The Canary Islands
10 November 2014 | Las Palmas Gran Canaria

A little information about the Canary Islands
The date of the discovery of the islands now known as the Canaries is questionable, but we can say with certainty that they were known, or at least postulated about, in ancient times. In his dialogues Timaeus and Critias, Plato (428–348 BC) spoke of Atlantis, a continent sunk deep into the ocean floor in a great cataclysm that left only the peaks of its highest mountains above the water. Whether Plato believed in the lost continent’s existence or had more allegorical intentions remains a matter of conjecture. In the centuries since Plato’s death, those convinced of the existence of Atlantis have maintained that Macronesia (the Canary Islands, the Azores, Cape Verde and Madeira) constitutes the visible remains of the lost continent.
They have also been referred to as the lands without sorrow, holding on to the edge of the world. The first settlers were from North Africa. Known as Phoenicians, they arrived in the 10th century B.C. The main economic system was built around agriculture and animal farming. During the 14th century, the Islands were continuously invaded by different European countries.
Ethnically the population of 2 million are mostly a mix of Spanish, European (German and British), South American, and especially Cuban and Venezuelan as well as Northern and Sub-Sahara African. There are also historical minorities such as Indians, Koreans and lately Russians.
The islands depend on tourism and being multi national one would think that more English would be spoken but as on the main land sometimes getting across what you want is difficult. Meanwhile we are doing the provisioning for a long haul and taking in some of the sights.