Alajeró, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Encyclopedia
Alajeró is a municipality on the island of La Gomera
in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
in the Canary Islands
. It is located on the south coast, SW of the capital San Sebastián de la Gomera
. As well as being a municipality, Alajeró is also the name of the administrative town that governs that municipality.
The valleys (barrancos) and Atlantic coastal strip are used for arable farming, with mountains and hills in the north covered by forest and scrub/grassland used for grazing sheep and goats.
Until the 1960s the population was largely rural, but although agriculture is still the main industry, tourism is increasingly important and the population is predominantly urban.
The fish factory in Playa Santiago, which used to can tuna and sardines, shut down as fish stocks dwindled, although there are still a few remaining fishing boats, whose catch is frozen for transport. There is a boat repair yard in the port, but there is no longer a ferry. The Garajonay Exprės ferry ran from Valle Gran Rey
via Santiago to San Sebastián de la Gomera
and on to Los Cristianos
, from 2002 to 2008, but ceased due to a lack of government subsidy.
La Gomera Airport
lies between Alajeró and Santiago. The runway was completed in 1994 but the terminal did not open until 1999. With a 1500m long x 30m wide runway the airport can only take turbo-prop inter-island flights, not jets from mainland Europe, and only operates during daylight. Currently (November '08) there are four return flights per day, 2 to Tenerife North, and 2 to Gran Canaria. The airport is 34 km by road from San Sebastián de la Gomera
; it was located here to avoid disturbing the National Park and the cloudier and foggier climate to the North of the island, whilst the volcanic terrain gives few suitable sites anywhere on La Gomera, although even this site required extensive embankments at both ends of the runway.
Tourism is not as important in La Gomera as on the larger Canary Islands, but Playa Santiago has a fairly safe sand and shingle beach, and a number of apartments, rooms and restaurants. Rural tourism is also promoted with a new hotel at Alajeró town and Casas Rurales (rural houses) in the villages. The island attracts many hill walkers and has numerous way-marked footpaths.
The town of Santiago is split between two municipalities, Alajero and San Sebastian, but dominates the municipality of Alajero with about half the population (989/1954 in 2005). The town of Alajeró, which has the Ayuntamiento
(municipal offices), is about 4.5 km inland at 812 m above sea level,
This shows a large depopulation during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s when drought caused many people to give up farming, many emigrating to South America. This trend has recently reversed, with a rapid increase in population, many being retired people.
La Gomera
La Gomera is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. In area, it is the second-smallest of the seven main islands of this group.- Political organization :...
in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009...
in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. It is located on the south coast, SW of the capital San Sebastián de la Gomera
San Sebastián de La Gomera
San Sebastián de la Gomera is a town and also an administrative district on La Gomera in the Canary Islands. Its population is 2,176 , its density is 47.6/km² and the area is 114.78 km²....
. As well as being a municipality, Alajeró is also the name of the administrative town that governs that municipality.
The valleys (barrancos) and Atlantic coastal strip are used for arable farming, with mountains and hills in the north covered by forest and scrub/grassland used for grazing sheep and goats.
Until the 1960s the population was largely rural, but although agriculture is still the main industry, tourism is increasingly important and the population is predominantly urban.
Economy
Although hot during the summer, in the winter months the climate is generally foggy, particulatly at altitude, which the inhabitants take advantage of by planting crops in November and harvesting their fruit and vegetables in May. Agricultural production has fallen over the past few decades, with an agricultural crisis in the 1960s and the 1970s, causing many people to leave, so the smaller villages became depopulated.The fish factory in Playa Santiago, which used to can tuna and sardines, shut down as fish stocks dwindled, although there are still a few remaining fishing boats, whose catch is frozen for transport. There is a boat repair yard in the port, but there is no longer a ferry. The Garajonay Exprės ferry ran from Valle Gran Rey
Valle Gran Rey
Valle Gran Rey is located on the southwestern coast of La Gomera in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife of the Canary Islands, Spain. The Guanche name of the area was Orone. The seat of the municipality is La Calera since 1930, before it used to serve at Arure which was also a municipal name...
via Santiago to San Sebastián de la Gomera
San Sebastián de La Gomera
San Sebastián de la Gomera is a town and also an administrative district on La Gomera in the Canary Islands. Its population is 2,176 , its density is 47.6/km² and the area is 114.78 km²....
and on to Los Cristianos
Los Cristianos
Los Cristianos is a town in Spain with a population of approximately 19,000 , situated on the south coast of the Canary Island of Tenerife. Located in the municipality of Arona between the cone of the mountain Chayofita and the greater mountain Guaza. The town centre is around the Los Cristianos...
