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Valid for Worked All Canary Islands & Spanish Islands Award

TEAM: AC2EI, EA8DP, EA8NL, EA8RY, EA8CAC, EA8AZM, EA8CST, EA8BVX

BANDS: 10, 15, 17, 20, 30, 40m

MODES: CW & SSB

FUERTEVENTURA Island

More than one hundred and fifty beaches, the most extensive coastal platform of the archipelago, with three thousand hours of sunshine a year and a naturally peaceful environment are an invitation to visitors to enjoy Fuerteventura.

A total of 157 beaches are the best lure to Fuerteventura, where water sports lovers will find their paradise, and windsurfers in particular can take advantage of the constant coastal winds.

The windmills, dotted all over Fuerteventura, except in the area of Jandia, are faithful testimony to its farming tradition, and are now being restored as tourist centres with a view to recreating the landscape of their working past when Fuerteventura was known as the granary of the Canary Islands.

Fuerteventura has 285 kilometres of coastline. Unlike the rest of the Islands, the shores are generally low-lying empty beaches. Perfect for any kind of water sports, or just strolling in the warm temperatures thanks to the fresh trade winds.

Scarcely one hundred kilometres separate Fuerteventura, the second largest of the Canary Islands, from the coast of Africa. Those who know its history say that it is the oldest of them all. Fuerteventura, that will surprise you with its miles of golden sandy beaches washed by the crystal clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Fuerteventura is the oldest island in the Canary Islands dating back 20 million years to a volcanic eruption from the Canary hotspot. The majority of the island was created about 5 million years ago and since then has been eroded by wind and weather. On the seabed off the west coast of the island rests a block of rock 22km long and 11km wide, which appears to have slid off the island largely intact at some point in prehistory. The last volcanic activity in Fuerteventura was between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago.

The highest point in Fuerteventura is Mount Jandía (807 m) in the southwestern part of the island. Geographical features include Istmo de la Pared which is 5km wide and is the narrowest part of Fuerteventura. The island is divided into two parts, the northern portion which is Maxorata and the southwestern part called the Jandía peninsula. The island is the least settled in the Canary Islands.

The climate on Fuerteventura is pleasant throughout the year. The island is also often referred to as the island of eternal spring. The sea adjusts the temperature making the hot Sahara winds blow away from the island. The island's name in English translates as 'strong fortune' or 'strong wind', the Spanish word for wind being 'viento'. During the winter months, temperatures average a high of 22°C (72°F) and a low of around 15°C (59°F) whereas during the summer a mean high of 35°C (95°F) and a low of 20°C (68°F) can be expected. Precipitation is about 147mm per year, most of which falls in the winter.

A sandstorm known as the Calima - (similar to the Scirocco wind that blows North from the Sahara into Europe) - blows to the southwest from the Sahara desert and can cause high temperatures, low visibility and drying air. Temperatures during this phenomenon rise temporarily by approximately 10 degrees Celsius. The wind brings in fine white sand, visibility can drop to between 100 to 200 m (328.08 to 656.17 ft) or even lower and can even bring the African locusts to the island.

On 18 January 1994 the SS American Star (former America, USS Westpoint, Australis) was beached in Playa de Garcey during a storm.

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