Fuerteventura () is one of the Canary Islands, in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, part of the

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

region, and politically part of

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 ...

. It is located away from the northwestern coast of Africa. The island was declared a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 2009. Fuerteventura belongs to

Province of Las Palmas The Province of Las Palmas (, ; es, Provincia de Las Palmas) is a province of Spain, consisting of the eastern part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, capital city of this province and of the isla ...

, one of the two provinces that form the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. The island's capital is

Puerto del Rosario Puerto del Rosario () is a town and a municipality in the eastern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Las Palmas province in the Canary Islands. It has been the capital of Fuerteventura since 1860. The town's population is 29,160 (2013),

, where the Insule Council is found, the government of the island. Fuerteventura has 119,732 inhabitants (), the fourth largest population of the Canary Islands and the third of the Province. At , it is the second largest of the Canary Islands, after

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 ...

. From a geological point of view, Fuerteventura is the oldest island in the archipelago.

Toponymy

The island's name is a compound word formed by the Spanish words for "strong" (fuerte) and "fortune" (ventura). Traditionally, Fuerteventura's name has been regarded as a reference to the strong winds around the island and the resulting danger to nautical adventurers. However, it might have referred instead (or also) to wealth, luck or destiny. In 1339 the Mallorcan navigator Angelino Dulcert, in the ''Planisferio de Angelino Dulcert'', referred to the island as "Forte Ventura". Another theory is that the island's name derives from "Fortunatae Insulae" (Fortunate Islands), the name by which the Romans knew the Canary Islands. The indigenous name of the island, before its conquest in the 15th century, was Erbania, divided into two regions (Jandía and Maxorata), from which the name majorero (originally majo or maxo) derives. However, it has been suggested that, at some point, Maxorata (which meant "the children of the country") was the aboriginal toponym of the entire island.

History

Precolonial history

The first settlers of Fuerteventura are believed to have come from North Africa. The word ''Mahorero'' (''Majorero'') or ''Maho'' is still used today to describe the people of Fuerteventura and is derived from the ancient word 'mahos', a type of goatskin shoe worn by these original inhabitants. They lived in caves and semi-subterranean dwellings, some of which have been excavated, revealing remnants of early tools and pottery. In antiquity, the island was originally known as ''Planaria'', in reference to the flatness of most of its terrain.

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

n settlers landed in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Several Spanish and Portuguese expeditions to the islands were organized around 1340, followed by Moors and European slave traders. At the end of the Iberian conquest, the island was divided into two

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 ...

kingdoms, one adhering to King Guize and the other to King Ayoze. The territories of these kingdoms were called Maxorata (in the North) and

Jandía Jandía is a peninsula in the southwestern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. The peninsula is entirely in the municipality of Pájara. Within the peninsula is Fuerteventura's tallest mountain, Pico de Jandía or ''Pico de ...

(in the South) respectively. They were separated by a wall, which traversed the La Pared isthmus. Some remains have been preserved. The ancient name for the island, Erbania, is derived from this wall's name.

The conquest

The island's conquest began in earnest in 1402, commanded by French knights and crusaders

Jean de Béthencourt Jean de Béthencourt () (1362–1425) was a French explorer who in 1402 led an expedition to the Canary Islands, landing first on the north side of Lanzarote. From there he conquered for Castile the islands of Fuerteventura (1405) and El ...

and

Gadifer de la Salle Gadifer de La Salle (Sainte-Radegonde, 1340 –1415) was a French knight and crusader of Poitevine origin who, with Jean de Béthencourt, conquered and explored the Canary Islands for the Kingdom of Castile. Life Gadifer de La Salle was bor ...

. They arrived with only 63 sailors out of the original 283, as many had deserted along the way. After arriving and settling in Lanzarote, the invaders made some first excursions to the neighboring islands. In 1404, Bethencourt and Gadifer founded

In 1405, de Béthencourt completed his conquest of the island, establishing its capital in Betancuria (Puerto Rosario took over the mantle as island capital in 1835). In 1424 Pope

Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

, through the

Betancuria Betancuria is a small town and a municipality in the western part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 811 (2013),Bishopric of Fuerteventura, which encompassed all the Canary Islands save for the island of Lanzarote. The origin of this bishopric is directly related to the events that occurred after the Great Schism (1378–1417), in that the bishop of San Marcial del Rubicón of Lanzarote (at the time, the only diocese in the Canary Islands) did not recognize the papacy of Martin V, and instead adhered to

anti-Pope An antipope ( la, antipapa) is a person who makes a significant and substantial attempt to occupy the position of Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church in opposition to the legitimately elected pope. At times between the 3rd and mi ...

Benedict XIII. The ''Bishopric of Fuerteventura'' was based in the ''Parish of Santa María de Betancuria'', bestowing upon the latter the status of Grant Cathedral. After the reabsorbtion of the ''Diocese of San Marcial del Rubicón'' by the papacy of Pope Martin V, the Bishopric of Fuerteventura was abolished in 1431, only seven years after it was created. The first census recorded a population of some 1,200 inhabitants. The population increased gradually thereafter. In 1476 the territory became the ''Señorío Territorial de Fuerteventura'', subjected to the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...

