How did the Canary Islands come about? It seemed that modern science should, without difficulty, provide an answer to this question. But no, groups of scientists even with the help of the latest technologies and ultra-precise instruments cannot come to a common conclusion about the origin of this paradise. Existing theories of the origin of the archipelago can be divided into two groups.

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The first group includes theories suggesting that the islands were part of neighboring continents.... Among them, the most common theory of the origin of the Canary Islands as a result of the formation of the Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa and the subsequent separation of the islands. But this theory was not confirmed., since the geological formations of the archipelago are not similar to those found on the African continent. In turn, the exploration of the seabed confirmed the geological independence of the Canary Islands. Marine sedimentary deposits between the islands in places reach a thickness of more than 8 kilometers, and the largest depressions are up to 3 kilometers deep..

The second group includes modern theories explaining the origin of the Canary Islands by their uplift from the depths of the ocean in the course of volcanic activity, culminating in the uplift of island blocks. One of the popular theories explaining the different ages of the islands and their volcanic origin- hot spot theory. According to which, there are relatively limited areas of the earth's surface on the ocean floor or on land with anomalously high heat flux associated with increased magmatic and hydrothermal activity. One of these points contributed to the formation of the Canary Islands... As the ocean floor moved from east to west, the easternmost and oldest islands- Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and the last to emerge was El Hierro, the westernmost island.

Perhaps the only statement to date, with which both scientists and historians agree, is that the Canary Islands are it is an archipelago of volcanic origin... But do not discount the mythical origin of this extraordinary place. In European myths, the Canary Islands are often associated with the Isles of Bliss, the Garden of Pleasures, the Gardens of the Hesperides, and Plato's Atlantis utopia. Some do believe that the islands are the remains of the sunken Atlantis... Proponents of this theory cite as evidence an analysis of the modern flora and fauna of the Canary archipelago, which are strikingly different from other places on our planet.

Everyone has the right to choose for themselves the closest version of the emergence of the islands, but one thing is absolutely clear, this place has something mystical and inexplicable, allowing you to find that very paradise here, which has been searched for by many for many centuries.

The last eruption was recorded at El Hierro, one of the underwater volcanoes in 2011, the previous eruption occurred on La Palma in 1972, when the Teneguía volcano was activated. And the first recorded eruption was the eruption of the Takande volcano on La Palma between 1430 and 1440.

Volcano Teide is the highest point in all of Spain and largest volcano v Atlantic Ocean has not erupted even once in the last 1250 years. A in Gran Canaria, the last volcanic eruption occurred about 3500 years ago. Highest point is an extinct volcano Pico de las Nieves(1949 m) in the center of the island. Another extinct volcano, Peak Bandama, is also noteworthy.... From the top of the crater, there is an amazing view of the capital of the island of Gran Canaria and the central part of the island.

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Video: this is how the nature of the Canary archipelago was born

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Canary Islands(Spanish - Las Islas Canarias) - an archipelago of 13 islands of volcanic origin, off the northwestern coast of Africa (Morocco and Western Sahara). The islands belong to Spain and are one of the autonomous communities of this country. There are two capitals here - Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, although until 1927 there was only one capital - Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

It is believed that the Canary Islands are the birthplace of canaries and the islands got their name after these birds. According to another version, the name "Canary Islands" comes from lat. - Canariae Insulae, meaning "Dog Islands".

Ancient roman scholar Pliny the Elder believed that the name of the islands was given because of the large number of large dogs that lived on this land (therefore, there are two dogs on the coat of arms of the islands).

Many argue that a stay in the Canary Islands restores not only the body, but also the spirit. The whole point is supposedly in the energy of the islands, the secrets of which have been trying to unravel for many centuries.

The archipelago, lost in the Atlantic Ocean, has been familiar to Europeans since ancient times. In their writings they wrote about him Seneca, Plato, Diodorus, other ancient historians. The sources of the scriptures were the stories of sailors: the archipelago was considered the haven of the gods, heavenly place and the abode of the blessed.

