| La Graciosa | |
| Pushpin Map: | Spain Lanzarote#Spain Province of Las Palmas#Canary Islands#Spain with Canary Islands |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location with respect to Lanzarote |
| Location: | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates: | 29.25°N -13.508°W |
| Archipelago: | Chinijo Archipelago, Canary Islands |
| Area Km2: | 29.05 |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Coastline Km: | 30.395 |
| Coastline Footnotes: | [2] |
| Highest Mount: | Agujas Grandes |
| Elevation M: | 266 |
| Country Admin Divisions Title: | Autonomous Community |
| Country Admin Divisions Title 1: | Province |
| Country Admin Divisions 1: | Las Palmas |
| Country Admin Divisions Title 2: | Municipality |
| Country Admin Divisions 2: | Teguise |
| Country Largest City: | Caleta de Sebo |
| Country Largest City Population: | 730 |
| Population: | 734 |
| Population As Of: | 2018 |
| Population Footnotes: | [3] |
| Density Km2: | 25.27 |
| Languages: | Spanish, specifically Canarian Spanish |
| Timezone1: | WET |
| Utc Offset1: | ±00:00 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | WEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +01:00 |
Graciosa Island or commonly La Graciosa (pronounced as /es/; Spanish for "the graceful") is a volcanic island in the Canary Islands of Spain, located 2km (01miles) north of Lanzarote across the Strait of El Río. As the rest of the Canary Islands, it was formed by the Canary hotspot. The island is part of the Chinijo Archipelago and the Chinijo Archipelago Natural Park (Spanish; Castilian: Parque Natural del Archipiélago Chinijo).[4] [5] It is administered by the municipality of Teguise in the neighboring island of Lanzarote. In 2018 La Graciosa was officially declared the eighth Canary Island by the Spanish Senate,[6] with few real effects.[7] Before then, the island had the status of an islet. It's administratively dependent on the island of Lanzarote.
The only two settlements on the island are Caleta de Sebo in the southeastern part of the island and summer-residence Casas de Pedro Barba; the rest of the island is owned by the Government of Spain and is administered by the National Parks Autonomous Agency.
The population is about 700. Tourism is the main industry along with fishing. Every year, tourists flock to the island for its tempered climate and its sandy volcanic coasts. The island has a school, lyceum, post office, supermarkets, medical center, pharmacy, a Bankia bank branch,[8] port, beaches, bar-restaurants and a square.Because of the transportation cost, everyday shopping is more expensive than in the other islands.[7]
Streets and roads on La Graciosa are unpaved sand. Motor vehicles are strictly limited to a handful of licensed vehicles for special purposes. Access to the island is by a 25-minute ferry crossing from Órzola on Lanzarote to the harbour in the village. There is a campsite on the island situated on Playa del Salado at the western edge of Caleta del Sebo.
The island is extremely arid and entirely made up of bushes and dry soil. Its length is 8frac=2NaNfrac=2 and the width is 4frac=2NaNfrac=2, with an area of 29frac=8NaNfrac=8. There are no natural water sources on the island; desalinated water has been piped directly from neighbouring Lanzarote since 2001.Water supply is at risk when the pipe gets broken.[7]
There are several isolated hills on the island, the tallest of which is Agujas Grandes, rising to 266m (873feet). The second-tallest is Agujas Chicas at 228m (748feet). Playa de la Cocina is a well known beach in the southwestern part of the island.