'San Cristóbal de La Laguna' ('La Laguna' for short,
Spanish for "The
Lagoon") is a municipality of the northern part of the island of Tenerife in the
Santa Cruz de Tenerife province, on the
Canary Islands. It is in the northern part of the
Tenerife island. The city is also a suburban area of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife area.
It is home to the
University of La Laguna which is home to 30,000 students; these are not included in the population figures for the city.
Its economy is business-oriented while agriculture dominates the northeastern portion of the city. The urban area dominates the central and the southern parts. Tourism covers the northern coast. The main industry includes some manufacturing. The industrial area is made up of the main subdivisions of Majuelos, Las Torres de Taco, Las Mantecas and Las Chumberas.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms feature those of
Joan of Castile. They also feature the island of Tenerife, and a
volcano erupting, representing
El Teide.
Subdivisions
★ La Verdellada
★ Viña Nava
★ El Coromoto
★ San Benito
★ El Bronco
★ La Cuesta
★ Taco
★ Tejina
★ Valleguerra
★ Bajamar
★ Punta del Hidalgo
★ Geneto
★ Los Baldios
★ Guamasa
★ El Ortigal
★ Las Mercedes
★ El Batan
★ Las Carboneras
History
The city was founded between
1496 and
1497 by
Alonso Fernández de Lugo and was the capital of the island after the conclusion of the conquest of the islands. The coastal area was later raided by pirates. The
University of La Laguna was founded in
1701.

San Cristóbal de La Laguna in 1880
A declining population and economy in the
18th century resulted in the moving of the capital to
Santa Cruz de Tenerife in
1723. Santa Cruz has since been the capital of the island of Tenerife.
The
Tenerife North Airport at Los Rodeos was opened in the 1930's and is today expanding with low cost airlines using it.
It was declared a
World Heritage Site on
December 2,
1999 and several streets of historical significance have been closed off to automobile traffic.
Historical population
| Year | Population | Change |
|---|
| March 1, 1991 | 110,895 | - |
| May 1, 1996 | 121.769 | - |
| November 1, 2001 | 128,822 | 1,262.96/km² |
| 2002 | 135,004 | - |
| 2003 | 134,004 | - |
| 2004 | 137,314 | 1,337.17/km² |
Folklores

View of the city

View of La Laguna from the Anaga mountains
La Laguna is home to some of the best folklore in the Canary Islands, and the most famous folklorists are ''Los Sabandeños''. La Laguna has created 59 folklore groups in and around La Laguna.
People
★
Juan Núñez de la Peña (
1641 -
1721), a
Spanish historian
★
Oscar Domínguez (
January 9,
1906 -
December 31,
1957 in
Paris, a Spanish
painter and a
surrealist, an inventor of
decalcomania
External links
★ http://www.aytolalaguna.com
★
Organismo Autónomo de Deportes de La Laguna, featuring informationa about activities, installations, news, etc. (in Spanish)
★
Map of San Cristóbal de la Laguna
★ 'Map and aerial photos'
★
★ Street map:
Street map from Mapquest,
MapPoint or
Google
★
★ Satellite images:
Google
★ Coordinates:
See also
★
Tenerife
★
List of municipalities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife