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The History of the Canary Islands

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The Canary Islands, consisting of seven islands of volcanic origins are located in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwestern coast of Africa. The Islands were first referred to as Canaria (from the latin canis) by the Romans because of the large number of fierce dogs on the islands (the canary bird receives its name from the islands, not the other way round!)

The Romans and Greeks also called them the 'Happy Islands' and the 'Garden of Hesperides, Atlántida' and some historians believe that the island's original population, the tall, blonde and blue- eyed Guanches, were from the legendary continent of Atlantis. Probably originating from Berber tribesmen, each of the tribes on the seven islands had their own distinct cultures and customs. The Guanches were mainly farmers and shepherds and still lived a Stone Age way of life until the middle ages (some of their cave dwellings and villages are now open to the public.)

The 1402 conquest by Norman nobles Juan de Bethencourt and Gadifer de la Salle brought the Canary Islands to the attention of the rest of the world and brought them under the control of Spain. The towns of Santa Cruz and Las Palmas became stopovers for the Spanish traders and missionaries on their way to the New World, and the islands became quite wealthy. Unfortunately, this new found wealth also attracted the attention of Barbary pirates.

However, in the 19th century Spain's American colonies became independent and this had a knock-on effect on the Canaries, causing a severe recession. By the early 20th century migration was rife. At the beginning of the 20th century, the English introduced a new money spinner to the islands, the banana.

The rivalry between the cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas led to the division of the islands into two provinces in 1927. In 1936, Francisco Franco launched his military coup from the Canaries, quickly taking control of the archipelago. Opposition to Franco's regime did not emerge until the late 1950s.

After Franco's death and the installation of a democratic constitutional monarchy, a bill of autonomy was proposed for the Canaries. In 1983 the first autonomous elections were won by the Spanish socialist party, PSOE.

Over 1.9 million people live on the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro; although more than 80% of them live on the two main islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

A distinctive dialect of Castilian is spoken in the islands but English is widely understood and spoken in the big cities and coastal resorts. Up until the 16th century an Afro-Asiatic language called Guanche was the dominant language of the region but is now extinct although some of the words have been assimilated into the Canary Islanders' dialects of Spanish. On La Gomera, traces of the Guanches '”whistle” Silbo language, a form of whistling that sounds a bit like a mix between Spanish and yodelling, is still used to communicate over the mountains and valleys. Apparently the locals can whistle a message the whole way around La Gomera in just 40 minutes!

Hire & Rent Mobility Equipment & Disable Aides Abroad: On the Islands of Lanzarote & Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands

At Island Mobility we provide high quality reliable mobility equipment, all of our products are regularly serviced, we keep informed of the market trends ensuring that our customers are always able to hire up to date modern equipment

To see our extensive range visit our main web site at http://www.islandmobility.com

We have made hiring and renting mobility equipment and aides in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura a simple one step process:

To hire a wheelchair (manual or electric) or an electric mobility scooter, in fact any mobility aid in Lanzarote you simply select the mobility equipment that's right for you from our on-line booking form and we do the rest. Or if you prefer, call us directly for hires on Lanzarote or rentals on Fuerteventura dial from the UK: 0034 928 349 533 or 0034 696 389 034. Alternatively you can e-mail us at mailto:info@islandmobility.com

Whether you will be visiting Costa Tequise, Puerto del Carmen, Arricife, Playa Blanca or anywhere on Lanzarote, or Corralejo, Puerto del Rosario, Cofete, Morro Jable, Costa Calma, Caleta de Fuste, La Pared or anywhere on Fuerteventura we will deliver all of our mobility equipment directly to your hotel, villa or apartment, and we collect directly from you at the end of your stay......nothing could be easier!