WELCOME TO THE CANARY ISLANDS WELCOME TO THE 2 ND ANNUAL CARBOOCEAN MEETING

The origins of the history of the Canary Islands are intertwined with myths and legends and several different theories exist. Photo: M. González, 2005 In any case we must go back to classical times in order to find the first historical references to Gran Canaria.

Research into the Island's earliest population points to a link with North Africa and the Berber cultural heritage. It would seem that the island was colonised at around 500 B.C. Most of the many people and cultures that arrived in the archipelago during the pre-Hispanic period settled in Gran Canaria and Tenerife

The name derives probably from Berber North African tribes (the Canarii), in Berber language the islands are called Tkanaren, or possibly the Latin term Insularia Canaria meaning Island of the Dogs, a name applied originally only to the island of Gran Canaria.

When Europeans began to explore the islands, they found indigenous populations living at a relatively Neolithic level of technology. Cenobio del Valerón, Gran Canaria The original inhabitants of Tenerife were known as Guanches, which gave name to the different aboriginal peoples of the Canary Islands

The islands were known to the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, and are mentioned in a number of classical sources. Pliny the Elder describes a Carthaginian expedition to the Canaries, and they may have been the Fortunate Isles of other classical writers. Although largely forgotten in the Western world until their rediscovery, they may have been visited occasionally by Arab and Mediterranean travelers in the Middle Ages

In 1402, the Spanish conquest of the islands started. The people of La Gomera, as well as the Gran Canaria, Tenerife and La Palma people, resisted the Spanish invaders for almost a century. Due to the topography and the resistance of the native Guanches, the conquest was not completed until 1495, when the conquest of Tenerife and La Palma was completed by Alonso Fernández de Lugo, after which the Canaries were incorporated into the Castilian kingdom. Alonso Fernández de Lugo presenting the captured native kings of Tenerife to Ferdinand and Isabella

Because of their isolation from Ancient Times until the Conquest, the Canary Islands remained in almost prehistoric conditions until the end of the Middle Ages in Europe. But this changed when they became a compulsory port of call for ships on their way to the New World. The active participation of Canary Islanders in founding nations and cities, (Montevideo, Buenos Aires and San Antonio, Texas for instance); and trade based on their agricultural wealth (Malmsey wines were the most famous and highly appreciated in the world) attracted a cosmopolitan mix of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and English who brought their own customs and traditions, which influenced the present identity of the Islands. Because of their isolation from Ancient Times until the Conquest, the Canary Islands remained in almost prehistoric conditions until the end of the Middle Ages in Europe. But this changed when they became a compulsory port of call for ships on their way to the New World. The result is a rich and complex culture that has emerged from diverse influences of history, and moulded by geography

Endeavour voyage August 1768 Captain Cook Challenger Expedition between 1872 and CANARY WATERS HAVE BEEN VISITED FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT VOYAGES OF EXPLORATIONS AND SCIENCE Beagle Expedition January 1832 Darwin

The carbonic acid apparatus. In: "The Voyage of the CHALLENGER - The Atlantic" Vol I, by Sir C. Wyville Thomson, P. 40. Library Call Number Q 115.C v. 1. Modern oceanography began with the Challenger Expedition It was the first expedition organized specifically to gather data on a wide range of ocean features, including ocean temperatures, seawater chemistry, currents, marine life, and the geology of the seafloor.

The ships, the measurement systems and the science have evolved from then but also CO 2 concentration

CARBOOCEAN

The local organizing commettee would like to thanks the CARBOOCEAN project office for its human and economic support, but also to: The Canary Islands Institutions Local private companies

ANNOUNCEMENTS SOCIAL EVENTS INCLUDING COMPANION PEOPLE MONDAY at 19:00 WELCOME DRINK AT THE DRAGON TERRACE TUESDAY at 20:30 ESPECIAL DINNER AT THE BLACK AND RED CASINO RESTAURANT WITH SPANISH SHOW (Meeting place: Outside in the main entrance)