Arrecife

Arrecife is a Canarian municipality belonging to the province of Las Palmas. It is situated on the east of the island.  Its climate is subtropical, with little precipitation.  It is a smaller size than some of the islands, with 22km2 of surface, but is Lanzarote’s most populated with 59,040 inhabitants (2008).

El Charco is a lagoon of sea water that penetrates into the city.  It is the foundation of a reef area and its vicinity contains some of the major tourist attractions of the city, including the parish church of San Gines Bishop, the Castillo de San Gabriel and the commercial area of Calle Real.

Following the coastline to the north are the two ports of the city called The fisheries of Puerto Naos and the marble port (where you’ll find the commercial, cargo and cruise ships).

Its the third largest of the Canary Islands. Near the latter is another strength of the city, the Castillo de San Jose, which is located in an International Museum of Contemporary Art. Inland lie the suburbs, among which are Titerroy, Valterra, Altavista, Argana, La Vega, San Francisco Javier, and Management.

The remote past of the current capital of Lanzarote goes back to aboriginal times, although its potential to accommodate a large contingent was adversely affected by human factors such as the danger of attacks by sea and the shortage of rainfall.  Even so, there are three aboriginal villages in the municipality: Argana, Manage, and a third near the spine. The first name given by the Indians was called Arrecife Elguinaguayra, referring to the coastal area of the city and its islands.

In modern times, the Reef is, by its geographical location, located away from the flow through a set of “reefs” and rocky islets.  So much so that the Reef has traditionally been known to islanders as the “Port.”

Besides the wine, it started to grow on the island following the volcanic eruption of Timanfaya (1730-1736).  There has been an important development in the port in the last decades of the eighteenth century and the first of the nineteenth century. Barrilla was followed by the export of the cochineal, an insect parasite from the tuner, or prickly pear cactus, which is extracted with a red dye used in the then fledgling British textile industry.

Coinciding with the rise of the cochineal, Arrecife was given the name of capital of Teguise in 1847, gaining economic and political control of the island. Almost simultaneously, Arrecife benefited by the decree of Port Franks in 1852.

This law gave the main ports the ability to trade in international markets, saving much of the tax and customs applicable in the rest of the Spanish State.   Apart from business, for decades the largest source of income for the city was fishing.  The reef is the fundamental basis of the fleet fishing in the Canary-Saharan fishing bank.

With the occupation of Western Sahara from Morocco in 1975, fishing went into decline, and with the canning and salting that had been generated around it. Since then Arrecife has become a city with an economy based in services, such as being the commercial and administrative center of the island of Lanzarote, which since the 1970s has been entrenched as a major tourist destination.
The Reef in recent decades has experienced a large population development due mainly to the influx of immigrants, mainly from Spain and countries like Colombia and Morocco.

Despite the development and modernization in recent years, it is still alive through folk groups like the Parranda de Los Bucher Marinera with traditional games such as “jolateros” (wafers constructed of tin cans) and sailing regattas (see sports and games).  The patron saint festivities are celebrated on August 25^th in honor of San Gines. Also important is the Carnival of Arrecife.

Transport and Communications

Reef is located in a central position with respect to many of the major land routes from Lanzarote. The LZ-2 road leads to the capital in the south, towards Yaiza and the LZ-20 toward the town of Tinajo.  Both have sections of road. Meanwhile, the LZ-1 highway links the north of Arrecife in Lanzarote.

Urban public transport by road is carried out through the four municipal bus companies.   Lanzarote Airport is located 5km from Arrecife, Playa Honda, located in the municipality of San Bartolome.
The Port of Arrecife, the port known as the marble, is connected by the sea islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura.  In addition, there are routes to the Iberian peninsula arriving at the port of Cadiz.

This is the main point of entry for goods into the island, and in recent years has established itself as the second port of the Canary Islands for cruise traffic, only surpassed by the Port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.