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Canary Islands

(also the Canaries)

Translate Canary Islands | into German | into Spanish

Definition of Canary Islands

a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, off the NW coast of Africa, forming an autonomous region of Spain; capital, Las Palmas; population 2,098,593 (2009). The group includes the islands of Tenerife, Gomera, La Palma, Hierro, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote.

Origin:

from French Canarie, via Spanish from Latin Canaria (insula) '(island) of dogs', from canis 'dog', one of the islands being noted in Roman times for large dogs