Canary Islands Provinces, Islands, and Governance

Canary Islands Provinces and Institutions

This thematic description represents the provinces of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, highlighting the geographic division of the Canary archipelago into two provinces. Spain has a total of 44 provinces, among which are the provinces of Las Palmas (capital: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (capital: Santa Cruz de Tenerife). These two provinces comprise the Canary archipelago, which in turn is formed by the islands of El Hierro (capital: Valverde), La Palma (capital: Santa Cruz de la Palma), La Gomera (capital: San Sebastián de la Gomera), Tenerife (capital: Santa Cruz de Tenerife), Gran Canaria (capital: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), Lanzarote (capital: Arrecife), and Fuerteventura (capital: Puerto del Rosario).

Institutional Framework

Regarding the institutional structure, the autonomous community is constituted by the Parliament, the regional government (formed by its President and Council Members), and the Superior Court of Justice.

The Regional Parliament

The Canary Islands Parliament represents the people and is formed by deputies who are elected by universal suffrage every four years. Its main functions include the development of law, approving the regional budget, controlling the government, and electing the President.

The Regional Government

The President and Council Members of the Canary Islands form the government. Their role is to guide and be responsible for the different branches of regional administration.

Territorial Administration

Territorial administration is organized across the seven Canary Islands. Each island has an Island Council (Cabildo), and there are also municipalities (Ayuntamientos).

Island Councils (Cabildos)

The Island Council (Cabildo) is the body responsible for the government and administration of each island, as well as its representation. The functions of the councils derive from their dual nature as autonomous agencies or insular self-government.

Functions of Island Councils

These functions are of three types:

• Functions related to membership of the autonomous region.
• The councils' own functions.
• Delegated functions.

Municipalities (Ayuntamientos)

In addition to the Island Councils, municipalities can also have delegated functions from the autonomous region.

Parliament Composition

The Canary Islands Parliament is the elected body that exercises legislative power, approves the budgets of the Canary Islands, and promotes and controls the actions of the Canary Islands Government. It is made up of 60 deputies. The islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria elect 15 each, the islands of La Palma and Lanzarote elect 8 each, Fuerteventura elects 7, and La Gomera and El Hierro elect 4 and 3 respectively.