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Arrecife

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Country
  
Spain

Island
  
Lanzarote

Time zone
  
CET (UTC+0)

Local time
  
Wednesday 11:15 PM

Autonomous Community
  
Canary Islands

Elevation(AMSL)
  
20 m (70 ft)

Postal code
  
35500

Province
  
Province of Las Palmas

Arrecife wwwworldreviewercomimages2fa02fa0b5da2ccdaa

Weather
  
17°C, Wind NE at 31 km/h, 88% Humidity

Points of interest
  
San Ginés - Arrecife, Casa De La Cultura Agustín D, Playa del Reducto, La Casa Amarilla, CACT Lanzarote

Arrecife (/ˌærəˈsf/; [areˈsife]) is a city and municipality in the Canary Islands (Spain) situated in the centre-east of the island of Lanzarote, of which it has been the capital since 1852. The city owes its name to the rock reef ('Arrecife' is Spanish for 'reef') which covers the beach located in the city. The city also gives its name to the nearby Arrecife Airport.

Contents

Map of Arrecife, Las Palmas, Spain

The population of the municipality is 55,673 (2013), its area is 22.72 km². It is south of Haría, east of Tinajo and northeast of Yaiza. Arrecife is a port town on the east coast, served by ferries to the other islands and also Europe and mainland Africa. The LZ1 road connects Arrecife with to the north, the LZ2 road with the southwest, and the LZ3 road serves as the beltway of the city. The tallest building in Lanzarote is the Gran Hotel Arrecife, which is located on the front alongside the harbour.

History

The earliest records of Arrecife date from the fifteenth century when it was a small fishing settlement. The name, given then as Arrecifes, refers to the black volcanic reefs behind which boats could hide, protected from sudden pirate attacks.

Towards the end of the sixteenth century the settlement began to grow in response to a need for accommodation and warehousing to support growing trade between the old and new worlds. The first church was constructed at this time, consecrated to the first bishop of Arrecife, San Ginés. Growing prosperity increased the attractiveness of the town as a pirate target: in 1571 a notorious pirate named Dogan plundered and almost completely destroyed the little port town.

In 1964 Arrecife became the site of Lanzarote's first sea-water desalination plant, which was still operational in 2010.

Climate

Lanzarote has a desert climate according to the Köppen climatic classification. The little precipitation is concentrated in the winter months.

Communities

  • Urbanización Playa Honda (subdivision), south
  • Sites of interest

  • Playa Reducto, Arrecife's town beach
  • Castillo de San José, 18th-century fortress that now houses a collection of modern art
  • Puente de Las Bolas, bridge leading to the Castillo de San Gabriel
  • Charco de San Ginés, man-made lagoon used by fishermen
  • References

    Arrecife Wikipedia