Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

La Palma is another island of the Canary Islands

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (in red) on a map of Gran Canaria

Flag

coat of arms

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the biggest city of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. The city, with a population of 383,308 in 2010, is the eighth-largest in Spain.

Together with Santa Cruz de Tenerife, it is the capital of the Comunidad Autónoma de Canarias (Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands). It is also the capital of the island of Gran Canaria and of the province of Las Palmas. The islands of this province are Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

The city was founded in 1478. The town has a beautiful old area. This area (Vegueta) has a lot of houses from the 16th to the 19th Centuries. There is still a house where Christopher Columbus stayed in 1492. He stayed there before he went to the Americas. The interesting cathedral was begun in the year 1500.

Its port is one of the busiest in Spain and the biggest between Europe and Cape Town, in South Africa.

Las Palmas (for short) is famous for its very nice and dry weather all year round. It is also famous for its Las Canteras Beach. This beach is more than 3 kilometers long. The beach brings a lot of tourists to the city.

Main industries: trade, tourism, canned food, fishing, shipbuilding.

Places to visit: Vegueta (old area); Triana (traditional commercial area); Playa de Las Canteras (Las Canteras Beach); cathedral; Casa de Colón (Columbus House); Museo Canario (archaeology museum); CAAM - Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno (Modern Art Centre); Museo Élder de la Ciencia (science museum); Museo Néstor (museum with paintings); Teatro Pérez Galdós (theatre); Auditorio Alfredo Kraus (concert hall); Jardín Canario (Canary Garden, mostly with plants from the Canary Islands); Doramas Park.