Maspalomas
{{more citations needed|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Maspalomas
| native_name =
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| settlement_type = Region
| image_skyline = File:Aerial image of the coast of Gran Canaria.jpg
| image_alt = Aerial view of Faro de Maspalomas showing a cluster of hotel complexes, the lighthouse, beaches and sea
| image_caption = Aerial view of Faro de Maspalomas
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| pushpin_map = Spain Canary Islands
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Canary Islands
| coordinates = {{coord|27|46|N|15|35|W|display=inline,title}}
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| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Spain
| subdivision_type1 = Autonomous community
| subdivision_name1 = Canary Islands
| subdivision_type2 = Province
| subdivision_name2 = Las Palmas
| subdivision_type3 = Municipality
| subdivision_name3 = San Bartolomé de Tirajana
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| population_total = 36065
| population_as_of = 2013
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| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 35100
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Maspalomas ({{IPA|es|maspaˈlomas|lang}}) is a tourist resort in the south of the island of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, stretching from Bahía Feliz in the east to Meloneras in the west, including the resort towns of San Agustín, Playa del Inglés and San Fernando. Maspalomas constitutes the southernmost part of the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, and of the island.
Overview
Before the era of tourism, Maspalomas was the name of a hamlet in what today is San Fernando de Maspalomas. Its name may derive from that of Rodrigo Mas de Palomar, a settler and soldier from Majorca, or from Francisco Palomar, a Genoese friend of Alonso Fernandez de Lugo who purchased 87 Guanche slaves from Güímar and settled in the area.{{cite web|url=http://www.playademaspalomas.com/es/historia_nombre.php|title=Playa de Maspalomas - Noticias, tiempo, actividades y webcams de Playa de Maspalomas|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504032418/http://www.playademaspalomas.com/es/historia_nombre.php|archive-date=2007-05-04}}
Present-day Maspalomas is the result of an ambitious development project, organized in the form of an International Ideas Contest (opened to any member of the International Union of Architects), held in 1961 under the auspice of Alejandro del Castillo, owner and promoter of most of the space under construction. The contest was won by the French office SETAP (including the urbanist Guy Lagneau and the economist Michel Weill) and covered the {{convert|1060|ha}} and {{convert|19|km}} of coast that constitute the core area of Maspalomas - Costa Canaria. The contest paved the way for a particular way of understanding "touristic" urbanism that served as a model for later tourist development in other Canary Islands.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}
Tourism
File:Oasis Maspalomas Foresta, Maspalomas.JPG
Unlike the resort-like development model later extended to other locations in the Canary Islands and the Caribbean, Maspalomas has a personality of its own, as it evolved into a fully equipped town much closer to the "tourist" concept of destinations like Palm Springs, California or Palm Beach, Florida. It has a variety of infrastructure and public institutions rarely seen in other tourist areas, including private clinics and two hospitals, local and foreign schooling institutions (Spanish, English and Swedish schools), shopping and convention centres, two casinos, golf courses, sports centres, theme parks and a Summer University (in collaboration with the university of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, mainly focused on tourism-related activities).{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}
It has a wide range of accommodation on offer, although the urbanism concept speaks of an horizontal expansion (bungalows) rather than high rises. Much appreciated as a winter destination for foreign tourists, mostly from north-European countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, etc.), it remains the largest tourist destination in the Canary Islands and a worldwide-known destination for LGBT tourism.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}
File:SP-GC-maspalomas-conde.jpg
The development of luxury hotels along the coast between Maspalomas and neighbouring Meloneras has resulted in some notable architectural developments. The Lopesan Villa del Conde and the Lopesan Costa Meloneras Hotels have both been designed in a Canarian Spanish Colonial Revival style, partly derived from de la Torre's Hotel Santa Catalina (1890) in Las Palmas. For the Villa del Conde hotel, opened in 2005, the architect created a replica of the nearby town of Agüimes (the home town of {{ill|Eustasio López González|es}}, founder of the Lopesan Hotel Group), including a distinctive replica of the large, domed {{ill|Church of San Sebastián|es|Iglesia de San Sebastián (Agüimes)}}, which serves as the hotel reception.{{cite book |last1=Quintana |first1=Teresa Aguiar |last2=Canino |first2=Rosa M. Batista |title=Successful Case Studies in the Canary Islands' Tourism Industry |date=2017 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=9781527502789 |pages=72–73 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7MI3DwAAQBAJ&dq=lopesan%20costa%20meloneras%20architecture&pg=PA72 |access-date=27 January 2019 |language=en}}
Maspalomas serves as the base for Gran Canaria's only English language newspaper,[http://thecanarynews.com The Canary News, Views & Sunshine] which serves a print readership in excess of 20,000 every month and reaches up to another 30,000 readers on-line.
In September 2012, the World Tourism Organization organized its World Tourism Day in Maspalomas, as a form of commemoration of its 50 years of existence.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}
Maspalomas is a gay-friendly destination with many establishments catering for the LGBT community and a popular gay beach by the sand dunes. Particularly centred around Playa del Inglés.
Landmarks and geography
The seafront at Punta de Maspalomas, the southernmost point of the resort, is dominated by a {{convert|56|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} lighthouse, El Faro de Maspalomas. Completed in 1890, it was built to guide ships travelling between Europe and the Americas.{{cite web |title=The Maspalomas Lighthouse: A Unique Landmark |url=https://www.gran-canaria-beaches.com/maspalomas-lighthouse.html |website=Gran-Canaria-Beaches.com |access-date=28 January 2019}}
The lighthouse overlooks the popular {{convert|12|km}}-long Maspalomas beach.{{cite web|title=Photographs of the town of Maspalomas, August 2016|url=https://independent-travellers.com/spain/canary_islands/gran_canaria/maspalomas/|website=Independent Travellers|publisher=independent-travellers.com|access-date=July 17, 2017}} To the east of the lighthouse, the Maspalomas Dunes stretch inland all the way to Playa del Inglés. During the 1960s and 70s, the construction of hotels and the tourist resort began to encroach on the dunes, damaging the natural habitat, and in 1994 a {{convert|4|km2|adj=on|abbr=on}} area of dunes was declared a nature reserve to protect native wildlife. El Charco is a natural lagoon at the edge of the dunes which attracts many species of birds, eels and guppies.{{cite book |last1=Corne |first1=Lucy |title=Canary Islands |date=2004 |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |isbn=9781841621081 |page=87 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BSc1ytU-4UoC&dq=maspalomas%20dunes%20nature%20reserve&pg=PA87 |access-date=28 January 2019 |language=en}}
In the north of Maspalomas San Fernando and El Tablero were built for people working in the tourist industry. In between Sonnenland was constructed, on a crest, to accommodate expats.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}
An array of large satellite dishes visible on a hill from Meloneras is Maspalomas Station, an ESA ground station that supported several NASA space missions, including the Mercury Program, the Gemini Program, the Apollo Moon landings, and Skylab.{{cite web |title=Maspalomas station |url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Estrack/Maspalomas_station |website=European Space Agency |access-date=8 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190208113652/http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Estrack/Maspalomas_station |archive-date=8 February 2019|url-status=live}}
Climate
Maspalomas has a hot desert climate with influences of a tropical climate, as the average temperature in all months of the year is above {{convert|18|C|F}}.{{cite web|url=https://www.aemet.es/documentos/es/conocermas/recursos_en_linea/publicaciones_y_estudios/publicaciones/NT_37_AEMET/NT_37_AEMET.pdf|title=Evolucion de los climas de Koppen en España 1951-2020|work=Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia|access-date=3 September 2024|language=es}} Winters are very mild to warm and dry, with night temperatures rarely drop below {{convert|13|C|F}} while summers are hot and very dry. It is one of the regions with the highest average annual temperatures in Spain, due to its very southern location and the influence of the Atlantic Ocean.{{cite web|url=https://www.aemet.es/es/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos|title=Valores Climatológicos Normales|work=Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia|access-date=2 September 2024|language=es}}
{{Weather box
| width = 100%
| location = Maspalomas C. Insular Turismo (2009-2024), extremes (2009-present)
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan record high C = 29.3
| Feb record high C = 29.6
| Mar record high C = 37.2
| Apr record high C = 37.3
| May record high C = 39.4
| Jun record high C = 36.8
| Jul record high C = 43.6
| Aug record high C = 45.2
| Sep record high C = 39.3
| Oct record high C = 38.1
| Nov record high C = 32.8
| Dec record high C = 28.7
| year record high C =
| Jan high C = 21.5
| Feb high C = 21.8
| Mar high C = 23.0
| Apr high C = 23.9
| May high C = 25.3
| Jun high C = 26.9
| Jul high C = 29.0
| Aug high C = 29.9
| Sep high C = 28.0
| Oct high C = 27.1
| Nov high C = 24.8
| Dec high C = 22.6
| year high C =
| Jan mean C = 18.6
| Feb mean C = 18.6
| Mar mean C = 19.6
| Apr mean C = 20.5
| May mean C = 21.9
| Jun mean C = 23.4
| Jul mean C = 25.1
| Aug mean C = 26.0
| Sep mean C = 24.9
| Oct mean C = 24.0
| Nov mean C = 21.8
| Dec mean C = 19.9
| year mean C =
| Jan low C = 15.6
| Feb low C = 15.5
| Mar low C = 16.1
| Apr low C = 17.2
| May low C = 18.5
| Jun low C = 20.0
| Jul low C = 21.3
| Aug low C = 22.2
| Sep low C = 21.8
| Oct low C = 21.0
| Nov low C = 18.8
| Dec low C = 17.2
| Jan record low C = 12.0
| Feb record low C = 11.6
| Mar record low C = 11.1
| Apr record low C = 14.1
| May record low C = 15.3
| Jun record low C = 16.9
| Jul record low C = 19.0
| Aug record low C = 19.9
| Sep record low C = 19.7
| Oct record low C = 17.0
| Nov record low C = 14.8
| Dec record low C = 13.7
| year record low C =
| year low C =
| Jan precipitation mm = 8.7
| Feb precipitation mm = 7.7
| Mar precipitation mm = 6.7
| Apr precipitation mm = 2.0
| May precipitation mm = 0.4
| Jun precipitation mm = 0.5
| Jul precipitation mm = 0.0
| Aug precipitation mm = 1.0
| Sep precipitation mm = 9.5
| Oct precipitation mm = 6.5
| Nov precipitation mm = 12.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 13.6
| precipitation colour = green
| source 1 = Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia (AEMET OpenData){{cite web|url=https://opendata.aemet.es/centrodedescargas/inicio|title=AEMET OpenData |work=Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia |access-date=2 May 2024 |language=es}}
| date = June 2021
| source =
}}
Transport
Maspalomas is served by the Faro de Maspalomas bus station run by the {{ill|Gran Canaria Transport Authority|es|Autoridad Única del Transporte}}, which is located near the lighthouse at the end of Avenida Cristobal Colon. Bus services operated by {{ill|Global Transport|es|Global (empresa de transporte)}} provide connections to other tourist resorts and towns in the south of the island, including Playa del Inglés and Mogán, as well as to towns along the east coast and to the island capital, Las Palmas.{{cite web |last1=Bramwell |first1=Alex |title=Bus Travel from Maspalomas & Playa del Inglés |url=http://gran-canaria-info.com/en/content/resorts-places/bus-travel-from-maspalomas-playa-del-ingles |website=Gran Canaria Info |access-date=17 November 2018 |language=en-gb}}
Plans have existed for several years to construct a rail link, called Tren de Gran Canaria, connecting Maspalomas to Gran Canaria Airport and Las Palmas. A terminus station is planned at Meloneras underneath Av. Cristóbal Colón, near the lighthouse. The scheme, estimated to cost €1,500 million, has not been confirmed due to funding problems.{{cite news |title=Al tren 'solo' le faltan 1.500 millones |url=https://www.canarias7.es/siete-islas/gran-canaria/al-tren-solo-le-faltan-1-500-millones-JC5501487 |access-date=16 November 2018 |work=www.canarias7.es |date=16 September 2018 |language=es-ES}}{{cite web |title=Estación de Maspalomas |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtX4j6xvRa4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/JtX4j6xvRa4 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|publisher=Ferrocarriles de Gran Canaria |access-date=16 November 2018 |date=26 January 2011}}{{cbignore}}
Photo gallery
File:VogelschutzgebietLaCharca.jpg|Bird sanctuary La Charca
File:Dunas de Maspalomas.jpg|Maspalomas Dunes
File:Playa del ingles gran canaria.jpg|The beach of Playa del Inglés
File:Hotels in San Agustin.jpg|Hotels in San Agustín
File:GC Faro de Maspalomas R01.jpg|Maspalomas Lighthouse
File:Lopesan Baobab, Maspalomas, May 2018.jpg|Lopesan Baobab Resort
File:Maspalomas EM1B9180 (25894243208).jpg|Sand dunes at Maspalomas
File:Maspalomas EM1B9192 (27987770619).jpg|Sand dunes at Maspalomas
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons and category|Maspalomas}}
- {{in lang|es}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20070504032418/http://www.playademaspalomas.com/es/historia_nombre.php El nombre de Maspalomas] (etymological study)
- [http://www.maspalomas.com Town Hall]
- [http://www.grancanaria.com/patronato_turismo/Maspalomas.21075.0.html Maspalomas Gran Canaria]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130319051610/http://www.360travelguide.com/travelpack/resort.asp?Resort=Gran%20Canaria&Code=279cij90 Panoramic Virtual Tours of Maspalomas]
{{Geographic location
|Centre = Maspalomas
|North = San Fernando
|Northeast =
|East = Playa del Inglés
|Southeast = Maspalomas Dunes
|South = Atlantic Ocean
|Southwest = Meloneras
|West = Sonnenland
|Northwest =
}}
{{Gran Canaria}}
{{Authority control}}