Tenerife, a Spanish island, is the largest of the seven Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. The island's population is 839,000. Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the second biggest city in the archipelago, the capital of the island and the head of the cabildo insular (island government); it is also officially co-capital of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands together with Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with whom it shares governmental institutions such as Presidency, Parliament and ministries.
Like the rest of the Canary Islands, it is of volcanic origin. The last of the three eruptions that created the island happened about 3.5M years ago, although small murmurs occur. The most recent earthquake of about 4 on the Richter scale was in 2002. The highest point of Spain, Teide (3 717 m), is on this island. The island itself is clearly divided into a very dry southern part and a very humid and green north.