. In later years, the island was invaded by the Spanish, French and the English.

2nd conquest of Fuerteventura

Over time, the island endured numerous raids. A Berber-led expedition invaded in 1593, sweeping as far inland as the capital. Various castles were built along the coastline, to protect against these type of attacks. The population was moved inland as a second protective measure. Because of the raids, a first ''Captain General'' was dispatched to Fuerteventura, accompanied by a number of ''Sergeant Majors'', to defend the island in the name of the Crown. At that time Betancuria became the religious capital of the island. Two major attacks took place in 1740, within a month of each other. Two separate bands of English privateers attempted to loot the town of Tuineje. These attacks were however successfully averted by the local population and the island's militia. This successful repelling of the invaders is celebrated at a re-enactment that takes place in Gran Tarajal every year in October. The island's garrison was officially instated in 1708. Its colonel assumed the title of ''Governor at Arms'', a hereditary, lifelong appointment which has remained in the Sánchez-Dumpiérrez family. In time, this family increasingly garnered power over the other islands through alliances with the family of Arias de Saavedra and the Lady of Fuerteventura. During the same year the ''Assistant Parish of

La Oliva La Oliva () is a town and a municipality in the northern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 25,083 (2013),Pájara Pájara is a municipality in the southwestern portion of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands as well as the name of its largest town. Its population is 20,931 (2013),Tuineje Tuineje is a town and a municipality in the southern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 13,946 (2013),Isabella II Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successi ...

to the Canary Islands. Military island rule, which began in 1708, was finally dissolved in 1859, and Puerto de Cabras (now Puerto del Rosario) became the new capital. Caleta de Fuste

The Canary Islands obtained self-governance in 1912. In 1927, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote became part of the province of

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that ...

. The seat of the island's government (''cabildo insular'') is located in

. A total of 118,574 people lived on the island in 2018. By the 1940s the island had an airport (just west of

on the road to Tindaya, still visible today). Mass tourism began to arrive in the mid-1960s, facilitated by the construction of

Fuerteventura Airport Fuerteventura Airport , also known as El Matorral Airport, is an airport serving the Spanish island of Fuerteventura. It is situated in El Matorral, southwest of the capital city Puerto del Rosario. The airport has flight connections to over 8 ...

at El Matorral and the first tourist hotels. The island's proximity (a mere 100 km) to the West African coast and the fact that it is part of the

Schengen The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and j ...

territory make it a prime target destination for undocumented immigrants. However, many have perished while attempting the crossing.

Flag

The flag of Fuerteventura is in proportions 1:2, divided vertically, green to the hoist and white to the fly end, with the coat of arms of the island in the centre.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Fuerteventura was prescribed by a Decree adopted on 15 October 1998 by the Government of the Canary Islands and published on 11 November 1998 in the official gazette of the Canary Islands, No. 142, pp. 13,432–13,433. It was adopted on 24 April 1998 by the Island Council and validated on 18 September 1998 by the Heraldry Commission of the Canary Islands. The heraldic description is " per pale and per fess. First, gules, a castle or, masoned sable, its gate and windows azure. Second,

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to ...

, lion gules, crowned, armed and langued or. Third, silver, three fesses

chequy In heraldry, variations of the field are any of a number of ways that a field (or a charge) may be covered with a pattern, rather than a flat tincture or a simple division of the field. Blazoning of French adjectives Variations of the field pre ...

gules and or, in four rows, each one charged with a fess or.

Bordure In heraldry, a bordure is a band of contrasting tincture forming a border around the edge of a shield, traditionally one-sixth as wide as the shield itself. It is sometimes reckoned as an ordinary and sometimes as a subordinary. A bordure encl ...

gules, with eight

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French ''sautoir'', Medieval Latin ''saltatori ...

s or. Ensigned with a royal crown, open." According to José Manuel Erbez (Banderas y escudos de Canarias, 2007), the coat of arms is based on the arms of the island's provincial militia. The upper quarters represent Castile (symbolized by a castle) and León (symbolized by a lion). The lower quarter alludes to the Saavedra family; various members of this family were lords of Fuerteventura.

Geography

Environment

The elongated island has an area of . The island is long and wide. It is part of the province of

Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in the auto ...

. It is divided into six

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

: * Antigua *

Betancuria Betancuria is a small town and a municipality in the western part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 811 (2013),La Oliva La Oliva () is a town and a municipality in the northern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 25,083 (2013),Pájara Pájara is a municipality in the southwestern portion of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands as well as the name of its largest town. Its population is 20,931 (2013),Puerto del Rosario Puerto del Rosario () is a town and a municipality in the eastern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Las Palmas province in the Canary Islands. It has been the capital of Fuerteventura since 1860. The town's population is 29,160 (2013),

Tuineje Tuineje is a town and a municipality in the southern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 13,946 (2013),Islote de Lobos Lobos ( es, Isla de Lobos, ) is a small island of the Canary Islands (Spain) located just north of the island of Fuerteventura. It belongs to the municipality of La Oliva on the island of Fuerteventura. It has an area of . It has been a nature ...

, is part of the municipality of

La Oliva La Oliva () is a town and a municipality in the northern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 25,083 (2013),Sahara winds away from the island. The island's name in English translates as "strong fortune" or "strong wind", the Spanish word for wind being '' viento''. During the winter months, temperatures average a high of and a low of around , whereas during the summer a mean high of and a low of can be expected. Precipitation is about per year, most of which falls in autumn and winter. December is the month with highest rainfall. A sandstorm known as the Calima (similar to the

Sirocco Sirocco ( ), scirocco, or, rarely, siroc (see below) is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe, especially during the summer season. Names ''Sirocco'' derives from ...

wind, which blows to the North of the Sahara, to Europe) may blow from the Sahara Desert to the Northwest, and can cause high temperatures, low visibility and drying air. Temperatures during this phenomenon rise temporarily by approximately 10 degrees Celsius. The wind brings in fine red dust, The fine white sand is not blown in from Sahara, It is made up of dead coral reef and local seabed upheaval. visibility can drop to between or even lower, and together with very warm temperatures, it can even bring African

locust Locusts (derived from the Vulgar Latin ''locusta'', meaning grasshopper) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstanc ...

s to the island.

Hydrology

In the winter months, up to 80% of the rainwater flows unused into the ocean, as there is no vegetation to capture the water (also due to overgrazing by free-ranging goats near the coast). The mountain forests, which were still present in the 19th century, were all chopped down. Instead, there are many desalination plants (running on electricity) which produce the required amount of freshwater on the island. The tourists on the island use about double the amount of water as the native inhabitants of Fuerteventura. Causes are the filling of swimming pools, watering hotel gardens and washing towels, ...

Geology

Fuerteventura is the oldest island in the Canary Islands dating back 20 million years to a volcanic eruption from the

Canary hotspot The Canary hotspot, also called the Canarian hotspot, is a hotspot and volcanically active region centred on the Canary Islands located off the north-western coast of Africa. Hypotheses for this volcanic activity include lithosphere extension perm ...

. The majority of the island was created about 5 million years ago and since then has been eroded by wind and precipitation. On the seabed off the West coast of the island rests an enormous slab of bedrock long and wide, which appears to have slid off the island largely intact at some point in prehistory, similar to the predicted future collapse of

Cumbre Vieja The Cumbre Vieja (; meaning "Old Summit") is an active volcanic ridge on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The spine of Cumbre Vieja trends in an approximate north–south direction, comprising the southern half of La Palma, ...

, a geological fault on another Canary Island,

La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and officially San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The ...

. The last volcanic activity in Fuerteventura occurred between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago.

Beaches

Fuerteventura was chosen among 500 European destinations by the Quality Coast International Certification Program of the European Coastal and Marine Union as one of the most attractive tourist destinations for visitors interested in cultural heritage, environment and sustainability. The best beaches to visit are Playa de Cofete, Playas de Jandia, Playas de Corralejo, Playa de Ajuy, and Playas de El Cotillo.

Wildlife

The island is home to one of the two surviving populations of the threatened Canarian Egyptian vulture. It is also inhabited by many wild dogs and cats. On the barren, rocky land there are

Barbary ground squirrel The Barbary ground squirrel (''Atlantoxerus getulus'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Atlantoxerus''. It is endemic to the Atlas mountains in Morocco and some parts in Algeria, and has been intr ...

s and geckos. Fuerteventura also hosts several migratory and nesting birds. The island has significant populations of the

collared dove ''Streptopelia'' is a genus of birds in the pigeon and dove family Columbidae. These are mainly slim, small to medium-sized species. The upperparts tend to be pale brown and the underparts are often a shade of pink. Many have a characteristic bla ...

, common

swift Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIFT, ...

s and several

finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

species especially in the vicinity of holiday developments. Despite its arid climate, the island is also home to a surprisingly large insect fauna. Butterflies which commonly occur on the island include the clouded yellow (''

Colias hyale ''Colias hyale'', the pale clouded yellow, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, (also known as the yellows and whites) which is found in most of Europe and large parts of the Palearctic. It is a rare migrant to the British Isles and Scandinavia ...

'') and the bath white ('' Pontia daplidice'') which feeds on

xerophytic A xerophyte (from Greek ξηρός ''xeros'' 'dry' + φυτόν ''phuton'' 'plant') is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water, such as a desert such as the Sahara or places in the Alps or t ...

cruciferae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The leav ...

. The island is also home to the monarch butterfly (''

Danaus plexippus The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. I ...

'') and its close African relative ''

Danaus chrysippus ''Danaus chrysippus'', also known as the plain tiger, African queen, or African monarch, is a medium-sized butterfly widespread in Asia, Australia and Africa. It belongs to the Danainae subfamily of the brush-footed butterfly family Nymphalidae. ...

