situated in the southwestern part, and the crater-peaked Monte Bermeja to the northeast. It is partially eroding in the lower part. The elevation is 152 m.

The island's many beaches include Playa Francesa to the southwest, Playa de la Cocina to the west, Playa Lambra to the east, and the magnificent Playa de las Conchas on the far side. Points include Punta Gorda
Gorda
Gorda may refer to:* Gorda, California, United States, a small town on the Pacific Ocean* Gorda Plate, a tectonic plate located beneath the Pacific Ocean near northern California* Cayo Gorda, a small island of Honduras in Caribbean Sea...

.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK