La Gomera

Flag of La Gomera
Geography
Location	Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	28°06′N 17°08′W / 28.1°N 17.133°W / 28.1; -17.133
Archipelago	Canary Islands
Area	369.76 km2 (142.765 sq mi)
Highest elevation	1,487 m (4,879 ft)
Highest point	Garajonay
Country
Spain
Autonomous Community	Canary Islands
Province	Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Largest city	San Sebastián de la Gomera (pop. 8451)
Demographics
Population	21,952 (as of 2006)

Mountains in the center of La Gomera

Laurisilva of Garajonay, in La Gomera.

Los Organos, La Gomera.

La Gomera (pronounced: [la ɣoˈmeɾa]) is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. In area, it is the second-smallest of the seven main islands of this group.

Political organization[link]

La Gomera is part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It is divided into six municipalities:

• Agulo
• Alajeró
• San Sebastián de la Gomera
• Hermigua
• Valle Gran Rey
• Vallehermoso

The island government (cabildo insular) is located in the capital, San Sebastián.

Ecology[link]

The island is of volcanic origin and roughly circular; it is about 22 km (14 mi) in diameter and rises to 1487 m (nearly 5000 feet) at the island's highest peak, Garajonay. Its shape is rather like an orange that has been cut in half and then split into segments, which has left deep ravines or barrancos between them. These barrancos, in turn, are covered by the laurisilva - or laurel rain forest.

The upper reaches of this densely wooded region are almost permanently shrouded in clouds and mist, and as a result are covered in lush and diverse vegetation: they form the protected environment of Spain's Garajonay National Park, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. The slopes are criss-crossed by paths that present varying levels of difficulty to visitors, and stunning views to seasoned hikers.

The central mountains catch the moisture from the trade wind clouds and yield a dense jungle climate in the cooler air, which contrasts with the warmer, sun-baked cliffs near sea level.

Between these extremes one finds a fascinating gamut of microclimates; for centuries, the inhabitants of La Gomera have farmed the lower levels by channelling runoff water to irrigate their vineyards, orchards and banana groves.

Culture[link]

In 2003, some 19,580 people lived on La Gomera.

The local wine is distinctive, and is often accompanied with a tapa (snack) of local cheese, roasted pork or goat meat. Other culinary specialities include almogrote, a cheese spread, and miel de palma, a syrup extracted from palm trees.

The inhabitants of La Gomera have a unique way of communicating across deep ravines by means of an amazing whistled speech called Silbo Gomero. This whistled language is indigenous to the island, and its existence has been documented since Roman times. Invented by the original inhabitants of the island, the Guanches, Silbo Gomero was adopted by the Spanish settlers in the 16th century and survived after the Guanches died out. When this unique means of communication was threatened with extinction at the dawn of the 21st century, the local government required all children to learn it in school.

In the mountains of La Gomera, its original inhabitants worshipped their god, whom they called Orahan; the summit and centre of the island served as their grand sanctuary. Indeed, many of the natives took refuge in this sacred territory in 1489, as they faced imminent defeat at the hands of the Spaniards, and it was here that the conquest of La Gomera was drawn to a close. Modern-day archaeologists have found several ceremonial stone constructions here, which appear to represent sacrificial altar stones, slate hollows or cavities. It was here that the Guanches built pyres upon which to make offerings of goats and sheep to their god. This same god, Orahan, was known on La Palma as Abora and on Tenerife and Gran Canaria as Arocan. The Guanches also interred their dead in caves, which still dot the landscape.

Christopher Columbus made La Gomera his last port of call before crossing the Atlantic in 1492. He stopped here to replenish his crew's wine and water, intending to stay only four days. However, he became romantically involved with Beatriz de Bobadilla y Ossorio, the governor of La Gomera, and he ended up staying one month. When he finally sailed she gave him cuttings of sugarcane, which became the first to reach the New World. The house in San Sebastián in which he is reputed to have stayed is now a tourist attraction.

Genetics[link]

An autosomal study in 2011 found an average Northwest African influence of about 17% in Canary Islanders with a wide interindividual variation ranging from 0% to 96%. According to the authors, the substantial Northwest African ancestry found for Canary Islanders supports that, despite the aggressive conquest by the Spanish in the 15th century and the subsequent immigration, genetic footprints of the first settlers of the Canary Islands persist in the current inhabitants. Paralleling mtDNA findings (50.1% of U6 and 10.83% of L haplogroups),^[1] the largest average Northwest African contribution (42.50%) was found for the samples from La Gomera.^[2] According to Flores et al. (2003), genetic drift could be responsible for the contrasting difference in Northwest African ancestry detected with maternal (51% of Northwest African lineages) and paternal markers (0.3–10% of Northwest African lineages) in La Gomera. Alternatively, it could reflect the dramatic way the island was conquered, producing the strongest sexual asymmetry in the archipelago.^[3]

Notable natives and residents[link]

• Antonio José Ruiz de Padrón (1757–1823), Franciscan priest and politician.
• José Aguiar (1895–1975), painter.
• Manuel Mora Morales (b. 1952), writer, filmmaker and editor.
• Pedro García Cabrera (1905–1981), writer and poet.
• Tim Hart (1948–2009), English folk musician.
• Oliver Weber (born 1970), German photographer.

References[link]

1. ^ Fregel et al.(2009) The maternal aborigine colonization of La Palma (Canary Islands) Euro J Hum Gen 17:1314-1324
2. ^ Pino-Yanes M, Corrales A, Basaldúa S, Hernández A, Guerra L, et al. 2011 North African Influences and Potential Bias in Case-Control Association Studies in the Spanish Population. PLoS ONE 6(3): e18389. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0018389
3. ^ Flores, C., Maca-Meyer, N., Pérez, J. A., González, A. M., Larruga, J. M. & Cabrera, V. M. 2003 A predominant European ancestry of paternal lineages from Canary Islands. Ann Hum Genet 67, 138–152. doi:10.1046/j.1469-1809.2003.00015.x

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: La Gomera

• Cabildo de La Gomera
• La Gomera - Official Canary Islands Tourism

v t e Islands and provinces of the Canary Islands Main islands Fuerteventura Gran Canaria La Gomera El Hierro Lanzarote La Palma Tenerife Other islands Alegranza Graciosa Lobos Montaña Clara Roque del Este Roque del Oeste Provinces Las Palmas Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Coordinates: 28°06′N 17°08′W / 28.1°N 17.133°W / 28.1; -17.133