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TENERIFFE [Tenerife]

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Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 616 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TENERIFFE [Tenerife] , the largest of the See also:Canary Islands; in the See also:Atlantic Ocean, and belonging to See also:Spain. Pop. (19oo) 138,008; See also:area, 782 sq. m. Teneriffe lies a little See also:west of the centre of the See also:archipelago, between the islands of See also:Grand Canary and See also:Gomera. It is of irregular shape, 6o m. See also:long, with an extreme breadth of 30 M. A See also:chain of mountains traverses the See also:island in the direction of its greatest length (See also:east to west), and in the See also:middle of the broadest See also:part rises the celebrated See also:peak, locally known as the See also:Pico de Teyde (or Teide), which, with its supports and spurs, occupies nearly two-thirds of the whole island. It has a See also:double See also:top; the highest point, El Piton, is 12,200 ft. above the See also:sea; the other, Chahorra, connected with the first by a See also:short narrow See also:ridge, has a height of 988o ft. They are both orifices in the same grand See also:dome of See also:trachyte. Neither reaches the See also:line of perpetual See also:snow. There is, however, a natural cavern, 11,050 ft. above the sea, where snow is preserved all the See also:year. Snow remains for about four months on the upper part of the peak. For more than one-See also:half of its circumference the See also:base of the true peak rises from an elevated but comparatively level See also:tract, calledby the Spaniards El Llano de la Retama (retama being the name of the Cytisus nubigenus which abounds there), and by the See also:English the See also:Pumice-See also:Stone Plains.

On the See also:

south-east, south and south-west there is a high curved ridge overlooking the Pumice-Stone Plains, and presenting a very steep See also:face to the peak. Between the ridge and the sea the slope is more See also:gradual, and there are intervening table-lands. Peaks rise from the ridge, one of which (Guajara) attains the height of 8900 ft. This ridge (the Llano) and the See also:modern volcanic See also:cone resemble in aspect a fortress with circular ramparts and a See also:fosse. The ramparts are about 8 m. in See also:diameter, and See also:tower in some places more than 1500 ft. above the fosse. On the See also:north-west comparatively See also:late eruptions have filled up the fosse. The modern cone is a See also:pile of See also:lava, pumice and ashes, thrown up in an See also:ancient See also:crater which had become greatly enlarged either by a falling in of the upper part of the cone, or by a See also:series of violent explosions. Both El Piton and Chahorra have craters on their summits, from which issue See also:steam and a little sulphurous vapour. The crater on El Piton is partly surrounded by a See also:wall of lava, which has been made See also:white by the See also:action of sulphurous vapours, and every crevice contains small crystals of See also:sulphur. The thermometer rises considerably when thrust into the ground. The crater is about 300 ft. across, with a See also:depth of 70 ft. The crater on Chahorra has a diameter of 4000 ft.; its depth is scarcely 150 ft.

The view from the highest point, when no clouds intervene, is very extensive. All the islands of the archipelago are visible, and the See also:

horizon is 140 M. distant. Neither the See also:coast of See also:Africa nor the island of See also:Madeira is within the range of See also:vision. The ascent of the peak is usually made from Orotava, on the See also:northern See also:side of the island. After the cultivated grounds are See also:left, the region of arborescent heaths is crossed. Above this is a See also:belt covered with codeso (Adenocarpus frankenioides), and this extends to the region of retama, the first bushes of which are found at the pass which admits the traveller into the Llano de la Retama. The scenery here is in striking contrast with what it has previously been. Instead of a steep and rugged ascent among See also:black basaltic rocks, the traveller enters upon gently sloping ground, covered to a considerable depth with white pumice See also:gravel, amongst which See also:spring bushes of retama. The See also:tender shoots of this See also:shrub serve the See also:wild goats for See also:food, and the See also:flowers yield a See also:rich See also:honey. The entrance to the Llano at a sort of natural gateway (called Fortino) between two basaltic hills, is about 7000 ft. above the sea. Between two and three See also:hours are consumed in See also:crossing the Llano to. the base of the cone, the See also:lower part of which (Monton de Trigo) is ascended to a point 9750 ft. above the sea, called Estancia de los Ingleses, where the mules are usually left, and travellers frequently pass the See also:night. Then comes the Malpays, moo ft. in See also:altitude, consisting of rough black lava streams broken up into blocks and stones.

These cease at the Rambleta, the See also:

lip of an older crater over which the lava poured before the See also:sugar-See also:loaf cone of pumice and ashes was thrown up. The pumice is in such quantity that at a distance it has the See also:appearance of snow coating the peak. From twenty to twenty-four hours are consumed in ascending the peak and returning to Orotava. To the north-west of the grand cone, some thousands of feet below Chahorra, there are many small cones of eruption, showing that the intensity of volcanic action was greatest on this side. East-See also:ward from the ridge bounding the Pumice-Stone Plains extends a chain of mountains to the north-eastern extremity of the island. The highest peaks are Izana (7374 ft.), Perejil (6027), and Cuchillo (5467). There is no See also:record of eruptions from either crater of the peak. In 1795 a See also:great quantity of lava was poured out from three vents on the eastern side; and in the same year lava streams issued from a crater near Guimar, half-way between See also:Santa Cruz and the peak. In the year 1706 a vent on the north-western side of the peak discharged a copious stream, which flowed down to the sea, and nearly filled up the See also:harbour of Garachico. For three months in 1798 much lava and other volcanic See also:matter were ejected from orifices to the west of Chahorra. Santa Cruz, the See also:capital of Teneriffe and of the Canaries (pop. 1900, 38,419), and La See also:Laguna (13,074), the former capital, are described in See also:separate articles.

A See also:

good road connects Santa Cruz and Orotava, a See also:town on the north coast 25 M. W.N.W. It passes through Laguna and Matanza—a See also:place deriving its name from the overthrow of the invading Spaniards by the See also:Guanches in 1494. All travellers speak in terms of warm admiration of the scenery in this part of the island. Date-palms See also:form a striking feature in the landscapes. The town of Orotava (pop. 9192) is 1040 ft. above the sea. The houses are solidly built, but it has a deserted aspect. A stream of See also:water is See also:con-ducted through every See also:street. The famous See also:dragon-See also:tree, which so many travellers have described, no longer exists. See also:Port Orotava, 3 M. N. of the town, is a clean place, with about 4500 inhabitants.

The streets are broad and the houses well built. The roadstead, protected by a fort and some batteries, affords little or no shelter against See also:

wind. At Icod de los Vinos, a See also:pretty town of 4000 inhabitants, farther to the west, in a fertile See also:district, is a dragon-tree, the largest now existing in the island. The See also:stem near the ground has a circumference of 38 ft. and its height is upwards of 6o ft. Near the town is an immense cavern, in which many Guanche bones were found. There are several other towns of less importance, principally in the north-west, not far from the coast. The highest inhabited place is Chasna, on a See also:plain more than 4000 ft. above the sea, to the south of the peak. See also CANARY ISLANDS.

End of Article: TENERIFFE [Tenerife]

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