The biggest mystery of the Canary Islands is the origin of the first people of the archipelago. Tall, blue-eyed, with fiery red hair, they called themselves " guanches"-" children of the volcano ", and believed that they are the only people who survived after the" Great Flood ".

Exactly that the Canary Islands are the tops of the submerged ancient continent, whose patron was god Poseidon, and prompted scientists to think about Atlantis... The researchers believed that the surviving Guanches were low-class Atlanteans who grazed cattle high in the mountains or worked in quarries, and therefore were able to escape during the disaster. There are no other versions of how the tribes appeared on the islands: they did not have the slightest navigation skills, the ability to build boats and ships.

Another reason for questions is the pyramids of the island of Tenerife - rectangular pyramids, similar to the pyramids of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations (in Mexico). The Guanches lived in a cave under one of them - there was the residence of one of the ten rulers of the island of Tenerife.

Pyramids of Tenerife

However, the last "descendants of Atlantis" did not manage to avoid a sad fate. In the 15th century, the Spaniards landed on one of the islands of the archipelago, who almost completely exterminated these tribes, and the last of the Guanches chose to commit suicide by throwing themselves into the abyss.

The Guanches left behind many mysteries, mysterious pyramids, the art of mummification, language and, of course, culture. On the island El Hierro found the most a large number of cave paintings, on Fuerteventura there are ruins of a stone wall, which the Guanches separated from their neighbors, on the island Gran Canaria- amazing caves in which people still live.

The legend of the dragon tree

One of the landmarks of the island Tenerife are dragon trees that grow very long and slowly. Some of them are centuries old, and the resin has a blood-red color, reminiscent of blood.

Dragon tree in Tenerife

The inhabitants of the Canary Islands believed that this was not a tree at all, but an enchanted dragon. According to another legend, trees grew in the place where Hercules shed the blood of a dragon, performing his 12 labors.

Once in the Canary Islands, it is worth coming to Tenerife and touching this tree: according to some legends, this brings good luck and longevity.

The Legend of the Devil

Also on the island of Tenerife there is volcano teide... This is Spain itself (3,718 m). A Chinyero volcano named a nature reserve. The last volcanic eruption in Tenerife occurred on November 18, 1909: Chignero, located on the northwestern side of Teide peak, began to erupt lava.

The summit of the Teide volcano rises majestically above the island, it can be seen from anywhere in Tenerife. It is she who is the symbol of the Canary Islands, depicted on the coat of arms of Tenerife. The name Teide, translated from the Guanche language, means "snowy mountain". it sacred place for the Guanches, the indigenous people of Tenerife. It can be compared to Olympus for the ancient Greeks.

Volcano teide

There is also a legend. According to her, the Devil kidnapped the God of Sun and Light and imprisoned him in a crater. This led to darkness falling on the ground. The Guanches prayed to Achaman, to his supreme deity, with a request to free the God of the Sun and Light. Achaman entered into battle with the Devil and defeated him. Since then, supposedly, the Devil has been imprisoned in the bowels of this volcano.

The bird's tongue of the shepherds

Shadow unsolved riddle falls on beautiful islandLa Gomera... Long ago, the shepherds of this area began to speak in a whistle language, although this language is no longer spoken on any other island of the Canary Islands.

There is a legend about the appearance of this method of communication: as a punishment for misdeeds, the leader ordered to cut off several of the guilty tongues. For communication, these people created an analogue of speech, and the new generation of islanders mastered it and continues to use it to this day. With it, you can talk over a distance of 15 kilometers.

If you manage to visit the island of La Gomera, then you will have the opportunity to hear your name in the language of birds.

The ghost island of San Brandon

Initially, sailors' records described eight large islands of the Canary archipelago, not seven. Over the past centuries, one of them has disappeared from descriptions.

The mysterious island is known from the travel legend Monk Brendan, which tells about the path of the monk towards the islands.

