Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/367

LEFT CANARY ISLANDS 321 CANARY ISLANDS breeding of canaries with allied species, artificial channels for the purpose of such as the goldfinch, siskin, linnet, bull- irrigation. finch. Teneeiffe, the largest island of the ^ =

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mr^ M. uiU« DIAGRAM, SHOWING HEIGHT OF LOCKS AND PROPORTIONS OF CONDUITS OF GATUN LOCKS, PANAMA CANAL CANARY ISLANDS, a group of is- lands belonging to Spain in the Atlantic Ocean, off the N. W. coast of Africa, forniing a Spanish province. The group consists of seven large and several small islets, with a joint area of about 3,342 square miles, and a population of about 500,000. The principal islands, proceed- ing from E. to W., are Lanzarote, Fuer- teventura, Gran Canaria, Teneriffe, Go- niera, Palma, and Hierro or Ferro. The distance from Fuerteventura to the Afri- can coast is about 62% geographical miles. The coasts are steep and rocky, and the surface is diversified with high mountains, narrow gorges, and deep val- leys. All the islands are volcanic, and everywhere show plain marks of their origin, in the shape of cones, craters, beds of tuff and pumice, and streams of lava ; but eruptions have taken place within the historical period only in Teneriffe, Palma, and Lanzarotfe. There are no rivers, and on several of the islands water is very scarce. The springs on those better supplied are diverted by long group, has an area of 877 square miles, with a population of 112,000. The chief town and port is Santa Cruz de Santiago, on the S. E. coast. It is the seat of the officials of the general government. The other towns are Laguna, a few miles from Santa Cruz, on a plain 1,800 feet above the sea; Puerto Orotava, on the N. coast; Villa Orotava, 1,060 feet higher; and Icod de los Vinos, near which the largest existing dragon-tree grows. The famous Peak of Teneriffe is in the N. W. of the island. Gran Canaria, which is next in im- portance, has an area of 758 square miles, with a population of 80,000. Its culminating peak is El Cumbre, with a height of 6,648 feet. The capital. Las Palmas, on the E. coast, is the largest town of the archipelago. The surface of this island is so broken that only a small part is under cultivation. At Artinara, at a height of 3,850 feet, there is a vil- lage of caves, with a population of 1,100 persons. A few miles from Las Palmas is the cone of Vandama, 1,800 feet high.