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The texts of Homer, Plato and others and writers of antiquity contain references to the islands that were considered remains of Atlantis, the mythical sunken continent. The Canaries were perhaps considered to be those islands. Little is known about them, however, in the Middle Ages.
The Canary Islands comprise seven Islands and six islets, of which only one of the latter is inhabited. Situated between latitudes 27º 38´ and 29º 25´ North and the longitudes 13º 20´ and 18º 10´ to the west of Greenwich, they are 1,000 kilometres from the Spanish peninsular coast, and about 100 kilometres from the African coast. Tenerife is the largest of the islands, with Santa Cruz its capital with more than 200,000 inhabitants.
The islands are volcanic and most are characterized by their high altitudes that culminate in the centre of each island from whence a network of ravines descends. Tenerife has the highest point in Spain with the volcano Teide at over 3,300 metres. It is often covered in snow in winter whilst at the same time the coastal areas may be experiencing temperatures approaching 30°C!
The main produce of the islands are wine, bananas, sugar and tomatoes. Tourism forms a very important part of the economy.