During his travels, Brendan encountered fire-spewing demons, floating crystal columns, and island-sized monsters. It is described that a monk landed on an island that unexpectedly swam. It turned out that this is not an ordinary island, but a giant sea animal. After all the adventures, Brendan returned to his homeland and told people about his amazing journey.

But the most interesting thing is that the inhabitants of the island El Hierro, allegedly, they still observe an island in the ocean that is not on the map, and they call it St Brandon's Island.

According to legend, only a righteous person can see this island. Therefore, if you want to test yourself and your righteousness, visit the island of El Hierro.

Precious mineral olivine

One of the legends says: once Olivine, the granddaughter of the oldest and wisest shepherd on the island, she was herding sheep alone. When she returned home, she noticed that there was not enough lamb in the herd. Looking around, Olivina saw a lamb on the highest rock. The girl tried to save the animal, but he stumbled and fell into the abyss. Olivina was so sad that she sat down at the foot of this mountain and wept.

Worried about her granddaughter, who did not come home on time, her grandfather asked the birds where the girl was and what had happened to her. The old man was so moved when he learned of what had happened that he asked the birds to pick up Olivina's green tears and place them near the base of the mountains as a symbol of pain and human kindness.

It was then that the stone appeared olivine born in volcanic rocks, supposedly from human tears.

The chrysolite stone or olivine is one of the symbols of the Canary archipelago. Tourists always buy a souvenir made of this stone on the island.

Processed olivine souvenir

Chrysolite- one of the varieties of olivine. Chrysolite refers to processed olivine. It is a high temperature mineral, a semi-precious stone. The stone got its name because of its golden-green color, similar to olive. The precious mineral has been known since ancient times and was used in the jewelry of the Egyptian queen. Cleopatra.

Riddle of the "Hell's Gorge"

The history of one of the most visited places in Tenerife dates back to ancient times, when the Guanche tribes inhabited the valleys of the Canary Islands. These people were extremely careful, kept goats in the shade of rocks and dense vegetation, carried out agricultural work in the depths of the valleys and lived in caves or narrow gorges. giant rocks, which today have become tourist routes.

One of these attractions is "Hellish Gorge"- widely known for its extraordinary waterfall, which starts in the center of Adeje, at the end of Calle Molinos, at an altitude of about 350 meters above sea level.

Hellish gorge

The gorge justifies its name by the fact that it is not easy to get to it: for this you need to walk almost 7 kilometers on foot. Usually, this trip takes about four hours for tourists. When setting off, you should bring enough food and water with you, and wear sturdy boots and a helmet to protect your head.

Guanches

Guanches(from "guanchinet" - people of Tenerife) - which has become a household name for the indigenous population of the Canary Islands. In fact, this name belongs only to the natives of Tenerife (where the surname Guancha is still found). The Guanches were spoken in the Guanche (Canary) languages.

Inhabitants of other Canary Islands were called Mahorers, Bimbaps, Aurites and others. They were noticeably different in their cultural traditions.

Guanches, Mahorers, Bimbap, Aurits and others spoke related, though not identical, languages, which are most likely close to the Berber languages ​​(Afrasian language family) of the neighboring continent.

There was no close relationship between all the Canary Islands until the 15th century, each island lived on its own.

Monument to the aboriginal of the islands - one of the leaders of Benejaro II - on the Mensei embankment in the city of Candelaria, about. Tenerife

During the Spanish conquest (1402-1496), the Guanches, led by one of their leaders - Benejaro- resisted the conquerors. In subsequent years, the bulk of the Guanches were exterminated or taken into slavery. The remaining Guanches mingled with the Spaniards, adopting Christianity and losing their language.

Today, the Canary Islands are home to about 1.5 million people. A significant part of the local population are descendants of the Spanish conquistadors (participants of the Conquest - the conquest of America) who settled here after the conquest of the Canary Islands at the beginning of the 15th century. The indigenous inhabitants of the Canaries, the Guanches, are practically gone on the islands.

