Pico de Las Nieves is the highest peak of the island of Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria is the second most populous island of the Canary Islands, with a population of 838,397 which constitutes approximately 40% of the population of the archipelago...

, 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...

. Its height is 1,949 meters above sea level. The origin is volcanic (stratovolcano

Stratovolcano

A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...

). On its slopes, Canary Islands Pine was reintroduced in the 1950's.

Name

The name means 'peak of snows' in Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 and refers to the fact that several pools (neveras in Spanish) for catching snow were built directly below the mountain in the 18th century. Water from these pools was then used for irrigation purposes, while the snow and ice was used for chilling as far as Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria commonly known as Las Palmas is the political capital, jointly with Santa Cruz, the most populous city in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the ninth largest city in Spain, with a population of 383,308 in 2010. Nearly half of the people of the island...

, the island's capital.

Sights

Most of the highest plateau is occupied by a military base, including a big soccer-ball-shaped radar. Civilian visitors are allowed to enter a platform somewhat below the base, from which half of the island as well as Tenerife's Pico del Teide, in case of good weather. The most distinctive feature is the Roque Nublo

Roque Nublo

Roque Nublo is a monolith feature that is 80 m tall. It is one of the most famous landmarks on the island of Gran Canaria. The elevation is 1,813 m ranking it second on the island and one of the tallest in the archipelago. It is municipally located in Tejeda a few kilometres from the town centre...

 monolith, the second highest peak of the island.
The peak could be accessed by a car, as there is a road used by the army. The peak is located between the municipalities of Tejeda

Tejeda

Tejeda is a Canarian municipality in the westcentral and the central portion of the island of Gran Canaria in the Las Palmas province in the Canary Islands. Tejeda is the main city of Cumbre and is the second smallest village on the island as well as the highest municipal seat on the island. The...

, Vega de San Mateo and San Bartolome de Tirajana

San Bartolomé de Tirajana

San Bartolomé de Tirajana is a Canarian municipality in the southeastern portion of the island of Gran Canaria in the Las Palmas province in the Canary Islands...

.