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La Palma, like the other islands of the Canary Island archipelago, is a volcanic ocean island. The volcano rises almost 7 km (4.3 mi) above the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. There is road access from sea level to the summit at 2,423 m, which is marked by an outcrop of rocks called Los Muchachos ("The Lads"). This is the site of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, one of the world's premier astronomical observatories. La Palma's geography is a result of the volcanic formation of the island. The highest peaks reach over 2400 m (1.5 mi) above sea level, and the base of the island is located almost 4000 meters below sea level. The northern part of La Palma is dominated by the Caldera de Taburiente, with a width of 9 km (5.6 mi) and a depth of 1500 m (0.9 mi). It is surrounded by a ring of mountains ranging from 1600 m (1 mi) to 2400 m (1.5 mi) in height. Only the deep Barranco de las Angustias ("Canyon of Anxiety") canyon leads into the inner area of the caldera which is a national park. It can be reached only by hiking. The outer slopes are cut by numerous gorges which run from 2000 m (1.2 mi) down to the sea. Today, only few of these carry water due to the many water tunnels that have been cut into the islands structure. In 1815, the German geologist Leopold von Buch visited the Canary Islands. It was as a result of his visit to La Palma and Tenerife where he visited the Las Cañadas and Taburiente calderas, that the Spanish word for cauldron - "Caldera" - was introduced into the English language geological vocabulary. From the Caldera de Taburiente to the south runs the ridge Cumbre Nueva. The southern part of La Palma is dominated by the Cumbre Vieja, a volcanic ridge formed by numerous volcanic cones built of lava and scoria. The Cumbre Vieja is active - but dormant, with the last eruption occurring in 1971 at the Teneguia vent which is located at the southern end of the Cumbre Vieja - Punta de Fuencaliente, (The Point of the Hot Fountain). La Palma is dominated by the colours blue, green and black. Blue represent the surrounding ocean, Green represents the abundant plant life (which is the most diverse in the Canary Islands) and Black comes from the volcanic rocks that forms the landscape and the numerous playas (beaches) of black sand. La Palma is nicknamed "Isla Bonita" ("beautiful island") and the "island of San Pedro" (after its patron Saint: Peter). San Pedro is also a music venue on the island where international bands play. Santa Cruz de La Palma (the island's main port) retains many elegant 17th and 18th century houses, and produces high quality hand made cigars made from locally grown tobacco. |