Vacation Diary

Gran Canaria Facts

by admin on 22/07/10 at 8:27 pm

The island of Gran Canaria is part of the Canary Islands archipelago.  Its name might lead you to think it’s a particularly large island in the group of islands it belongs to, but it’s actually only the third largest, with the largest being Tenerife, that also holds the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It’s also the second most populated island in the archipelago, second only to Tenerife.

Gran Canaria has been settled since as early as 500 BC. Back then, the natives were known to worship dogs, hence its name, a lot like the Egyptian cult of Anubis. This is interesting, as the natives were often described as barbarians by the Spanish conquerors, but evidence shows that they were organized, literate and had a complex social and religious hierarchy. Of course, the Spanish glossed through all of this and simply marked them off as barbarians, much like they did with all people they encountered in their expansion.

But before the Spanish conquered the island, the French and the Portuguese made some attempts at building their own settlements in it. The latter actually had a claim to the island, but were reluctant to subjugate the natives by force, unlike the Spanish. They eventually let go of their claim and the Spanish were free to conquer the islands.

But there was never any actual dissidence against Spanish rule. In fact, the islands remained loyal to Spain despite several invasions by European and African peoples.

Nowadays, Gran Canaria is a major tourist hub. As the trade with the colonies dwindled, so did the economic importance of the Canary Islands. That is, until they were spotted for tourism.  It’s now easy to find cheap holidays to Gran Canaria, as well as more high class options. The increase in tourism comes not only because of advertising, that’s as effective in word of mouth as it is by showing pictures of the amazing beaches in the island. It’s also because the regional authorities have invested in tourism, not only to make money, but also to increase the prestige of the island.

That’s why when you get a package for cheap Canaries Holidays from onthebeach, for example, you might expect somewhat dodgy facilities or below-par meals, but that’s rarely, if ever, the case. Everything in the Canaries has its hint of class, and the people are proud enough not to want to simply become a tourist trap. They realize that, after all, they do have to live there also.