This map of the Canary Islands shows the 4 destinations covered in our guides and the main cities, with terrain, national parks, expressways and international airports.
The Canary Islands have no land border with another country on our base map. Their coasts border the Atlantic Ocean. Remote territories (Las Palmas) appear in insets, each with its own scale.
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Key: red star = capital; blue dot = destination covered by a Destination de Voyage guide; blue italic name = region or island with a guide; grey dot = other city; plane = international airport (IATA code); brown triangle = summit (elevation); green areas = national parks; thick orange line = expressway, light orange = main road; black-and-white line = main railway; grey dashes = regional boundaries; blue = rivers and lakes; shading = terrain; grid = latitude and longitude.
Sources: base map, cities, roads, railways, airports, administrative boundaries, rivers, lakes and hillshading: Natural Earth 1:10m (public domain). National parks: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL licence). Summits and elevations: Wikidata and Natural Earth. Places missing from Natural Earth: Wikipedia coordinates. Map produced by Destination de Voyage.
Regions and destinations on the map of the Canary Islands
| Region | Our guides | Other cities on the map |
|---|---|---|
| Las Palmas | Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Arrecife |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Tenerife | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
Terrain, national parks and airports
Main summits (elevations from Wikidata / Natural Earth): Teide (3,718 m / 12,198 ft), Roque de los Muchachos (2,426 m / 7,959 ft), Morro de la Agujereada (1,957 m / 6,421 ft), Malpaso Peak (1,500 m / 4,921 ft), Alto de Garajonay (1,485 m / 4,872 ft).
National parks shown (4): Garajonay National Park, Timanfaya National Park, Caldera de Taburiente National Park, Teide National Park.
International airports shown: LPA (Gran Canaria), TFN (Tenerife N.).
Our guides by destination
The 2 regions of the Canary Islands and what sets them apart
The Natural Earth base map divides the Canary Islands into 2 first-level subdivisions (type: Comunidad Autónoma). These are the grey dashed boundaries on the map. The table ranks them from largest to smallest, with the cities, highest point and international airports the map places in each.
| Region | Type | Area | Cities and guides | Highest point shown | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Palmas | Comunidad Autónoma | 4,049 km² (1,563 sq mi) | Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Arrecife | Morro de la Agujereada (1,957 m / 6,421 ft) | LPA |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Comunidad Autónoma | 3,386 km² (1,307 sq mi) | Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Teide (3,718 m / 12,198 ft) | TFN |
- Largest: Las Palmas, about 4,049 km² (1,563 sq mi), or 54% of the mapped territory.
- Smallest: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, about 3,386 km² (1,307 sq mi).
- Highest region: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, home to Teide (3,718 m / 12,198 ft), the highest summit shown on the map.
- Region best covered by our guides: Las Palmas (Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria).
- Air access: the international airports on the map are spread across 2 of 2 regions (Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife).
How to read the map of the Canary Islands
- Extent: the mapped territory covers about 7,435 km² (2,871 sq mi), according to our calculation on the Natural Earth outline. It extends from 27.64° N to 29.29° N in latitude and from 18.17° W to 13.42° W in longitude, about 183 km (114 mi) from north to south and 464 km (288 mi) from west to east (bounding rectangle, including remote territories).
- Outline: the perimeter of the territory on the map (coasts and land borders) is about 1,064 km (661 mi). The simplified Natural Earth outline smooths out small detours: the actual length of the coastline is greater. Destination de Voyage calculation.
- Time zone (IANA tz database 2026b): Tenerife, Gran Canaria:
Atlantic/Canary(UTC+0 in January, UTC+1 in July). - Terrain: shading shows the relief and brown triangles mark the summits. The highest shown are Teide (3,718 m / 12,198 ft), montaña de Guajara (2,715 m / 8,907 ft), Roque de la Grieta (2,576 m / 8,451 ft), El Sombrero (2,532 m / 8,307 ft), Roque de los Muchachos (2,426 m / 7,959 ft).
- National parks (green areas): 4 with their centre inside the territory, including Garajonay National Park, Timanfaya National Park, Caldera de Taburiente National Park and Teide National Park. Outlines from OpenStreetMap or position from Wikidata.
- International airports (plane icon): LPA (Gran Canaria, about 19 km (12 mi) from the centre of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria); TFN (Tenerife N., about 9.6 km (6.0 mi) from the centre of Santa Cruz de Tenerife). Straight-line distances: Destination de Voyage calculation.
Distances between the main cities (cross table)
Straight-line distances between the capital, our destinations and the largest cities on the map, with the direction from the first city. Roads and ferries always add distance.
| Route | Straight-line distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Lanzarote → Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | 204 km (127 mi) | southwest |
| Lanzarote → Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 263 km (163 mi) | west |
| Lanzarote → Arrecife | 12 km (7.5 mi) | southeast |
| Las Palmas de Gran Canaria → Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 90 km (56 mi) | northwest |
| Las Palmas de Gran Canaria → Arrecife | 209 km (130 mi) | northeast |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife → Arrecife | 270 km (168 mi) | east |
Typical itineraries in the Canary Islands based on the map
To link our 4 destinations without backtracking, here is the shortest order step by step, starting from the first point (nearest-neighbour method, straight-line distances): Lanzarote → Fuerteventura (79 km / 49 mi) → Gran Canaria (164 km / 102 mi) → Tenerife (104 km / 65 mi). Total: about 347 km (216 mi) in a straight line. Adjust for flights, ferries and the season.
- Our complete guide to the Canary Islands: must-sees, detailed itineraries and budget
- When to go to the Canary Islands: best time to visit and month-by-month climate
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest summit shown on the map?
Teide, at 3,718 m (12,198 ft) elevation (source: Natural Earth).
Which international airports are on the map?
LPA (Gran Canaria), TFN (Tenerife N.).
Why are some islands shown in an inset?
They are too far from the main territory to fit on the same scale: Las Palmas is shown separately, with its own scale.
How many regions do the Canary Islands have?
Our map, based on Natural Earth, shows 2 first-level subdivisions (Comunidad Autónoma).
Where are the Canary Islands?
The Canary Islands lie in the northern hemisphere, west of the Greenwich meridian. Coasts: the Atlantic Ocean.
What is the area of the Canary Islands?
About 7,435 km² (2,871 sq mi) according to our calculation on the Natural Earth outline. Differences come from the precision of the coastline and inland waters.
Our sources
- Natural Earth 1:10m (public domain): country and subdivision boundaries, cities, airports, rivers, lakes, terrain, at naturalearthdata.com.
- © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL licence): national park outlines.
- Wikidata: location of national parks and elevation of summits.
- Wikipedia: coordinates of places missing from Natural Earth.
- Destination de Voyage calculations: distances (haversine, radius 6,371 km), directions and areas (WGS84 ellipsoid, pyproj library).
- Our methodology
