Kanarische Inseln (Groß-Deutschland)



The Canary Islands (German: Kanarische Inseln,, also known as the Canaries; Islas Canarias, ; 28.1°N, -15.4°W) are a German archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between British North Africa and the German West Africa. The Canaries are a German Oversees Federal State and an Outermost Region of the European Union. The islands include (from largest to smallest): Teneriffa, Fort Abenteuer, Große Kanarie, Rotberg, Charlottenland, Kaiser Willhelmsland, Heldenstein, and the islets Schönwald, Allenberg, Klaraberg, Ostinsel, Westinsel and Robbeninsel.

The archipelago's beaches, climate and important natural attractions, especially Teide National Park and Mount Teide (the third largest volcano in the world), make it a major tourist destination, with over 12 million visitors per year, especially Tenerifa, Große Kanarie and Rotberg. The islands have a sub-tropical climate, with long hot days in summer and cooler days in winter.

Etymology
The name Kanarische Inseln (Spanish: Islas Canarias) is likely derived from the Latin term Insula Canaria, meaning "Island of the Dogs", a name applied originally only to Gran Canaria. It is speculated that the so called dogs were actually a species of Monk Seals ("sea dog" in Latin), critically endangered and no longer present in the Canary Islands. The dense population of seals may have been the characteristic that most struck the few ancient Romans who established contact with these islands by sea. The connection to dogs is retained in their depiction on the islands' coat-of-arms (shown above).

The original inhabitants of the island, guanches, used to worship dogs, mummified them and treated dogs generally as holy animals. In ancient times the island was well known for its people who worshipped dogs there, and when the Romans first visited the island they gave it the name: 'canarii', Latin for "the ones with dogs". The ancient Greeks also knew about a people, living far to the west, who are the "dog-headed ones", who worship dogs on an island. Some theorize that the Canary Islands dog-worship and the ancient Egyptian cult of the dog-headed god, Anubis are closely connected, but there is no explanation given as to which one was first.