Puntagorda is a village and a municipality in the northwestern part of the island of
La Palma,
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
, Spain. It is situated 23 km northwest of
Santa Cruz de la Palma
Santa Cruz de la Palma (Spanish for ''Holy Cross of La Palma'') is a city and a municipality on the east coast of the island of La Palma in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz de la Palma is the second-largest ...
. The municipality consists of a number of small villages, total population 2,057 (2013
[Instituto Canario de Estadística]
, population). The area is 31.10 km².
[ The elevation of the village is around 700 m. The elevation of the municipality ranges from sea level to over 2000 m.
Farmlands dominate the middle altitudes around the village, mainly smallholdings and orange and ]avocado
The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for i ...
orchards. Above the village are the vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
s producing the local Traviesa wine which won a Spanish national gold medal in 2004. Further up the slopes of the Caldera de Taburiente are forests of Canary Island pine
''Pinus canariensis'', the Canary Island pine, is a species of gymnosperm in the conifer family Pinaceae. It is a large, evergreen tree, native and endemic to the outer Canary Islands of the Atlantic Ocean.
Description
''Pinus canariensis'' is a ...
. The steep cliffs of the coastline are a protected area of outstanding natural beauty. There is access to a small seawater pool via 460 steps. Puntagorda is well known for its almond trees
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...
which blossom in January and February. The festival of the flowering almonds is held every year at the end of January or beginning of February. There is a farmers market every weekend with fresh local produce in the Mercadillo.
Historical population
See also
* List of municipalities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
References
External links
Puntagorda Council Tourism website
{{Authority control
Municipalities in La Palma