El Médano
Encyclopedia
Granadilla de Abona
Granadilla de Abona is a municipality of Tenerife, located in the south of the island, occupying an area of 155 square kilometers. Its population in 1991 was 17,141...
, on the island of Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, one of 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...
.
A place of strong wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
s, it has been the site for various windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
competitions and championships, though in recent years, an increase in the number of high-rise hotels and apartment buildings has reduced these winds' power. However, El Médano is still one of the world's best windsurfing/kitesurfing locations, with three different windsurfing spots, the Bay (flat/swell), the Harbour Wall (wavespot sideshore), and Cabezo Beach (wavespot onshore).
The town is situated near the largest natural beaches of Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, the Playa Grande and the Playa Tejita. Between the beaches is La Montaña Roja ("The Red Mountain"), a volcanic cone
Volcanic cone
Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic formations. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and size of the fragments ejected during the eruption...
that is a protected natural reserve. It's a great place to relax and wind down. There is a large town square infont of the main beach, which holds many local fiestas, especially during the summer months.Around this saquare are many bars and restaurants where you can take a coffee of eat Spanish tapas or sea food. El medano is located just north of the Reina Sofia airport, located in the south of Tenerife. Aircraft noise can be heard quite regularly. This is a small coastal resort that has a more Spanish theme than most other resorts in the south of Tenerife, frequented , especially on weekends, by local people with their children, to enjoy bathing in the shallow seas. Parking can be a big problem at weekends.
Hermano Pedro (1626–1667) spent some time in a little cave situated near the present-day town
Cave of Santo Hermano Pedro
The Cave of Santo Hermano Pedro, is a cave-shrine dedicated to Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur . Located in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, near El Medano on the south of the island of Tenerife ....
. The cave is now the site of a small shrine dedicated to the saint.