La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain

Another postcard from 2009... and another one picked because it's vaguely holiday-related. No, I won't be going to La Palma or even the Canary Islands, but I will be going to Spain at the beginning of September. Me and my husband will be going to Benidorm for a week for holiday. I hope it'll be good and not too much like a touristy hell.. it did sound nice, though, with lots to do, and I'm hoping to visit some of the nearby areas that might seem a bit more "Spanish".. :P And it should be nice and sunny! :D Anyway, I wouldn't mind visiting the Canary Islands at some point, either. My grandma and her husband spent a few months on Tenerife last winter and will be going again this year. I'd love to be able to escape the cold winters as well... :P

La Palma is the most north-westerly of the Canary Islands, Africa. La Palma has an area of 706 km2 making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands. The total population is about 86,000, of which 18,000 (2003 data) live in the capital, Santa Cruz de la Palma and about 20,000 (2004 data) in Los Llanos de Aridane.

La Palma, like the other islands of the Canary Island archipelago, is a volcanic ocean island. The volcano rises almost 7 km above the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. There is road access from sea level to the summit at 2,426 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.

The local economy is primarily based on agriculture and tourism. Platanos (or Bananas) are grown throughout the island with many banana farms on the western side of the island in the valley of Los Llanos de Aridane. Other crops include: Strelitzia (or 'Bird of Paradise') flowers, oranges, avocados and grapes (which grow well in the volcanic soil). The wine from the grapes is prized. Local ranchers herd cows, sheep and goats (from which they make goat cheese).