|
El Hierro Island, Canary IslandsEl Hierro Island AKA Ferro Island, Canary Islands
El Hierro or Ferro island is in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa in the Spanish Canaries, with an area of just 278sqkm it is the archipelago's southernmost and smallest inhabited island situated at 27°45' north, 18°03' west. Like the rest of the Canary Islands the island is born of volcanic action and With the nickname 'Isla del Meridiano' translated as the 'Meridian Island', El Hierro's western point was for many years thought to be the 'End of the World' as European seafarers knew it! The highest point, in the middle of El Hierro is the sumit of Mount Malpaso at a touch over 1,500m.
El Hierro is home to a few unique fauna species, such as the El Hierro Giant Lizard - Gallotia simonyi and on a 'Green' note it is claimed by the Spanish Government that El Hierro will become the first island in the world to be self-sufficient in energy. Achieved through a project combining a 10 megawatt wind-generator farm and a pair of reservoirs to store excess energy by pumping water up-hill to be used in turbines in peak power spikes. |
|
Like the rest of the Canary Islands, El Hierro / Ferro Island is a tourist travel destination. The island is served by a small domestic airport in the north-east of the island, El Hierro Airport at Hierro's capital; the costal port and town of Valverde as well as a ferry terminal, both of which connect to Tenerife. Other towns are Frontera and El Pinar, with a number of small villages dotted about in between the three. 