La Palma

La Palma (Spanish pronunciation: [la ˈpalma]), also San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of 706 km² making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands. The total population is about 86,000, of which 18,000 (2003 data) live in the capital, Santa Cruz de la Palma and about 20,000 (2004 data) in Los Llanos de Aridane. La Palma has "sister city" status with El Dorado Hills, California, United States.

In 1815, the German geologist Leopold von Buch visited the Canary Islands. It was as a result of his visit to Tenerife where he visited the Las Cañadas caldera and then later to La Palma where he visited the Taburiente caldera, that the Spanish word for cauldron or large cooking pot - "caldera" - was introduced into the geological vocabulary. In the center of the island is the Caldera de Taburiente National Park; one of four national parks in the Canary Islands.

Origins and geology

La Palma, like the other islands of the Canary Island archipelago, is a volcanic ocean island. The volcano rises almost 7 km (4 mi) above the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. There is road access from sea level to the summit at 2,426 m (7,959 ft), which is marked by an outcrop of rocks called Los Muchachos ("The Lads"). This is the site of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, one of the world's premier astronomical observatories.

Palma

Palma or La Palma means palm in a number of languages and may also refer to:

Geography

Africa

The Americas

Antonio Aguilar

Antonio Aguilar Barraza (17 May 1919 – 19 June 2007) was a Mexican singer, songwriter, film actor, film producer, and screenwriter. During his career, he recorded over 150 albums, which sold 25 million copies, and participated in more than 120 films. He was given the honorific nickname "El Charro de México" (The Horseman of Mexico) because he is credited with popularizing la charrería, considered to have originated in Mexico, to international audiences. To this day he has been the only Hispanic artist to sell out the Madison Square Garden of New York City for six consecutive nights in 1997.

Aguilar was best known for singing traditional Mexican folk songs (rancheras) and ballads (corridos) as well for his roles in films concerning rural themes, such as the Mexican Revolution. He won the Latin ACE Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Emiliano Zapata in the 1970 epic film of the same name. He also portrayed Pancho Villa twice in film. In 1997, Aguilar was awarded the Special Golden Ariel for his "invaluable contribution and spreading of Mexican cinema".