El Médano (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, "The

sand dune 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, flat ...

") is a town in the municipality of

Granadilla de Abona Granadilla de Abona is a municipality of Tenerife, located in the south of the island, occupying an area of 155 square kilometers. Its population in 2013 was 43,608. In recent years, the population has greatly increased due to an influx of immigr ...

, on the island of

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

, one of 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 is located about 11 kilometers from the town of Granadilla, reaching an average altitude of 75 meters above sea level. The town is divided into five centers: El Médano, Arenas del Mar, El Cabezo, El Topo and Ensenada Pelada.

Geography

A place of strong

wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...

s, it has been the site for various

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 Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gain ...

competitions and championships, though in recent years, an increase in the number of high-rise

hotels A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refr ...

and

apartment building An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement ( Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) ...

s has reduced these winds' power. However, El Médano is still one of the world's best windsurfing/kitesurfing locations, with three different windsurfing spots, the Bay (flat/swell), the Harbour Wall (wavespot sideshore), and Cabezo Beach (wavespot onshore). The main bay is divided into three areas, the general sailing area with very good entry and exit points, the swimming area, marked by a chain of buoys and the pigs bay, which is to be avoided because of security reasons. The town is situated near the largest natural beaches of

, the Playa Grande and the Playa La Tejita. Between the beaches is La Montaña Roja ("The Red Mountain"), a

volcanic cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and s ...

that is a protected natural reserve under the category of natural monument. The mountain is approximately 1 kilometer in diameter, conformed by successive explosions fruit of the violent vaporization of the sea waters. In the town, the beach of Leocadio Machado, popularly known as El Médano, stands out. It has an average length of approximately 750 metres and an average width of 43 metres. The beach was awarded the European Blue Flag from 200
until 2016
and has a changing room and shower service. It was on this beach that Leocadio Machado, professor of Nautics and doctor of Law, was inspired to write the novel "El loco de la playa" (The madman of the beach), published by LA PRENSA in 1925, which tells of the arrival at El Médano of a doctor, Don Luis Gilpérez, and his daughter María, on a boat from the Santa Cruz de Tenerife dock, which they used to do every summer despite the difficulties they suffered, dodging the waves and winds until he disembarked and reached the only inn then on the beach, "La morenita", where, as soon as he arrived, he was warned of the presence of an unknown man who spent the days and nights between the mountains of Bocinegro and Roja, talking to himself and shouting at the sea, who was called "the crazy man on the beach", who had his few inhabitants frightened. The small coves of El Cabezo, El Salado, La Jaquita, De Pelada and La Rajita are also located here. Image:El Médano BW 1.JPG, El Médano from the Montaña Roja Image:El Médano BW 2.JPG, Cave of Santo Hermano Pedro Image:El Médano BW 4.JPG, Beach and Montaña Roja Image:El Médano BW 5.JPG, Kitesurfer in El Mèdano

Amenities

There is a large town square in front of the main beach, which holds many local fiestas, especially during the summer months and an annual public firework display across the bay. Around this square are many bars and restaurants. A

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway typically built with wooden planks, which functions as a type of low water bridge or small viaduct that enables pedestrians to ...

starts there and goes all along the beach up to "kite" beach and through the "medanos" or rocky dunes that are a result of the erosion caused by wind and sea. El Médano has the educational centres Colegio de Educación Infantil y Primaria El Médano and C.E.I.P. Montaña Pelada, the Instituto de Enseñanza Secundaria El Médano, with offices of the Servicio de Atención al Ciudadano y de Información y Turismo del Ayto. de Granadilla, a civic centre for the elderly, a House of Culture, a doctor's surgery, a shopping centre and a street market, with the parish church of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes de Roja and a chapel, a post office, several banks, a Civil Protection office and a Red Cross office, a pharmacy, a municipal mortuary, several petrol stations, as well as numerous apartments, bars, restaurants and other small shops. Close to the motorway and the San Isidro neighbourhood is the Granadilla Farmers' Market. The Technological Institute of Renewable Energies ITER and part of the Industrial Estate of Granadilla are also located in the town. The cave of Santo Hermano Pedro is located in the town and is place of pilgrimage with a small shrine dedicated to the saint. El Medano is located just south of the Reina Sofia airport, located in the south of Tenerife. Aircraft noise can be heard quite regularly.

Demographics

Since the tourist boom of the 1960s, El Médano has attracted inhabitants of the capital's metropolitan area - Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna - and residents of the municipality itself, becoming an important secondary residence centre. In 2013, 41% of the resident population of El Médano was of foreign origin, mainly from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

. Of the Canarian population, 51% came from

, while 42% were from another municipality on the island.

Panorama

References

External links

Live Webcam El Médano, surfspotWind forecast for surfers in El MédanoEl Medano Tenerife
{{DEFAULTSORT:El Medano Populated places in Tenerife Populated coastal places in Spain Windsurfing