The Canary Islands archipelago consists of seven main islands (Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera and Hierro), in addition to some deserted islets (Graciosa, Montaña and Lobos)

The Canary Islands were known to the Carthaginians and Phoenicians as the Fortunate Islands. The Romans ignored them. In the 12th century, they were frequented by Berbers. Then, in 1334, French sailors discovered the archipelago. In 1402, the Norman gentleman Jean de Béthencourt conquered these islands and became King of the Canaries, while agreeing to be a vassal of Henry III, King of Castile.

Although the Canary Islands are one of the 17 autonomous communities of Spain, known as the Comunidad Autonoma de Canarias, they are located in African territory. The islands are some 150 km from Western Sahara but are more than 1,000 km from southern Spain.

Tenerife hosts a three-week carnival every year (February-March). More than a million tourists travel to Tenerife to attend the event.

Numerous music, dance, and film festivals (for various reasons, many film shoots are made in the Canary Islands) are held throughout the year, among other things, in the Tenerife Auditorium designed by the famous Canarian architect Cesar Menerique. Every two years, the Agatha Christie Festival lasts two weeks. Agatha Christie lived in Tenerife for several years, as did many other artists.