Friday, 12 December 2014 00:00

Where Exactly Is Gran Canaria?

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Gran Canaria is next to Tenerife Gran Canaria is next to Tenerife

Three and a half million people come on holiday to Gran Canaria every year, but some people arrive thinking it's next door to Majorca. 

In fact, Gran Canaria is much further south than most people realise and, along with the other Canary Islands, sits just west of Morocco.
 
Gran Canaria is at the same latitude as Florida, Egypt and Hong Kong and directly south of Great Britain. It's not as humid as Florida because it's next to the dry Sahara and not as hot as Egypt in summer thanks to the cooling Atlantic Ocean. In winter the island is mild and sunny as it's far enough south to avoid the cold. 
 
The Canary Islands are part of Atlantic Ocean region of Macaronesia along with the Azores, Madeira and Cape Verdes islands. All these islands have strange and unique plants and animals that have died out everywhere else. 
 
Within the Canarian archipelago, Gran Canaria sits in the middle between Tenerife, 62 km to the west and Fuerteventura 83km to the east. Tenerife is an hour away by fast ferry while Fuerteventura is two and a half hours away. 
 
The island’s central location means that it has the most varied scenery of all the islands. It combines the beautiful mountain scenery and forests of Tenerife with the sparkling beaches of Fuerteventura. It's a cliché but Gran Canaria really is a 'Miniature Continent' with the best climate in the world (Note for the tourist board: Can we have our money now please). 
Read 10235 times Last modified on Sunday, 28 August 2016 10:11
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Tip of the day

  • The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!
    The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!

    If there is one thing we hate it is visitors being tricked in Gran Canaria. In the past we've warned about overcharging at Gran Canaria chemists, and rip off electronics shops in resorts. 

    In this Tip Of The Day we return to the island's chemists or rather, to the island's fake chemists.

    A chemist in Gran Canaria is called a Farmacia and always has a green cross sign. Farmacias are the only place tobuy medicine in Spain, even basics like paracetamol.

    However, there is another kind of shop in Gran Canaria that looks and sounds like a chemist but doesn't sell medicine. This is the Parafarmacia and it also uses a green cross sign.

    A parafarmacia is a herbal medicine shop that is not allowed to sell any normal medicine such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or antibiotics. 

    Instead, parafarmacias sell herbal alternatives to medicine but don't have to prove that they work and they can charge whatever they want.

    We recently heard from a visitor to Gran Canaria who went into a parafarmacia and was charged 40 euros for a herbal alternative to Ibuprofen. It was only when they read the label that they realised what had happened. 

    To locate a genuine farmacia, see this website and search within your municipio (Puerto Rico is in Mogán, Playa del Inglés is in San Bartolomé de Tirajana). At weekends and on fiesta days many farmacias close but there is always one open, known as the farmacia de guardia, in each municipio.

    Search for the nearest one to you with this tool

    Lex Says: To keep costs down, see this article for the way to ask for generic medicine rather than expensive branded alternatives. 

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