Lanzarote (pronounced [lanθaˈɾote] or [lansaˈɾote]) – a Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean – is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands 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. The first recorded name for the island, given by Angelino Dulcert, was Insula de Lanzarotus Marocelus, after the Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello, from which the modern name is derived. The island's name in the native language was Titerro(y)gatra, which may mean "the red mountains".
Geography
Lanzarote – situated at 29°00' north, 13°40' west – is located 11 km north-east of Fuerteventura and just over 1 km from La Graciosa. The dimensions of the island are 60 km from north to south and 25 km from west to east. Lanzarote has 213 km of coastline, of which 10 km are sand, 16.5 km are beach, and the remainder is rocky. Its dramatic landscape includes the mountain ranges of Famara (671m) in the north and Ajaches (608m) to the south. South of the Famara massif is the El Jable desert which separates Famara and Montañas del Fuego.
The highest peak is Peñas del Chache elevating 670m above sea level. The "Tunnel of Atlantis" is the largest submerged volcanic tunnel in the world. The island has a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve protected site status. But this status was endangered by a local corruption scandal. Since May 2009 police have arrested the former president of Lanzarote, the former mayor of Arrecife and more than 20 politicians and businessmen in connection with illegal building permits along the Lanzarote's coastline. UNESCO has threatened to revoke Lanzarote's Biosphere Reserve status "If the developments are not respecting local needs and are impacting on the environment".
Lanzarote is the easternmost island of the Canary Islands and has volcanic origin. It was born through fiery eruptions and has solidified lava streams as well as extravagant rock formations.
Demographics
As of 2008, a total of 139,506 people lived on Lanzarote which is an increase of 9.4% from 2006 (127,457). The seat of the island government (Cabildo Insular) is in the capital, Arrecife, which has a population of 59,040. The majority of the inhabitants (73.9%) are Spanish, with a sizeable number of residents from other European nations, mainly British (4.0%), Germans (2.6%) and Irish (2.5%). Other populous groups include immigrants from Colombia, Morocco, Ecuador, Western Africa, China and India, who constitute a large proportion of the remaining 15.6% of the population.
