Fun facts! To most of you, Tenerife is a holiday destination, or a place to which you've emigrated, that has brilliant weather, cheap cost of living, loads of entertainment and things to do and a profusion of beaches and other holiday paraphernalia.
But there's more to this island and sometimes it may surprise you.
I've compiled as many facts about the island as I can think of, for your amusement.
Keep your eye on this page, as I'll keep trying to update and add to it.
FUN FACTS
The Tenerife flag: why is it the same as Scotland's?
The Nelson arm mystery: did it end up in Gran Canaria?
The Dragon Tree: what is it and why is it there?
Was Tenerife Atlantis? You decide.
Will Teide erupt? We're about due!
San Borondon - the eighth Canary Island?
A Tenerife village called "The Overcoats"? What's all that about?
The myth of the Garden of the Hesperides. It's not boring, promise.
The Elysian Fields - Was Tenerife the resting place of Ancient Greek heroes?
Tenerife UFOs - why so many? (If they exist at all.)
The Spanish "Lisp" How did it originate and why don't they use it in Tenerife?
The Dark Ocean - The reason why Tenerife was left alone till the Spanish Conquest.
Agatha Christie In Tenerife - The famous mystery writer spent some time on the island, where she wrote some of her stories.
Elizabeth Taylor and Las Veronicas - Were the two connected?
FUN FACTS
Astronomical Fun Fact: There is a mountain range on the Moon called 'Mounts Tenerife', because it was first observed by an astronomer whilst at the summit of Mount Teide.
The little badge you see on the bumpers of taxis that says "SP" doesn't indicate "Spain", as most people (including me) assumed. It stands for "servicio publico".
The beer "Dorada" (pronounced "do-RAH-dah", not "doraydo"), is a beer native to Tenerife and is brewed exclusively on the island. Apart from a small presence on neighbouring island Gran Canaria, it cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
In 1971, the Queen guitarist with a degree in astronomy, Brian May, was visiting the Observatorio del Teide at Izana as part of his thesis. Whilst there, he wrote the hit song "Tie Your Mother Down".
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In 1971, the Queen guitarist with a degree in astronomy, Brian May, was visiting the Observatorio del Teide at Izana as part of his thesis. Whilst there, he wrote the hit song "Tie Your Mother Down".
Tom Cruise once set foot on Tenerife, totally unannounced. Word has it, he was cruising the area (quite appropriately) in his yacht, sometime in the 1990s, stopped off at Tenerife, went to a shop and bought a roll of film. The shop in question was at the end of the strip underneath the Paloma Beach complex (next to where Rumours restaurant used to be). They took a photo of him and pinned it up on their door. I was living at Paloma Beach at the time and missed it! The shop, unfortunately, is now a bar.
FUN FACTS
On the subject of movie stars and movies, it is generally thought that certain major films from the past were filmed on Tenerife, making the most of the lunar-like landscape of the area round Mount Teide. In fact, the movies The Ten Commandments, Barbarella, The Planet of the Apes and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith were not filmed on the island. There are only two major films to date that have used Teide National Park as a backdrop:
In the 16th century, the Canaries were overrun with pirates far more than the Caribbean. Instead of the fictional "Captain Jack Sparrow", there was the real life Captain John Hawkins. Even the legendary eighth Canary Island, San Borondon was brought into the picture, with the pirates claiming that that was where they hid their ships. This was directly reflected in the "Isla de Muerte", featured in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.
FUN FACTS
One in six people on the island of Tenerife is involved in the tourist industry.
In the U.S. state of Louisiana, just east of New Orleans, there is a large community of people descended from Canary Island inhabitants. It is called St. Bernard Parish and its members continue to speak the Canarian dialect of Spanish.
The Canarian word for "potato" is "papa". Elsewhere in the Spanish speaking world, "potato" is "patata", whereas "papa" means "Pope"! So, when you're tucking into your carne con papas, you'll be eating MEAT WITH POPES!
Santa Cruz is not only the capital of Tenerife. It is, jointly with Las Palmas, the capital of the Canary Islands.
![]() | The Torres de Santa Cruz [Towers of Santa Cruz] are the tallest buildings in the Canary Islands and the tallest residential buildings in the whole of Spain. |
The Torres de Santa Cruz [Towers of Santa Cruz] are the tallest buildings in the Canary Islands and the tallest residential buildings in the whole of Spain.
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