Discovering Tenerife: between volcanoes, traditions and modernity

Located in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Morocco, Tenerife is the largest of the 8 Canary Islands — a Spanish territory shaped by a subtle mix of European, South American and African influences.

With an area of over 2,000 km² and nearly one million inhabitants, the island offers an astonishing variety of landscapes, climates, and atmospheres.

It is dominated by Mount Teide, a volcano rising to 3,715 metres (the highest peak in Spain). Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this giant is both the geological and symbolic heart of the island.

Tenerife shifted from an agricultural economy (sugar cane, malvasia wine, bananas) from the 16th century to one largely driven by tourism from the 1960s onward — a change that deeply transformed the island.

Today, it has two contrasting faces: a sunny, arid and highly touristic south, and a greener, more authentic and rural north.

While tourism is now the main economic driver (alongside agriculture and services), it also creates real tensions: rising housing prices (due to short-term rentals), pressure on natural resources, and overtourism at certain sites.

The challenge now is to balance attractiveness and sustainability, protecting the environment, heritage, and the quality of life for residents.

More info at : tenerife-bnb-jardinalmar.blog