The Canary Islands, which are called the Islas Canarias in Spanish, are the islands forming a part of the Spanish archipelago. The other landscapes which are in this archipelago are seven islands classifying as major ones, a number of small inlets, and one minor island. All these are situated on the North Atlantic Ocean and have volcanic origins. The Canary hotspot is responsible for the formation of the Canary Islands, and the capitals of these islands are the two cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The Canary Islands cover a total area of around 7447 square kilometers and are home to 1995833 people.

The name of the islands is thought to have originated from the Latin term insula canaria, which means the Island of the Dogs. When the Romans of ancient times came in contact with the islands by the sea, they came across a breed of dogs that were large and fierce. One of these was the Canary Mastiff, which is called el Prese in Spanish. This was one of the characteristics of the islands which made an impression on them, and thus the name. The name was initially applied to the island of Gran Canaria only.

There are seven major islands which are a part of the Canary Islands, and all of them are of volcanic origin. The highest mountain of Spain which is the Teide volcano in Tenerife is situated in the Canary Islands. This volcano also has the status of being ranked third among all the volcanoes of the earth. Except for the La Gomera, all the other islands have remained active for the last million years and the islands of El Hierro, Lanzarote, La Palma, and Tenerife have also seen eruptions since the time they were discovered by the Europeans.