Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura is one of the Spanish Canary
Islands, located just 100 kilometres off the coast of north Africa. It's
the second biggest of the islands, after Tenerife,
and has the longest beaches in the archipelago. The island is a paradise for
sun, beach and watersports enthusiasts. It's not the place for all-night ravers
but Fuerteventura (or Fuerte as it's affectionately known) is perfect for
families and couples seeking a relaxed winter sun holiday.
The island is widely believed to be the oldest of the Canary
Islands. It's strange form was created out of a series of volcanic eruptions
many thousands of years ago.
The first tourist hotel was built here in 1965 followed by the construction of the airport at El Mattoral heralding the dawn of a new era for the island. Fuerteventura, with its 3,000 sunshine hours a year, was placed firmly on the world stage as a major European holiday destination.
The island is on the same latitude as Florida and Mexico and temperatures here rarely fall below 18C or rise above 24C. There are no less than 152 beaches along its coastline - 50 kilometres of fine, white sand and 25 kilometres of black volcanic shingle.
The summer Trade Winds and winter swells of the Atlantic make this a year-round surfers' paradise. Sailors, scuba divers and big game fishermen are all drawn to these clear blue Atlantic waters where whales, dolphins, marlin and turtles are all common sights.
Much of the interior, with its large plains, lavascapes and volcanic mountains, consists of protected areas which can be best be explored in a 4x4 or (for the more daring) with a cross-country motorbike.
The island's colourful past can be traced in a variety of ancient buildings, monuments, archaeological sites and museums. The first settlers are believed to have arrived here from North Africa - the word Mahorero or Maho is still used today to describe the people of Fuerteventura and comes from the ancient word 'mahos' meaning a type of goatskin shoe worn by the original inhabitants.