Demographics of the Canary Islands

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The Canary Islands are an archipelago, or island chain, in the Macaronesia region of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Africa. They are one of 17 autonomous communities of Spain. [1] The demographics of the Canary Islands are concentrated in the largest islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

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Population

219 people/km2 with Tenerife and Gran Canaria accounting for more than 80% of the total population of all islands. There is a history of emigration from the islands to other cities and countries, such as Cuba and Venezuela. In recent years, the Canary population has increased due as emigrants have returned and newcomers have arrived to occupy new jobs. Spain's membership in the European Union is one major reason for this increase in prosperity and residence.

The 2005 census recorded 1,968,280 inhabitants, with 1,011,928 in the 33 municipalities of the province of Las Palmas, and 956,352 in the 52 municipalities the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The largest city by population is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with 378,628 inhabitants, followed by the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife with 221,567, San Cristóbal de La Laguna with 141,627 and Telde with 96,547.

Population by island

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canary Islands</span> Spanish archipelago and region in the Atlantic Ocean

The Canary Islands, also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the Atlantic Ocean. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres west of Morocco. They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain. The islands have a population of 2.2 million people and are the most populous special territory of the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Las Palmas</span> Province of Spain

The Province of Las Palmas is a province of Spain, consisting of the eastern part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, capital city of this province and of the island of Gran Canaria, is the largest city in the Canary Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife</span> Province of Spain

Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, also Province of Santa Cruz, is a province of Spain, consisting of the western part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. It consists of about half of the Atlantic archipelago: the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro, and La Palma. It occupies an area of 3,381 km2 (1,305 sq mi). It also includes a series of adjacent roques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Palmas</span> Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Las Palmas, officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gran Canaria</span> Spanish island of the Canary Islands

Gran Canaria, also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. As of 2019 the island had a population of 851,231 that constitutes approximately 40% of the population of the archipelago. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the capital of the island, is the biggest city of the Canary Islands and the ninth of Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenerife</span> Largest and most populous of Spains Canary Islands

Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of 2,034 square kilometres (785 sq mi) and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of January 2022, it is also the most populous island of Spain and of Macaronesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Cruz de Tenerife</span> Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and capital of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz has a population of 206,593 (2013) within its administrative limits. The urban zone of Santa Cruz extends beyond the city limits with a population of 507,306 and 538,000 within urban area. It is the second largest city in the Canary Islands and the main city on the island of Tenerife, with nearly half of the island's population living in or around it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Realejos</span> Town on Tenerife

Los Realejos is a town and a municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife, which is the biggest town in the Canary Islands. It is part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. The town is located 2 km (1.2 mi) from the north coast, 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of Puerto de la Cruz, 6 km (3.7 mi) west of La Orotava, and 34 km (21 mi) southwest of the island's capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The inhabitants are known in Spanish as realejeros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa María de Guía de Gran Canaria</span> Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Santa María de Guía de Gran Canaria is a town and a municipality in Las Palmas province of the Canary Islands. It is located on the north side of Gran Canaria island. Its population is 13,811 (2013), and the area is 42.59 km2 (16.44 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Cristóbal de La Laguna</span> Municipality and city in Canary Islands, Spain

San Cristóbal de La Laguna is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the Canary Islands, Spain. The former capital of the Canary Islands, the city is the third-most populous city of the archipelago and the second-most populous city of the island. La Laguna's historical center was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. La Laguna is situated alongside the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife; thus, the two cities and municipalities form a single large urban center. Its economy is business-oriented while agriculture dominates the northeastern portion of the city. The urban area dominates the central and the southern parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breña Baja</span> Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Breña Baja is a municipality on the eastern side of the island of La Palma, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. The ayuntamiento is in the town of San José with an elevation of 300 m. Until the 17th century the area was known as Breña, but was then divided into Breña Alta and Breña Baja.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Cruz de La Palma</span> Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Santa Cruz de la Palma is a city and a municipality on the east coast of the island of La Palma in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz de la Palma is the second-largest city and is the capital of the island. It is along an old lava flow coming from the Caldereta, a volcano just south of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of La Laguna</span>

The University of La Laguna is a public research university situated in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on the island of Tenerife, Spain. It is the oldest university in the Canary Islands. The university has six campuses: Central, Anchieta, Guajara, Campus del Sur, Ofra and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the Canary Islands</span> Autonomous Community flag of the Canary Islands

The flag of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands is a vertical tricolour of three equal bands of white, blue, and yellow. The state flag includes the Coat of arms of the Canary Islands in the central band; the civil flag omits this. The designs were made official by the Statute of Autonomy of the Canarian Autonomous Community on 16 August 1982.

The Canary Islands are an autonomous community of Spain. The headquarters of the Canary Islands military command is located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Palacio de la Capitanía General de Canarias. The following components of the Spanish Armed Forces are based in the Canary Islands:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna</span> Catholic diocese in Spain

The Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, also called Diocese of Tenerife or Diocese Nivariense, is a diocese located in the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna in the Canary Islands and a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Sevilla in Spain. The diocese includes the islands of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The bishop of this diocese is Bernardo Álvarez Afonso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Canary Islands</span> Province in Spain

The Province of Canary Islands is the name of the former province formed by the Canary Islands. This province had its capital in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. After the provincial division in 1927 this province was composed of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife that encompassed the western islands of the Canaries, while the province of Las Palmas covered the eastern islands.

As in the rest of Spain, the majority religion in the Canary Islands is the Catholic Church. The Catholic religion has been the majority since the Conquest of the Canary Islands in the fifteenth century. This religion would largely replace the Canarian aboriginal religion through the prohibition of the latter and syncretism. According to a survey conducted in 2019, Canary Islands is the fifth autonomous community in Spain with the highest percentage of people who declare themselves to be Catholics after the Region of Murcia, Extremadura, Galicia, Aragon, and Castile and León. 76.7% of the population is Catholic.

This is the results breakdown of the local elections held in the Canary Islands on 24 May 2015. The following tables show detailed results in the autonomous community's most populous municipalities, sorted alphabetically.

References

  1. "Canary Islands | Geography, Facts, & History | Britannica".