|
|
Find the best Tenerife accomodation and car hire here online!
|
|
|
|
 |
 Granadilla de Abona |
 |
Granadilla de Abona is situated in the south of the island and occupies an area of 155 square kilometers. Its population in 1991 was 17,141 and in recent years it increased owing to the influx of immigrants. Many of these immigrants are illegal, from African and Latin American countries.
The municipality's main town is Granadilla de Abona; other towns include San Isidro, El Cabezo, Castro and Los Abrigos and Charco del Pino among others.
Abona extends from the altitudinous center of the island; the mountain of Guajara (2,718 meters) is situated in this municipality. Guajara is the second highest mountain on the island, after Mt. El Teide. The municipality’s landscape, similar to the entire south of the island, is dry and desert-like.
The Reina Sofia International airport is located in this municipality, as well as the beachside town of El Médano ("The Sand Dune"), where many important water sport competitions are held.
La Montaña Roja ("The Red Mountain") is a volcanic cone located in El Médano. It is a protected natural preserve, along with five other “espacios naturales,” which comprise 25% of the municipality’s total area.
Plans to build an industrial and commercial port in this municipality along a 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) sector along the coast, from Barranco del Río to Montaña Pelada, were discussed but not implemented. There were concerns about the potential environmental damages the project may entail.
|
|
History
Abona was the name of a menceyato, or kingdom that existed in this region of the island at the time of Spanish conquest in the late fifteenth century.
Founded around 1445, Abona was ruled by a certain Atguaxoña and the kingdom covered the Río de Chasna to Adeje and all the way to the town of Guimar. The Spanish word of Granadilla does not appear until the end of the 16th century, but the settlement of the area by Europeans began at the time of conquest.
Renowned cartographer and translator Antonio Pigafetta who joined expeditions, recounted that on September 20, 1519, they left from Sanlúcar [de Barrameda] and headed southwest to arrive at Tenerife on September 26 in order to acquire food supplies and firewood. He said they stayed there for three days and a half before leaving for another port on the same island named Monte Rosso [also known as Montaña Roja by name], to stay there for two days."
Records indicate that a church existed in the municipality in 1575. Granadilla de Abona became a municipality in the 19th century and a highway linking it to other parts of the island was built in the 1930s.
Previously, travel to other parts of the island was only possible by boat, which departed from the seaside towns of Los Abrigos. Granadilla de Abona today has schools, a lyceum, a gymnasium, banks, churches, beaches and a few squares.
|
|
|
|
|