''. Around holiday developments such as Caleta de Fuste, water is relatively abundant, and dragonfly species including the blue emperor (''

Anax imperator The emperor dragonfly or blue emperor (''Anax imperator'') is a large species of hawker dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae, averaging in length. The generic name ''Anax'' is from the ancient Greek , "lord"; the specific epithet ''imperator'' is t ...

'') and the scarlet darter (''

Crocothemis erythraea The scarlet dragonfly (''Crocothemis erythraea'') is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its common names include broad scarlet, common scarlet-darter, and scarlet darter. Status and distribution The scarlet dragonfly is a common ...

'') can be found. The island's sand dunes and shoreline are home to a number of bee and

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

species including the large eumenid caterpillar hunting wasp, '' Delta dimidiatipenne'' and the blue banded bee ('' Amegilla canifrons'').

Hawkmoth The Sphingidae are a family of moths ( Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, b ...

s also occur on the island. One of the more notable species is '' Hyles tithymali'' which feeds on endemic spurges such as ''Euphorbia regis-jubae''. ''

Acherontia atropos ''Acherontia atropos'', the African death's-head hawkmoth, is the most widely recognized of three species within the genus '' Acherontia'' (the other two being ''Acherontia lachesis'' and ''Acherontia styx''). It is most commonly identified by th ...

'', the deaths-head hawkmoth also occurs on the island presumably feeding on members of the Solanaceae, for example, ''

Datura innoxia ''Datura innoxia'' (often spelled ''inoxia''), known as pricklyburr, recurved thorn-apple, downy thorn-apple, Indian-apple, lovache, moonflower, nacazcul, toloatzin, toloaxihuitl, tolguache or toloache, is a species of flowering plant in the fami ...

'' and ''

Nicotiana glauca ''Nicotiana glauca'' is a species of flowering plant in the tobacco genus Nicotiana of the nightshade family Solanaceae. It is known by the common name tree tobacco. Its leaves are attached to the stalk by petioles (many other ''Nicotiana'' spec ...

'' which are common weeds in the vicinity of human habitation.

Natural symbols

The official natural symbols associated with Fuerteventura are '' Chlamydotis undulata fuertaventurae'' (hubara or houbara) and '' Euphorbia handiensis'' (Cardón de Jandía).

Demographics

Population

The island has a population of 116,886. Throughout its long history, Fuerteventura has suffered from a population decline due to the economic situation and the climate, which have made it into a desert island. However, the development of tourism during the 1980s has caused the population to grow year on year since then, doubling it in a little less than a decade. In 2005, with 86,642 registered inhabitants, the Fuerteventura population was formed by the following: * Born on the island: 30,364 * Born on another Canary Island: 13,175 * Born elsewhere in Spain: 20,938 * Born in other countries: 22,165 Comparing this data with the 2001 census shows that the number of permanent residents born on the island has increased by just 3,000. The number who have moved in from abroad has increased by 22,910, making this the biggest contributor to population growth in recent years.

Education

The island has 116 schools, with a total of 14,337 pupils. Of these, 45 are primary schools, ten are secondary schools, six are for

Baccalaureate Baccalaureate may refer to: * ''Baccalauréat'', a French national academic qualification * Bachelor's degree, or baccalaureate, an undergraduate academic degree * English Baccalaureate, a performance measure to assess secondary schools in England ...

students and four are vocational colleges. Fuerteventura also has a centre linked with the

National University of Distance Education The National Distance Education University, known in Spanish as ''Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia'' (UNED), is a public research university of national scope. The university was founded in 1972 under the Ministry of Universities. ...

, offering courses in many subjects including

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

, business studies,

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

State administration

Fuerteventura is governed by the Island Department of the Government of Spain, which holds the rank of a Government Subdepartment. The government building is located in the centre of the capital city. This institution is charged with representing the Government of Spain on the island, and managing all the functions that are not under control of the Canarian Government. This includes the following public services: * Island Security Forces (National Police and

Guardia Civil The Civil Guard ( es, Guardia Civil, link=no; ) is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the au ...

) * Puerto del Rosario port and Fuerteventura Airport * Tax Agency * Customs * the Maritime and Coastguard department * Driving licences, Traffic and Highways * Immigration – the Immigration Detention Centre and residential permits * Social Security * Red Cross * Seprona (the Nature Protection Service) * Passports Since 30 June 2007, the island's governor has been Eustaquio Juan Santana Gil. 4

Island Council of Fuerteventura (Cabildo)

The councils, formed as part of the Councils Act of 1912, administer the Canary Islands and have two principal functions. On one hand, they perform services for the Autonomous Community, and on the other, they are the local government centre for the island. In the 2003 elections, Mario Cabrera González was elected as president representing the

Canarian Coalition The Canarian Coalition ( es, Coalición Canaria, CC) is a regionalist, Canarian nationalist political party in Spain operating in the Canary Islands. The party's aim is for greater autonomy for the islands but not independence. It has been label ...

, with 31.02% of the votes, followed by the

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gove ...

with 27.53%, represented by the Vice President Domingo Fuentes Curbelo.