In this article, we have told our readers not all the legends that are in the air of the Canary archipelago. In every settlement, in every town of any of the islands, you can hear your mysterious stories that have come to us through the centuries.

Geography

The Canary Islands archipelago consists of seven large inhabited islands and six small ones. In the center is the most big Island - Tenerife(2,057 km²), which is also the most densely populated.

Resort on the island of Tenerife

There are islands to the west of Tenerife Palm(708 km²), Homer(378 km²), Hierro(277 km²).

In the east - an island Gran Canaria- the third largest island in the archipelago (1,532 km²). Next come Fuerteventura(1,659 km²) and Lanzarote(795 km²).

Of the six small islands on the island alone Graciosa(27 km²) people live.

Also in the east are the islands: Alegranza(10 km²), Lobos(6 km²), Montagna Clara(1 km²), Roque del Oeste and Roque del Este.

The Canary Islands are mountainous, so the climate and weather are influenced by altitude and relief. Thanks to the even, mild and dry climate, the Canary Islands are never too hot or cold. Average monthly temperature air does not fall below 21 ° С (December - February) and does not rise above 28 ° С (July - August). The water temperature in the coastal zone fluctuates around 20 ° C, so you can swim in the ocean all year round.

Irina Morozova, specially for .

The Canary Islands (Spanish Las Islas Canarias, literally "islands of dogs") are an archipelago of seven volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean, not far from the northwestern coast of Africa (Morocco and Western Sahara). The islands belong to Spain and are one of the autonomous communities of this country. The Canary Islands are quite young by geological standards - about 20 million years old.

There are several theories about the origin of the Canary Islands. The various theories that have tried to explain the origin of the Canary Islands can be grouped into two groups. On the one hand, there are theories according to which it was believed that the islands were directly associated with continents, modern or extinct. On the other hand, there are more modern theories suggesting that the Canary Islands rose from the depths of the ocean in complete independence from neighboring continents.

In the first group of theories, one can single out those that are built on pure hypotheses based on more or less fantastic historical writings, such as, for example, the myth of Atlantis. Others are looking for a connection between the islands and the continents.

Atlantis

Some hypotheses indicate that the Canary Islands are the remnants of a large submerged continent - Atlantis. Also part of this continent were Cape Verde, Madeira and the Azores. These hypotheses are based on the famous "Dialogues" of Plato "Timaeus" and "Critias", created in the IV century. BC Although Plato's Atlantis could exist anywhere in the Atlantic (and according to other authors - in the Mediterranean), some historians and scientists associate it with the Canary Islands.

Theories about the connection with modern continents

Two fundamental theories can be distinguished here: the theory of bridges between continents and the theory of origin from northwestern Africa.

The isthmus theory is based on an analysis of modern flora, fauna and rocks of the Canary archipelago. According to this theory, the Canary Islands were connected to large islands or continents, which made possible species exchange between them. However, the islands do not have sedimentary deposits that would provide such an opportunity. On the other hand, the species living here have had many opportunities to get to the islands over millions of years.

The theory of the origin of the archipelago from northwestern Africa suggests that the islands were originally part of the African continent. According to this theory, the Canary Islands arose as a result of the formation of the Atlas Mountains in the northwest of the continent. But this would entail the existence of sedimentary deposits on the islands, which could not be proved. However, it is very likely that volcanic events were triggered by tectonic movements that affected this African territory.

Another argument against this theory is that there are no geological formations in the surrounding African territories in the Canary Islands, and there are no Canary formations in Africa. Without a doubt, the rocks of this African region are similar to geological formations. South America... This only enhances the geological dissimilarity. canary islands.

This independence is confirmed by the study of the seabed surrounding the islands. These submerged areas are separated from the continent by over 8,000 m thick sedimentary deposits between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura on the one hand and Africa on the other. Also, on each of the islands there is a certain difference from all the others. In addition, between Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro, the largest depressions are up to 3000 m.