, from 2002 to 2008, but ceased due to a lack of government subsidy.
La Gomera Airport
La Gomera Airport
La Gomera Airport is an airport located near the village of Alajeró, Spain, southwest by road from the Gomera island's capital city, San Sebastián de la Gomera....
lies between Alajeró and Santiago. The runway was completed in 1994 but the terminal did not open until 1999. With a 1500m long x 30m wide runway the airport can only take turbo-prop inter-island flights, not jets from mainland Europe, and only operates during daylight. Currently (November '08) there are four return flights per day, 2 to Tenerife North, and 2 to Gran Canaria. The airport is 34 km by road from San Sebastián de la Gomera
San Sebastián de La Gomera
San Sebastián de la Gomera is a town and also an administrative district on La Gomera in the Canary Islands. Its population is 2,176 , its density is 47.6/km² and the area is 114.78 km²....
; it was located here to avoid disturbing the National Park and the cloudier and foggier climate to the North of the island, whilst the volcanic terrain gives few suitable sites anywhere on La Gomera, although even this site required extensive embankments at both ends of the runway.
Tourism is not as important in La Gomera as on the larger Canary Islands, but Playa Santiago has a fairly safe sand and shingle beach, and a number of apartments, rooms and restaurants. Rural tourism is also promoted with a new hotel at Alajeró town and Casas Rurales (rural houses) in the villages. The island attracts many hill walkers and has numerous way-marked footpaths.
The town of Santiago is split between two municipalities, Alajero and San Sebastian, but dominates the municipality of Alajero with about half the population (989/1954 in 2005). The town of Alajeró, which has the Ayuntamiento
Ayuntamiento
Ayuntamiento In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . is the general term for the council of a municipality, or sometimes the municipality itself, in Spain and Latin America. Historically Ayuntamiento was often preceded by the word excelentísimo , when referring to...
(municipal offices), is about 4.5 km inland at 812 m above sea level,
Subdivisions or settlements
- Agalán
- Alajeró
- Antoncojo
- Arguayoda
- Benchijigua
- Erese
- Lo del Gato
- Imada de Tecina (2005 pop: 152)
- Magana
- A part of Playa Santiago (2005 pop: 989) - a fishing port and tourist town
- Targa
- Chipude
Historical population
| Year | Population | Change | Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 2,132 | - | 43.13/km² |
| 1940 | 2,490 | + 358 | 50.37/km² |
| 1950 | 2,631 | + 141 | 49.43/km² |
| 1960 | 2,288 | - 343 | 46.28/km² |
| 1970 | 1,718 | - 570 | 34.75/km² |
| 1981 | 1,212 | - 506 | 24.51/km² |
| 1990 | 1,143 | - 69 | 23.12/km² |
| 1995 | 1,224 | + 81 | 24.76/km² |
| 2000 | 1,343 | + 119 | 27.17/km² |
| 2005 | 1,954 | + 611 | 39.54/km² |
| 2006 | 2,054 | + 100 | 41.55/km² |
| 2007 | 2,142 | + 88 | 43.33/km² |
This shows a large depopulation during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s when drought caused many people to give up farming, many emigrating to South America. This trend has recently reversed, with a rapid increase in population, many being retired people.
Sites of interest
- Ermita San Isidro on the peak called Roque Calvario (807 m) offers a panoramic view of the southwestern coast of the island of La GomeraLa GomeraLa Gomera is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. In area, it is the second-smallest of the seven main islands of this group.- Political organization :...
. - A famous dracaenaDracaena (plant)Dracaena is a genus of about 40 species of trees and succulent shrubs. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae . It has also formerly been separated into the family Dracaenaceae or placed in the Agavaceae...
the Drago de Agalán, is found North of Alajero town, - The Pastrana water mill
External links
- Tourist Office
- Map and aerial photos
- Street map: Street map from Mapquest, MapPoint, Google or Yahoo! Maps
- Satellite images: Google or Microsoft Virtual Earth