Arrecife (; ; ) is the

capital city A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state (polity), state, province, department (administrative division), department, or other administrative division, subnational division, usually as its ...

and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands, off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the islands in the archipelago. With 163,230 inhabi ...

in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

. It was made the island's capital in 1852. The city owes its name to the rock reef ("arrecife" being Spanish for "reef") which covers its local beach. It also gives its name to the nearby

Arrecife Airport César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport (), commonly known as Lanzarote Airport and also known as ''Arrecife Airport'', is the airport serving the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. The airport is located in San Bartolomé, Las Palmas, sout ...

. The population of the municipality was 64,645 in 2020. Its area is . Arrecife is located south of Teguise and east of San Bartolomé, and is bordered by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

to its southeast. It is a

port town A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manche ...

, served by ferries to the other Canary Islands, Europe, and Africa. The LZ1 road connects Arrecife to the northeast of the island, the LZ2 road connects it to the southwest, and the LZ3 road serves as the city's beltway. The tallest building in Lanzarote is the Arrecife Gran Hotel, which is located on the seafront alongside the harbour.

History

The earliest records of Arrecife date from the fifteenth century when it was a small fishing settlement. The name, given then as ''Arrecifes'', refers to the black volcanic

reefs A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition of sand or wave eros ...

behind which boats could hide, protected from sudden

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

attacks. Towards the end of the sixteenth century the settlement began to grow in response to a need for accommodation and warehousing to support growing trade between the old and new worlds. The first church was constructed at this time, consecrated to the first

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Arrecife, ''San Ginés''. Growing prosperity increased the attractiveness of the town as a pirate target: in 1571 a pirate named ''Dogan'' plundered and almost completely destroyed the little port town. In 1964 Arrecife became the site of

's first sea-water

desalination Desalination is a process that removes mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination is the removal of salts and minerals from a substance. One example is Soil salinity control, soil desalination. This is important for agric ...

plant.

Climate

Arrecife has a tropical

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(BWh) according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

. The little precipitation is concentrated in the winter months.

Historical population

Economy

The

Port of Arrecife The Port of Arrecife is the main port facility for Lanzarote and the second busiest in the Canary Islands in terms of passengers. It handles passenger ferries, cruise ships and ro-ro cargo, but also bulk, breakbulk, containers, liquid bulk, ...

is the main

port facility A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manches ...

for Lanzarote and the second busiest in the Canary Islands in terms of passengers. It handles passenger ferries, cruise ships, and

ro-ro Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...

cargo, but also bulk,

breakbulk In shipping, break-bulk, breakbulk, or break bulk cargo, also called general cargo, are goods that are stowed on board ships in individually counted units. Traditionally, the large numbers of items are recorded on distinct bills of lading th ...

container A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

s, and

liquid bulk A tanker (or tank ship or tankship) is a ship designed to transport or store liquids or gases in bulk. Major types of tanker ship include the oil tanker (or petroleum tanker), the chemical tanker, cargo ships, and a gas carrier. Tankers also ...

, and has a large

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

port.

Communities

* Urbanización Playa Honda (subdivision), south

Assets of Cultural Interest

The real estate properties of Arrecife registered in the Register of Assets of Cultural Interest are: * Casa de los Arroyo * Castillo de San Gabriel *

Castillo de San José Castillo (Spanish for 'castle') may refer to: * Castillo (surname), including a list of people with the name * Castillo, Dominican Republic * Castillo, Álava, Spain * Castillo CF, a Spanish football team See also * * Del Castillo (disambiguat ...

* Iglesia Matriz de San Ginés Obispo * Fachada del edificio Segarra * Headquarter of the Island Council of Lanzarote * Salinas de Naos * Salinas de Bufona

Sites of interest

Playa Reducto Playa (plural playas) may refer to: Landforms * Endorheic basin, also known as a sink, alkali flat or sabkha, a desert basin with no outlet which periodically fills with water to form a temporary lake * Dry lake, often called a ''playa'' in the so ...

, Arrecife's town beach *

, 18th-century fortress that now houses a collection of modern art * Puente de Las Bolas, bridge leading to the Castillo de San Gabriel *

Charco de San Ginés Charco is a settlement in the west of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting o ...

, man-made lagoon used by fishermen

Gallery

File:Iglesia de San Ginés.jpg, Church File:Gran Hotel Arrecife.jpg, The Gran Hotel Arrecife File:Castillo de San Gabriel Arrecife Lanzarote Canaries.jpg, Castle of San Gabriel

References

External links

* *
Things to do in Arrecife
{{Authority control Municipalities in Lanzarote Populated places in Lanzarote