Contemporary theories

Modern theories try to explain the origin of the Canary Islands by raising them from the depths of the ocean. The main reason for the appearance of the islands is considered to be volcanic activity. These ideas were expressed in the 19th century. the most famous scientists-geologists of that time: Charles Lyell, Karl Fritsch and Christian Leopold von Buch. Recently, these theories have been refined and proven on the basis of numerous serious studies and observations.

Such hypotheses received the first support in the theory of continental drift by Alfred Lothar Wegener. According to the ideas of this scientist, the earth's crust can drift over denser magmatic masses. At the beginning of the Jurassic period, all the continents were united into one continent of Pangea, and in subsequent eras they began to separate from each other, moving until the modern picture of the location of the continents was formed. If you pay attention to the shape of each of the continents, then you can mentally connect them into one continent.

According to Wegener, the Canary Islands are the breakaway pieces of continental plates that can be compared to the breakaway chunks of ice floating in front of an iceberg. Thus, they were fragments of the upper layer, in some places completely hidden under lava, only recently separated from Africa. However, this is not so: the Canary Islands, as shown above, could not break away from Africa. Their geological structure is also different from what Wegener assumed. Some authors believe that only two islands - Lanzarote and Fuerteventura - are of continental origin.

The theory of the expansion of the ocean floor.

According to this theory, the ocean floor is constantly in motion, forming narrow cracks located in mountain ranges that cross the oceanic basins. It is believed that the ocean floor expands by 2-18 cm annually.

Plate tectonics. According to this theory, the upper layer of the lithosphere consists of a certain number of solid plates that move relative to each other. When these blocks move or converge, islands are formed.

“Blocks are growing and expanding along the mid-ocean ridges. During movement, the blocks can collide with each other, and the phenomenon of subduction occurs. It consists in the fact that one of the plates descends and goes into the lower part of the mantle, moving under the other plate. If the slabs move relative to one another, large gutter systems form in one direction. "

In the expansion zone, under the influence of constant heat flows, cracks, volcanic eruptions and lava flows appear along the entire length of the mid-ocean ridge, which leads to the formation of slopes and mountains.

The current situation around the question

More than 200 million years ago, the division of Pangea, the huge original continent, began. At this time, the formation of the Atlantic Ocean began thanks to the increasing separation of America, Europe and Africa. This process ended 65 million years ago, when the continents took their present position.

Turning to this data, it is difficult to say at what point the formation of the Canary Islands began. It is known that the most ancient rocks in Fuerteventura are about 37 million years old. It can be assumed that the formation of the islands began after the continents took their present position. It is impossible to determine exactly at what point the underwater volcanic activity began, culminating in the uplift of island blocks. Volcanic activity could have continued for more or less long periods from 200 to 37 million years ago.

Other theories take the islands' volcanic origins and try to explain their different ages. One such theory is the hotspot theory. According to it, there are relatively limited areas of the earth's surface on the ocean floor or on land with anomalously high heat flux associated with increased magmatic and hydrothermal activity. One of these points, located near the archipelago, contributed to the formation of the Canary Islands. As the ocean floor drifts from east to west, the easternmost islands, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, emerged first. Therefore El Hierro, the westernmost island, is the youngest.

Another theory is the fault expansion theory based on the hardness of the African plate. According to her, the appearance of each of the islands is explained by the existence of a rift or crack expanding from west to east, which was a consequence of the expansion and contraction of the Atlas mountain ranges in northwest Africa. As a result of eruptions from these cracks, the Canary Islands were formed.

Another theory, more widespread at present, is the theory of the lifting of blocks from the ocean floor, which formed the island cores, in the zone of the thinnest crust, through the transition between the ocean and the continent, caused by the rotation or delay of the African continent in the constant movement of the Atlantic plate from east to west.