Tenerife, risen from the sea…

…approximately 8 million years ago which makes Tenerife quite a young part of the earth’s surface. Powerful eruptions changed the island’s feature during the following millions of years until about 170.000 years ago with one last big explosion the peak of Tenerife collapsed (still visible today as the plateau “Caldera” at 2.000m high). Out of this evolved the volcano peak still existent today, the Teide.

Earlier history of Tenerife is not thoroughly known, but assumptions are that Phoenicians were the first visitors here in 1.100 B.C. It took roundabout another 2.600 years until the Spanish conquered Tenerife in 1496 after tenacious fights with the natives, the “Guanches”. Colonial claim fights, especially with the English, continued even until the late 18th century where in 1797 Lord Nelson lost his right arm through a Spanish canon (the canon “el tigre” is still proudly exposed in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife).

The history of Tenerife’s tourism began in the late 19th century, mainly in the north of the island. In the 1960’s, at first a rapidly growing boom was observed; meanwhile, the impact and character of tourism here remain fairly constant. Namely the construction of the south highway and south airport have caused a shift and larger increase here than in the north of the island, certainly having to do with the south’s far more stable weather conditions throughout the entire year.