 GENERAL INFO (Jump to Diary)El Hierro is the farthest south and west of the Canary Islands with a population of around 12,000. Its capital is Valverde. At 268.51 square kilometres, it is the second smallest of the eight main islands of the Canaries. The name El Hierro, although spelled like the Spanish word for 'iron', is not related to that word. The H in the name of the metal is derived from the F of Latin ferrum, a phonetic mutation that was complete by 
the end of the Middle Ages.The ancient natives of the island, called Bimbaches, were subjected to Spanish rule by Jean de Béthencourt – more by the process of negotiation than by military action.
The precise climate of El Hierro
depends on the area. The climate ranges are from subtropical El Hierro's size and geography supports entirely endemic species including the critically endangered El Hierro giant lizard; Gallotia simonyi, for which there is a captive breeding programme, allowing its reintroduction. The current highest point is in the middle of the island, in Malpaso, at 1,501 metres.
DIARY Time to head on in Diary 2. |
Mediterranean (Köppen:
Csa/Csb) in the centre of the island, to semi-arid (BSh) and to a desert
climate (BWh) in coastal sections. It also has tropical climate (As)
influences on some areas, as the
coldest month average temperature does not fall below 18 °C, but as
precipitation is very low, the arid/semi-arid climate overlaps with the
tropical climate, and therefore, its official classification according to
AEMET is semi-arid
or arid, depending on the exact area of the island. The
temperatures are greatly influenced by the ocean.