Orotava Valley
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The Orotava Valley ( es, Valle de la Orotava) is an area in the northern part of the island of
Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
, Canary Islands,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. The valley measures 10 km by 11 km, and stretches from the north coast to about 2,000 m elevation, at the northern foot of Pico del
Teide Teide, or Mount Teide, ( es, El Teide, Pico del Teide, , "Peak of Teide") is a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. Its summit (at ) is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the List of islands in th ...
. To the west and east, the valley is delimited by two steep escarpments, respectively the ''Ladera de Tigaiga'' and the ''Ladera de Santa Ursula''. The Orotava valley formed as the result of a large landslide some 560,000 years ago. The valley takes its name from
La Orotava La Orotava is a town and a municipality in the northern part of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands of Spain. The area of the municipality stretches from the north coast to the mountainous interior, and includes the summit of the Teide volcano, ...
, the largest town in the area. Other towns are
Los Realejos Los Realejos is a town and a municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife, which is the biggest of the Canary Islands. It is part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. The town is located from the north coast, southw ...
and
Puerto de la Cruz Puerto de la Cruz is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It was formerly known by its English translation, "Port of the Cross", although now it is known by its Spanish name in all lang ...
. In the era of the
Guanches The Guanches were the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean some west of Africa. It is believed that they may have arrived on the archipelago some time in the first millennium BCE. The Guanches were the only nativ ...
, before the conquest by the Spanish in 1496, the valley was known as Taoro.


References


External links

* Geography of Tenerife Valleys of Spain {{Tenerife-geo-stub