Thanks to the blessed climate, the Canary Islands are today among the most densely populated areas of Spain.
Every year a large number of tourists visit the archipelago.
Many of the visitors return later to the Canaries again and settle down permanently on the islands.
With a population of over 2,117,519 inhabitants, the Canary Islands are even more populous than some European countries.
So let’s see what are the top ten largest and most densely populated cities in the Land of the Eternal Spring.
1. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Island of Gran Canaria)
The capital of Gran Canaria is the largest city in the archipelago. It has a population of about 390,000 inhabitants and is the ninth largest city in Spain.
Surprisingly, Las Palmas manages to successfully combine the relaxed resort atmosphere with the cosmopolitan spirit of a large city.
2. Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife Island)
Tenerife’s capital has a population of about 221,956 people. This is the second largest city of the archipelago. There is, however, an important feature.
Santa Cruz and the neighboring city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna are virtually completely merged. For this reason, the population of the urban area increases to 382,331 people.
3. San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife Island)
With a population of 160,375 people, San Cristóbal de La Laguna is the third largest city of the Canary Islands.
It is part of the agglomeration of Santa Cruz and is almost impossible to determine where one of the cities ends and the other begins.
4. Arona (Tenerife Island)
Arona is among the most densely populated municipalities of the Canaries. It is located in the rapidly growing southern part of Tenerife.
According to data from 2004, the city has a population of about 59,375 people. It is the fourth most populous municipality of the archipelago.
However, its population is highly dispersed throughout the municipality in small but numerous villages, which are located in close proximity to each other.
5. San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Island of Gran Canaria)
The municipality is situated on the southern coast of the island and has a population of about 56,698 people. Over 33,000 of them live in Maspalomas.
Colourful and full of life, the resort city is the heart of San Bartolomé de Tirajana and one of the most dynamic resorts in Europe.
6. Arrecife (Lanzarote Island)
Located on the southeastern coast of Lanzarote, Arrecife is among the six largest cities of the archipelago.
The municipality has a population of 56,284 people. This is the only city in this list, which is located outside the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
7. Adeje (Tenerife Island)
Nowadays Adeje is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing urban areas of the Canary Islands.
Together with the nearby resorts of Costa Adeje and Playa de las Americas this part of Tenerife has a population of 42,886 people.
8. La Orotava (Tenerife Island)
La Orotava is one of the largest urban centers of the Canary Islands. It is very beautiful and green city with a population of 41,255 people and is located on the northeast coast of Tenerife.
La Orotava is a bustling tourist center, and many visitors say this is the most beautiful city of the archipelago.
9. Los Realejos (Tenerife Island)
Located on the northern coast of Tenerife, Los Realejos is among the most populated spots of the Canary Islands.
Located in a fertile area not far from Puerto de la Cruz and La Orotava, the city has a population of about 38,028 people, but they are distributed in a relatively large area.
10. Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife Island)
With a population of 32,571 people, Puerto de la Cruz is the tenth-largest city of the Canary Islands.
However, the city is among the oldest of the archipelago and is considered the oldest and most famous tourist center here.
Notes:
* The cities are ranked by their municipality population;
* Some settlements in the Canary Islands are completely merged with each other but fall within different municipalities (examples: Playa de Las Américas and Los Cristianos, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna);
* Some cities are always crowded with tourists and seem much more densely populated than they really are (examples: Playa de Las Américas, Los Cristianos, Puerto de la Cruz, Maspalomas);
* Some municipalities with a large number of people seem relatively sparsely populated, because the population is spread on a larger area (Los Realejos, Arona);
* Some settlements with their parks, squares and old architecture have stronger urban appearance and thus create a feeling of a bigger city (example: Puerto de la Cruz);
* Some of the most densely populated municipalities are located very close to each other (example: Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava and Los Realejos together form one of the largest urban areas of the Canary Islands);
