Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a Spanish city, the capital city of Gran Canaria one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, 210 kilometers located off the northwestern coast of Africa. It is also the capital of the province of Las Palmas and co-capital of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands.
The city was founded in 1478 by Juan Rejón, after fighting the local Guanches. In 1492, Christopher Columbus stopped in the city prior to his first trip to the Americas. He also stopped on the way back to Spain.
The population of the city of Las Palmas in the year 2001 was 365,000 inhabitants (Gran Canaria island had 755,500 inhabitants in the 2001 census). This makes Las Palmas the biggest city in the Canary Islands.
Las Palmas is today a very cosmopolitan city. There are popular beaches nearby (Las Canteras) and a busy harbor (Puerto de la Luz harbor).
The main City Festival (Fiestas de San Juan) is in June, celebrating the foundation of the City.
The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is one of the most typical and famous parties of the city, and is not only well know in Spain, but also has a wordwide fame.
There is also a good Theater and Dance Festival and an International Film Festival. You can find also the very beautiful Alfredo Kraus Auditorium named after the unforgettable tenor from Gran Canaria. It is just next to Las Canteras Beach.
Some good museums in the city are:
Links:
