Gran Canaria, Population, Capital, Maps & Useful Tourism Facts

Airport & Capital City Of Gran Canaria

The capital city here is Las Palmas which is also the joint capital of the Canaries. This is a title Las Palmas shares with Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Usually the capital city status changes every four years as Parliament changes.

There are 378,500 people living in Las Palmas which is far more than Santa Cruz´s 205,000. This is not far off 50% of the entire population of Gran Canaria. Gando Airport is the only airport on the island which many refer to as Las Palmas airport (LPA). This airport is 19 km from Las Palmas which saw a record 13,261,405 passenger arrivals in 2019.

Map Location
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Gran Canaria Facts

Below is a quick reference guide which contains key facts about Gran Canaria.

Population
865,000 Inhabitants

Landmass
1,560.11 km² (600 square miles)

Coastline Length
236 km (147 miles)

Capital City
Las Palmas

Airport
Gando Airport

Top Resorts To Visit

There are many wonderful resorts here to check out spread across the island. These include Playa del Ingles, Maspalomas, Puerto Rico and Las Palmas. Some of the smaller resorts include Puerto Mogan, San Agustin and Meloneras.

Climate
The climate is Gran Canaria is excellent and very much like Tenerife. Here the summers are always hot but it remains warm during winter and spring. It´s not unusual to see the temperature soar to over 40 Celsius in summer. In fact, the temperature once hit 44.2 Celsius which is it´s highest temperature on record.

Winter does not always record it´s lowest yearly temperatures here. Leading up to and the beginning of spring usually sees the coldest temperatures. February and March tend to see the temperatures fall to 16-18 Celsius which is still quite mild. The temperature will fall a little further at night. Check here for more weather for the Spanish Costas and Islands.

Best Beaches

Gran Canaria has many super beaches spread across this beautiful island. In the south you will find Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas among others. Las Canteras is on the top beaches in the capital Las Palmas. A few more to look out for are Puerto Mogan and Puerto Rico.

Municipalities

There are 21 municipalities on the island of Gran Canaria but 13 more which are part of the province of Las Palmas. Making up the 34 are 6 municipalities in Fuerteventura and 7 in Lanzarote. We list the 21 of this island below.

Attactions & Days Out

Below are a few of the top attractions and days out in Gran Canaria to look out for.

Palmitos Park
Palmitos Park has become the number one attraction in Gran Canaria since opening in 1978. Spread over the 49 acres of land is a zoo, aquarium and botanical garden. Here they host Dolphin shows twice daily with a capacity of 1500 people in the stands. There is also an aviary with many different species of birds. Reptiles and Mammals are among the most popular animals to visit here.

Pico de las Nieves & Roque Nublo
Gran Canaria is a popular destination for both hikers and climbers and for good reason. The mountainous region of Tejeda contains some of the highest peaks on the island. South of Tejeda, Pico de las Nieves is the highest point at 1,949 metres above sea level. Roque Nublo is another popular peak which affords stunning views of the Canaries.

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