Municipalities

The island is divided into six municipalities with their respective city councils which form part of the FECAM (Federation of Canarian Municipalities). They are governed by the basic legislation of the local regime and their respective organic rules. The populations of the municipalities are as follows: In turn, these municipalities are organised into two associations: the ''Mancomunidad de Municipios del Centro-Norte de Fuerteventura'' formed from La Oliva and Puerto del Rosario, and the remaining municipalities make up the ''Mancomunidad de Municipios del Centro-Sur de Fuerteventura''.

Economy

Both Fuerteventura and Lanzarote would be the main exporters of wheat and cereals to the central islands of the archipelago during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries;

and

. Although, this trade almost never reverted to the inhabitants of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura (because the landowners of these islands profited from this activity), producing periods of famine, so some of the population of these islands had to move to Tenerife and Gran Canaria to try to improve their luck. Therefore, the island of Tenerife constituted as the main focus of attraction for ''majoreros'' and ''lanzaroteños'', hence the feeling of union that has always existed amongst these islands. The economy of Fuerteventura is mainly based on tourism. Primary tourist areas are located around the existing towns of

Corralejo Corralejo () is a town and resort located on the northern tip of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, facing the smaller islet of Lobos. It is in the municipality of La Oliva. It is surrounded to the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean, by ...

in the north and

Morro Jable Morro Jable is a locality belonging of the municipality of Pájara, in the island of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain. With around 7,000 inhabitants as of 2020, it is the most populated settlement in the municipality. It was founded by Ciril ...

in Jandia, plus the purely tourist development of Caleta de Fuste, south of

. Other main industries are fishing and agriculture (cereals and vegetables). The famous

Majorero cheese Majorero () is a goat milk cheese from Spain. Similar to Manchego, this firm cheese has a milky, nutty flavour that goes well with various pear products. It is pale white in colour, and comes in large wheels. Currently, it is protected under Eur ...

is locally made from the milk of the indigenous

majorera The Cabra Majorera is a Spanish breed of dairy goat native to the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It is one of three goat breeds from the islands, the others being the Palmera of La Palma and the Tinerfeña of Tene ...

goat. In 2009, Fuerteventura recorded the highest EU regional unemployment rate at a NUTS3 level, at 29.2 percent.

Tourism

The first tourist hotel was built in 1965 followed by the construction of

at El Matorral, heralding the dawn of a new era for the island. Fuerteventura, with its 3,000 sunshine hours a year, was placed firmly on the world stage as a major European holiday destination. While having fully developed tourist facilities, the island has not experienced the overdevelopment found on some other islands. Nonetheless, it remains a destination for predominantly but not exclusively European tourists. The summer

Trade Winds The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisp ...

and winter swells of the Atlantic make this a year-round surfers' paradise, with more exposed areas on the north and west shores such as

and El Cotillo proving most popular. Wind surfing takes places at locations around the island. Sailors, scuba divers and big-game fishermen are all drawn to these clear blue Atlantic waters where whales, dolphins, marlin and turtles are all common sights. With many hills present throughout the Island, hikers are also attracted to this Island. Excellent sandy beaches are found in many locations. Western beaches, such as those around El Cotillo, can experience strong surf. The beaches adjoining the extensive sand dunes east of

are popular, as are the more protected extensive sandy shores of the Playa de Sotavento de Jandia on the southeastern coast between

Costa Calma Costa Calma is a beach holiday resort town in the Canarian island of Fuerteventura, Spain. It is part of the municipality Pájara, and has 5,670 inhabitants (2013). Virgen de la Peña, Vega del Río Palmas Betancuria Fuerteventura

Virgen de la Peña, Vega del Río Palmas Betancuria Fuerteventura

Like the rest of the Canaries, Carnival is traditionally one of the biggest festivals celebrated on the island. It is celebrated in different ways in all the towns during February and March. These festivities have a different theme each year. They include activities such as parades and galas to choose the carnival king.

Concerts and festivals

There are many concerts and festivals held in the auditoriums, such as the Festival of Canarian Music. They are also held in smaller venues across the island, featuring bands such as Estopa, Van Gogh's Ear, and King Afrhica. *Lebrancho Rock: in 2004, the Town Hall of

started this initiative for the growing number of local bands who had been performing in the area for years but had not had the chance to play at the same event. *Fuertemusica: like Lebrancho Rock, this festival aims to encourage the local or emerging groups. It started in the same year. This festival is mainly for groups that are already known in the music world. It takes place in El Cotillo. *In the municipality of

Betancuria Betancuria is a small town and a municipality in the western part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 811 (2013),pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

in which are involved people from all corners of the island. The holiday is celebrated on the third Saturday of September. Festival Internacional de Cometas/International

Kite A kite is a tethered heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create lift and drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have a bridle and tail to guide the fac ...

Festival is held on the second week of November each year centering on the Corralejo Beaches. It attracts kitefliers and kite surfers from all over Europe. It is popular because the winds are warm and constant and the beaches become filled with hundreds of colourful kites of all shapes and sizes.

