Gran Canaria (in English, "Grand Canary") is an island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean 210 km from the northwest coast of Africa. It is located southeast of Tenerife and west of Fuerteventura. The island is of volcanic origin, mostly made of fissure vents.
The island was populated by the Canarios, who may have arrived as early as 500 BC. The Canarios called the island Tamarán. It was claimed by Spain in the 15th century.
Gran Canaria's surface area is 1,560 km² and its maximum altitude is 1,949 meters (Pico de Las Nieves). It has a round shape, with a diameter of approximately 50 km.
It is divided into twenty-one municipalities:
The island has a population of 820,257 with 378,628 (year 2005) of those in the capital city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the biggest city of the Canary Islands, also the capital of the province of Las Palmas, and also one of the two capitals of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands, along with Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Source: CIA Factbook, Wikipedia
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