Arrecife
Encyclopedia
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Arrecife (icon; areˈθife, areˈsife) is a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
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...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) situated in the centre-east of the island of Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
of which it has been the capital since 1852. The city owes its name to the rock reef ('Arrecife' is Spanish for 'reef') which covers the beach located in the city. The city also gives its name to the island's nearby airport
Arrecife Airport
-Statistics:-Accidents and incidents:*On 31 October 2008, an Air Europa flight from Glasgow overran the runway. No injuries were reported amongst the 74 passengers and crew.-External links:* *...
.
The population is 50,785 (http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/istac/ISTAC, 2003), its density is 2,235.25/km² and the area is 22.72 km². It is south of Haría
Haría, Las Palmas
Haría is a municipality in the northern portion of the island of Lanzarote in the Las Palmas province of the Canary Islands and is the northernmost and easternmost Canarian municipality...
, east of Tinajo and northeast of Yaiza
Yaiza, Las Palmas
Yaiza, Lanzarote is the gateway to the south of the island of Lanzarote and onward to Playa Blanca. It is a pleasant sleepy village where most of the local council business is done....
. Arrecife is also a port town serving the other islands and also Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and mainland Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Arrecife is served by the LZ1
LZ1 (Lanzarote)
LZ1 is one of the main highways of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It connects the centre of the island to the north....
linking it to the north, LZ2
LZ2 (Lanzarote)
LZ2 is one of the main highways of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It connects the centre of the island to the south.The beginning of the road is in Arrecife, on José Antonio street, if you drives on south direction, you can arrive at Paya Blanca, the furthest point you can go...
and LZ3
LZ3 (Lanzarote)
LZ3 is one of the main highways of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It connects the centre of the island to the south-west and is the southern most of highways on the island....
and is bypassed to the northwest and west. The highway to the southern portion of the island lies to the west. The main industries are agriculture, business and tourism. The Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
is to the east and southeast, the mountains are to the north, the hills lie to the west and farmlands dominate the rest of the municipality. The tallest building in the Canary Islands is the Gran Hotel Arrecife, which is located on the front alongside the harbour.
Geography
- Altitude: 2m above Sea Level
- Lowest: Atlantic Ocean
- Centre: 30 m
- Postal code: 35500
History
The earliest records of Arrecife date from the fifteenth century when it was a small fishing settlement. The name, given then as Arrecifes, refers to the black volcanic reefs behind which boats could hide, protected from sudden pirate attacks.Towards the end of the sixteenth century the settlement began to grow in response to a need for accommodation and warehousing to support growing trade between the old and new worlds. The first church was constructed at this time, consecrated to the first bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Arrecife, San Ginés. Growing prosperity increased the attractiveness of the town as a pirate target: in 1571 a notorious pirate named Dogan plundered and almost completely destroyed the little port town.
In 1964 Arrecife became the site of Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
's first sea-water desalination
Desalination
Desalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
plant, which was still operational in 2010.
Historical population
| Year | Population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 45,549 | - |
| 2002 | 48,253 | 2,704/5.94% |
| 2003 | 50,785 | 2,532/5.25% |
Sites of interest
- Playa Reducto, Arrecife's town beach.
- Castillo de San Jose, 17th century fortification that now houses a collection of modern art.
- Puente de Las Bolas, Bridge leading to the Castillo de San Gabriel.
- Charco de San Ginés, A man-made lagoon used by fishermen.
Other
Arrecife has schools, lyceumLyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies between countries; usually it is a type of secondary school.-History:...
s, a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasia, a church, beaches, a port, a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, parks and a square (plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
), cinemas as well as a few small shopping malls and a shopping-area main street.
External links
See also
| North: Teguise Teguise, Las Palmas Teguise is a Canarian municipality and town in the north-central and the eastern portion of the island of Lanzarote in the Las Palmas province in the Canary Islands The population is 14,214 , its density is 53.84/km² and the area is 263.98 km². The town population is around 3,000... |
||
| West: San Bartolomé San Bartolomé, Las Palmas San Bartolomé is a village and ayuntamiento in the Canary Islands , belonging to the Province of Las Palmas. It is situated in the center of the island of Lanzarote. The county of San Bartolomé stretches to the southern coast of the island.Its area is 40.89 km², its density is 403.06/km² and its... |
Arrecife | East: Atlantic Ocean |
| South: Atlantic Ocean |