Auditoriums

Ensayos de la Compañía Nacional de Danza 2 en Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura has three auditoriums. These are used for all types of performing art. They are also used for non-artistic purposes, such as conferences, charity galas and political meetings. * The Isle of Fuerteventura Auditorium * Gran Tarajal Auditorium * Corralejo Auditorium

Central library

The Central Library of the Island is located in Antigua's city centre, in the public university. In addition to providing the traditional library services, it has a 180-seat multipurpose room, air conditioning, a wifi zone, and a multimedia room used for seminars, presentations, film festivals etc.

Museums and exhibition spaces

The island has several museums with different themes and plenty of exhibition spaces, both public and private. These include: * The Antigua Windmill Craft Centre * The Salt Museum * The Atalayita Archeological Interpretation Centre

Sculpture park

In addition to the museums, the capital

has an open-air sculpture park consisting of around 100 sculptures by different artists scattered across the city. Most of them were created for the International Symposium of Sculpture celebrated annually since 2001. During the festival, artists come from all over the world to erect their sculptures in the open air, in full view of passers by.

Main sights

Sites of interest include

and El Jable to the north which are made up of fine sand

dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

whilst the south is filled with long beaches and remote bays. The constant winds blowing onto the beaches provide a paradise for

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

. Surfing is common on the west and north coasts where there are large waves. Windsurfing is common around Corralejo and Playas de Sotavento and wave sailing (windsurfing on the waves) on the coast along the northern half of the island. El Cotillo is a small fishing village in the north-west of the Island famous for a very long beach to the south of the village and few very calm beaches to the north. The northern beaches frequented by snorkeling enthusiasts and sun worshippers alike are referred to as lakes by the locals. Shipwreck of the SS American Star on the shore of Fuerteventura

Shipwreck of the SS American Star on the shore of Fuerteventura

Cofete Cofete is a small village in the western part of the Jandía peninsula in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands. It is part of the municipality Pájara Pájara is a municipality in the southwestern portion of the island of Fuerteventura in the Provinc ...

on the western side of Jandía a remote and imposing house –

Villa Winter Villa Winter (''Spanish: Casa de los Winter)'' is a villa situated in a remote location of the southwestern part of the island of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, near the village of Cofete on the Jandía peninsula. The villa was designed and bu ...

– looks out to sea across wide beaches. It was reputedly built by a Mr Winter on land given by Generalisimo Franco. For a time, the beaches were home to a popular accidental attraction. On 18 January 1994 the

United States Lines United States Lines was the trade name of an organization of the United States Shipping Board (USSB), Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) created to operate German liners seized by the United States in 1917. The ships were owned by the USSB and al ...

ocean liner SS ''American Star'' (former ''America'', USS ''West Point'', ''Australis'') was beached in Playa de Garcey during a severe storm. Within a year, she broke in two and later lost her stern. By 2007 the rest of the severely deteriorated ship had collapsed onto her port side, gradually keeling over further and almost completely submerged. By 2008–2012, most of the remains finally slipped below the surface.

Food

The cuisine is fairly basic due to the customs and climate conditions. They share this simplicity with the other Canary islands, and similarly to them, they use a large quantity of

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

. They also use whatever they can grow in the near-barren land. This includes papas arrugadas, a dish of wrinkled potatoes usually served with

mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

, which is a hot pepper sauce or with puchero canario, a meat stew. Seafood is prepared in many ways traditionally, such as pejines (salted fish), jareas, or

sancocho Sancocho (from the Spanish verb ''sancochar'', "to parboil") is a traditional soup in several Latin American cuisines. Variations represent popular national dishes in Dominican Republic, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Ecuador, Panama, Puerto Rico, Tri ...

(a type of stew) made from fish, generally the

grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is ...

, corvina or sama, boiled after salting, and served with mojo, potatoes, or

gofio Gofio is a sort of Canarian flour made from roasted grains (typically wheat or certain varieties of maize) or other starchy plants (e.g. beans and, historically, fern root), some varieties containing a little added salt. Gofio has been an ...

(a type of grain). People are also very keen on the mussels and limpets collected on the island's coasts. They also use meat such as

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

and

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

to make different dishes or simply to for braising, but their main meat is

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

, both from the kids and from the older animals. They eat the goat roasted or stewed. Goats are not only useful for their meat – the Fuerteventurans also use the

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

to make the cheese majorero, which has won many prizes. The majorero is mostly made of goats milk, and occasionally it is up to 15% ewes milk. It is cured in

pimento A pimiento or pimento (or cherry pepper) is a variety of large, red, heart-shaped chili pepper ('' Capsicum annuum'') that measures 3 to 4 in (7 to 10 cm) long and 2 to 3 in (5 to 7 cm) wide (medium, elongate). Pimientos can have vari ...

oil or gofio meal. Majorero and palmero cheese are the only two Canarian cheeses with

protected denomination of origin Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...

Transport and communications

The main methods of arriving and departing the islands are by flying and by ferry.

