SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE

provincia, in the comunidad autnoma (autonomous community) of the Canary Islands, Spain. It consists of the western members of the Canary Islands, specifically Tenerife, La Palma, Gomera, and Ferro (qq.v.) islands. The province covers a total area of 1,224 square miles (3,170 square km). The port city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the island of Tenerife is the capital of the province. Pop. (1988 est.) 737,998. port city, capital of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands and of Santa Cruz de Tenerife provincia, in the comunidad autnoma (autonomous community) of the Canary Islands, Spain. The city occupies a small plain between two usually waterless ravines. It was founded in 1494. A treasure fleet in the harbour was largely destroyed by a British naval squadron under Robert Blake in 1657. The British naval hero Captain (later Admiral) Horatio Nelson lost his right arm in an unsuccessful assault on Santa Cruz in 1797. After 1877 the banana and tomato trade and, later, harbour improvements and the tourist trade caused rapid growth. General Francisco Franco, then captain general of the Canary Islands, organized in Santa Cruz the national uprising that led to the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Notable public buildings in Santa Cruz de Tenerife include the parish church of the Concepcin, military and archaeological museums, a theatre, and a bullring. The water supply comes by aqueduct from the interior mountains. A well-planned seafront adjoins a harbour sheltered by two moles, and Santa Cruz has become an important oil bunkering port with an oil refinery. A catastrophic collision (582 fatalities) at Los Rodeos international airport in 1977 gave impetus to the construction of a new facility, Queen Sofia Tenerife South, opened in 1978. Pop. (1988 est.) city, 215,228.