III.

Population

The Canary Islands have a population of 2,025,951 (2007), with an average population density of 254 people per sq km (658 per sq mi). The provincial capitals are, respectively, Las Palmas (population, 2007, 377,203) on Grand Canary and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (2007, 220,902) on Tenerife Island; the cities also serve as dual and alternative capitals of the region. Other important centres of population include Arrecife, the capital city of Lanzarote (2007, 56,834); Puerto del Rosario, capital of Fuerteventura (2006 estimate, 30,555); Santa Cruz de La Palma, capital of La Palma (2007, 17,353); San Sebastián de la Gomera, capital of La Gomera (2007, 8,515); Valverde, capital of El Hierro (2007, 4,914); and La Laguna, in full, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on Tenerife (2007, 144,347).

Castilian Spanish is the official language of the Canary Islands. Up until the 16th century an Afro-Asiatic language called Guanche was the dominant language of the region, although this is now extinct. The University of La Laguna (founded by Augustinian friars in 1701) and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (1989) are the region’s leading institutions of higher education. The historic town centre of La Laguna was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.