Airports

The airport is the main access point to the island. It is situated in El Matorral, southwest of the capital city Puerto del Rosario. The airport has flight connections to over 80 destinations worldwide, and over 5.6 million passengers passed through it in 2016. In 1994, the new airport terminal was constructed. In December 2009, the new facilities of the arrivals terminal of Fuerteventura Airport were inaugurated, tripling the space available in the old facilities. Up to 4000 passengers per hour can be served concurrently thanks to the new facilities. Notably,

Binter Canarias Binter Canarias S.A. is the flag carrier of the Spanish autonomous community of the Canary Islands, based on the grounds of Gran Canaria Airport in Telde, Gran Canaria and Tenerife North Airport, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain. It is a ...

serves the airport as the regional airline connecting passengers across Canary Islands.

Ports

Maritime communications are made from four ports: Puerto del Rosario, Corralejo, Gran Tarajal and Morro Jable. Cargo operations are the main activity of the island's main port in Puerto del Rosario, although its facilities allow the docking of tourist cruises including a ferry from Gran Canaria. Passenger traffic is mainly channeled through Corralejo, Gran Tarajal and Morro Jable. The port of Corralejo connects the island with Lanzarote. The port of Gran Tarajal connects the island with Gran Canaria and Morro Jable connects the island with Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

Roads

There are two highways on the island: FV-1 and FV-2. The FV-1, together with the FV-2, is part of the major construction project of the north-south motorway on Fuerteventura. The FV-1 begins in the north, in the town of Corralejo and ends in the island's capital Puerto del Rosario. FV-1 is part dual carriageway and part single carriageway. In the past, the FV-1 also ran through the Corralejo Dune Nature Reserve. In order to direct through traffic out of the nature reserve, the dual carriageway bypass around the nature reserve was opened in 2017 as the first section of the motorway after three years of construction, plus five years of construction delay. The road through nature reserve was renamed FV-104. FV-2 connects Morro Jable and Puerto del Rosario. Between La Lajita and Morro Jable, FV-2 is a dual carriageway highway. Car rental companies that have offices in the airports are: Autoreisen, Avis, Cicar, Europcar, Goldcar, Hertz, Sixt and TopCar.

Sport

Many sports are commonly played in Fuerteventura, both in the open air and in sports centres across the island.

Native sports

These are the Canarian sports found on the island:

Canarian wrestling

The wrestling takes place in a ring of sand called the ''terrero''. Inside it, the two contestants try to knock each other over. Fuerteventura has 14 terreros distributed through all the towns except Betancuria. * Antigua: Terrero de Antigua. * La Oliva: Terrero Venancio Guerra and Terrero de Villaverde. * Pájara: Terrero Miguel Díaz La Lajita, Terrero de Morro Jable a Terrero de

Pájara Pájara is a municipality in the southwestern portion of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands as well as the name of its largest town. Its population is 20,931 (2013),

Juego del Palo ''Juego del palo'' or banot (, ''game of the stick'', in Guanche language ''banod'') is a traditional martial art/folk sport of stick-fighting practiced in the Canary Islands. It involves the combative use of a slender stick from long, wielded i ...

is a Canarian martial art which literally translates as "game of the stick". It is played by two players both armed with sticks. They aim to defeat each other without making contact with their opponent's body. The origin of this game is unclear. All we know is that it is based on a method of combat used by the precolonial Canarian people. Fuerteventura has the following Palo clubs:Relación de clubes federados.
Fuente: Federación del Juego del Palo Canario * Club-Escuela Dunas de Corralejo. * Club-Escuela Huriamen de Villaverde. * Club-Escuela Puerto Cabras. * Club-Escuela Sorinque de Gran Tarajal.

Canarian boules

This is a similar game to the French

Pétanque Pétanque (, ; oc, petanca, , also or ) is a sport that falls into the category of boules sports, along with raffa, bocce, boule lyonnaise, lawn bowls, and crown green bowling. In all of these sports, players or teams play their boules/balls ...

which is actually played very little on the island, although there are a few teams and courts. Basically the game consists of scoring points by throwing a ball to get it as near as possible to an object called a ''mingue'' or ''boliche''. It is played on a rectangular sand or earth pitch which is long and wide.
Simple Petanque Rules -

Watersports

The sea and climate conditions make the island the perfect place for a huge variety of watersports.

Surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing

Many types of surfing are popular on the island, including traditional surfing,

(where the board is propelled by a sail) and most recently

kitesurfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

. The island has many schools and courses dedicated to teaching these sports. The sports where Fuerteventura has the most impact internationally are windsurfing and kitesurfing, mainly due to the International Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Championship. This has run since 1985 and is held at Playas de Sotavento in Pájara municipality. Many important wind and kitesurfing figures compete in this championship, such as the several-times world windsurfing champion

Björn Dunkerbeck Björn Dunkerbeck (born 16 July 1969) is a professional windsurfer who has won the Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA) Overall World Championships a record 42 times. Dunkerbeck is the son of a Dutch father and a Danish mother, but sailed ...

and

Gisela Pulido Gisela Pulido Borrell (born 14 January 1994) is a Spanish kitesurfer. In 2004, she became the sport's youngest world champion, at age 10. She has subsequently won multiple world titles. Biography Gisela Pulido was born in Premià de Mar on 14 ...

