In Christopher Columbus’s time, the Canary Islands were believed to mark the end of the world. After being conquered by the Spanish in the 15th Century, the Canaries become a popular stopping point for explorers, traders and missionaries on their way to the Americas. The islands have also appeared earlier in Greek and Roman times and were written about in texts and affectionately named the “happy islands” and “fortunate islands”. It is no surprise that the fantasy city of Atlantis has also been theorized to lie amongst the sub-tropical islands making up the archipelago. Suffering some tumultuous times in the past few centuries, the Canaries now enjoy the protection of Spain while remaining an autonomous community with a thriving tourist industry.
