History of the Canary Islands

History of the Canary Islands

Key Historical Dates

• Mid-14th century: Known since antiquity and inhabited by the Guanches, the Canary Islands were "rediscovered" by the Portuguese.

• 1402: Conquest of Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, and La Gomera by Jean de Béthencourt on behalf of the King of Castile. Subsequently, the Spanish established themselves on the other islands despite resistance from the Guanches (until 1496), who gradually disappeared.

• 1479: After decades of rivalry between Spain and Portugal over sovereignty of the archipelago, the Treaty of Alcaçovas finally granted it to the Spanish crown.

• 16th century: The Canary Islands temporarily benefited from their position on the route to the New World, growing wealthy. This prosperity later led to several (unsuccessful) attacks by various fleets.

• 19th century: Following the decline of sugarcane cultivation, which had provided much of the archipelago’s income, tens of thousands of Canary Islanders chose to emigrate to Spanish-speaking territories in the Americas.

• Late 19th century: The (recent) cultivation of bananas locally and the establishment of a free-port status helped spur new development in the archipelago.

• 1927: Rivalries between Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife led to the creation of two provinces within the Canary Islands.

• 1936: Though part of Spain, the archipelago was barely affected by the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) and its national consequences.

• 1977: Tenerife was the site of the deadliest plane crash in history.

• 1978: The Canary Islands gained a new status as an Autonomous Community within Spain, comprising the provinces of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz.

• 1982: Establishment of a local government and a parliament elected every four years.

• 2002: On January 1st, the euro became the official currency in the Canary Islands, as in the rest of Spain.

• 2009: The world’s largest telescope was inaugurated on the island of La Palma.

• 2011–2012: The small island of El Hierro experienced a series of underwater volcanic eruptions and several minor earthquakes.