, the very young kiteboarding champion from

Tarifa Tarifa (, Arabic: طريفة) is a Spanish municipality in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located at the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula, it is primarily known as one of the world's most popular destinations for windsports. Tarifa ...

. Many Canarian windsurfers are on the Canarian Waveriders circuit, which has been based in

since 2005.

Diving

Diving schools are just as frequent as surfing ones, all around the coast of Fuerteventura. Unlike the other islands of the archipelago, Fuerteventura has a shelf which at some points goes up to , making it an ideal place to practice this sport. Two of the most useful points for diving are the coast off Playa del Matorral in the South, and the zone between

Lobos Island Lobos ( es, Isla de Lobos, ) is a small island of the Canary Islands (Spain) located just north of the island of Fuerteventura. It belongs to the municipality of La Oliva on the island of Fuerteventura. It has an area of . It has been a nature ...

and Corralejo in the north. It is here in Corralejo that the International Sea and Submarine Photography Festival takes places, known as Fimarsub Corralejo – Lobos. During the festival there are beginners' lessons, professional dives, lessons in underwater photography, screenings and other events related to the sport.

Swimming

There are many swimming pools on the island but the most obvious place to swim is in the open sea. There is an annual swim from Lobos Island to Fuerteventura, held every year since 1999. The event attracts amateur swimmers from all over the Canaries and Spain, and also swimming professionals such as David Meca and Maarten van der Weijden, the paralympist Jesús Collado Alarcón who won gold medals for 100m backstroke and butterfly in Athens 2004, and Xavi Torres Ramis, the paralympic champion in Barcelona 1992, Sydney and Atlanta.

Sailing

Caleta de Fustes puerto deportivo Fuerteventura

The island holds competitions involving different types of boat, such as the

lateen A lateen (from French ''latine'', meaning "Latin") or latin-rig is a triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast, and running in a fore-and-aft direction. The settee can be considered to be an associated type of the same ...

and the Optimist. An interesting event is the Tour of Fuerteventura by Kayak, which is organised as a series of stages rather than a competition, and is an easy way to explore the island.

Fishing

The most notable competition here is the Gran Tarajal Fishing Open.

Other sports

Since 2004 the Marcha Ciclotourista has been held in

La Oliva La Oliva () is a town and a municipality in the northern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 25,083 (2013),T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic ( T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland ( T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobil ...

and a team from

Orbea Orbea is a bicycle manufacturer based in Mallabia, Spain. It is part of the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation and Spain's largest bicycle manufacturer. Orbea manufactures and assembles bikes at their own factory in Mallabia, the other models ...

. These competitions have contributed to local interest in the sport and the first professional local team, the Fuerteventura-Canarias, was formed, initially run by Óscar Guerrero, director of

Kaiku Kaiku () was a Spanish UCI Professional Continental cycling team based in the Basque country that participated in UCI Continental Circuits races and when selected as a wildcard to UCI ProTour events. The team was managed by Eneko Garate with as ...

, although they have not competed for the past few seasons. There are various

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...

circuits on the island, including ''Los Alares'' in Antigua and ''Isla de Fuerteventura'' in

municipality. They hold regular trials, some of which form part of the Canarian Regional Motocross Championship. Throughout the year there are gravel rally races. Two are part of the Canarian Dirt Rally Championship. These are the Antiguan Rally and the La Oliva Rally. The island's main football clubs are CD Union Puerto and CD Cotillo, who play in Group XII of the Spanish Tercera División RFEF. The resort Playitas on the south coast is since around 2008 equipped with a swimming pool and has become a destination for

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...

training camps for Europeans. An annual race called Challenge Fuerteventura is held there on the half ironman distance.

People

Descubrimiento estatua Manuel Velázquez Cabrera

* Manuel Velázquez Cabrera: born in Tiscamanita in 1863, the politician and lawyer who created the island's council. * Juan Ismael: painter, cartoonist and poet born in

La Oliva La Oliva () is a town and a municipality in the northern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 25,083 (2013),Tuineje Tuineje is a town and a municipality in the southern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Province of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 13,946 (2013),Siege of Baler The siege of Baler ( fil, Pagkubkob sa Baler; es, Sitio de Baler) was a battle of the Philippine Revolution. Filipino revolutionaries laid siege to a fortified church defended by Spanish troops in the town of Baler, Aurora, for 337 days, from ...

together with Major Rafael Alonso Mederos, who died of

beri-beri Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1). A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. The two main types in adults are wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system, r ...

during the siege. On his return Eustaquio became mayor over his native people. He held this post both during the republic and under Franco.

References

External links

*https://www.fuerteventura.com *https://www.fuerteventura.com/history
Fuerteventura Tourism Board
* * * {{Authority control Islands of the Canary Islands Fissure vents Volcanoes of the Canary Islands Miocene volcanoes Pliocene volcanoes Pleistocene volcanoes Holocene volcanoes Extinct volcanoes Biosphere reserves of Spain Protected areas of the Canary Islands