Gran Canaria has more than 80 beaches, from well-equipped resorts to untamed and wonderfully hidden strips of precious sand. But the island has much more to offer beyond beaches. There is a never-ending list of what to see and do in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Gran Canaria (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡɾaŋ kaˈnaɾja]), whose original name Canaria was due to the Canarii inhabitants, was later given the epithet of "great". It is the third island in size of the Canary Islands, an African archipelago which is part of Spain, with a population of 847,830 (in 2015) that constitutes approximately 40% of the population of the archipelago. Located in the Atlantic Ocean about 150 kilometres (93 mi) off the northwestern coast of Africa and about 1,350 km (840 mi) from Europe. With an area of 1,560 km2 (602 sq. mi) and an altitude of 1,956 m (6,417 ft) at the Pico de las Nieves, Gran Canaria is the third largest island of the archipelago in both area and altitude.