San Sebastián de La Gomera is the capital and a municipality of

La Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third smallest of the eight main islands of this archipelago. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tene ...

in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...

, Spain. It also hosts the main harbour. The population was 8,699 in 2013,Instituto Canario de Estadística
, population and the area is . The port serves ferry routes to the islands 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, archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitant ...

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 ...

and

El Hierro El Hierro, nicknamed ''Isla del Meridiano'' (the "Meridian Island"), is the second-smallest and farthest-south and -west of the Canary Islands (an autonomous community of Spain), in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a populatio ...

. Streets include Calle Real and F. Olsen. A bus station named ''Estación de Guaguas'' is used for bus lines throughout the island; it is located on Avenida Del Quinto Centenario.

History

The area was inhabited by the Guanches before the arrival of the Spanish. Hernán Peraza arrived in 1440.

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

stopped at the harbour on 6 September 1492 before heading to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

but arrived in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

instead. The building in which Columbus stayed whilst on the island is now a museum. The town is named after Saint Sebastián de Milán, an early Christian saint and martyr.

Historical population

Sites of interest in the town

Torre del Conde Torre del Conde is a fortress from the 15th century located in the Villa de San Sebastián de La Gomera ( Canary Islands, Spain). It is a military-type building. Its function was mainly of representation of the manorial power, and it counted on the ...

- a tower in the middle of the valley * Casa del Colón, a museum dedicated to Christopher Columbus * Museo Arqueológico de La Gomera - a museum dedicated to Guanche's social, political and religious structures * Casa de los Peraza * Pozo de La Aguada * Iglesia de La Asunción and Ermita de San Sebastián Churches * Ermita de la Virgen de Guadalupe * Playa de San Sebastián * Playa de la Cueva * Mercado Municipal

Municipality

Apart from the town of San Sebastián the municipality includes the settlements of * Benchijigua * Jerdune * La Laja * Lomo Fragoso * the eastern part of Playa Santiago The municipality also includes these sites of interest: * Barranco del Cabrito * Los Roques rocks * Punta Llana * Majona Nature Park

Economy

The economy of San Sebastián de La Gomera is centered on the functions of the capital and its port, as well as in the public sector, particularly in the transportation, trading, and tourism of Tenerife.

Tourism

The port serves as a hub for tourists arriving on the 35-minute ferry ride from the nearby island of

, which is almost always visible from La Gomera. The main ferry companies are Fred. Olsen Express and Naviera Armas. In Puntallana is the chapel of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of the island of La Gomera.

List of Notable people

Ignacio Lorenzo de Armas Ignacio Lorenzo de Armas (1706 - unknown) was a Spanish politician who served as mayor of San Antonio, Texas in 1738 and 1764. His family arrived in San Antonio from the Canary Islands in 1731 with other Canarian families in order to populate this ...

(1706 - unknown), settler and mayor of

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

in 1738 and 1764.

Gallery

File:San Sebastián de La Gomera.jpg, San Sebastián de La Gomera File:Torredelconde.jpg, Torre del conde File:La Gomera church A.jpg, Church ''Iglesia de La Asunción'' File:Roque Agando.JPG,

Roque de Agando Roque de Agando (commonly called Roque Agando) is a prominent rock formation on the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands. It is one of La Gomera's most striking features and is frequently used as a symbol for the island. Roque Agando is the ...

File:Image-Cruiseferry Tenerife 2.JPG, The big Fred. Olsen Express ferry File:San Sebastian D81 7771 (32515898060).jpg, Old and new in San Sebastian File:San Sebastian D81 7575 (32598776742).jpg, Old windmill in San Sebastian

External links

San Sebastian de La Gomera - Canary Islands Info

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Sebastian de La Gomera Municipalities in La Gomera