San Sebastián de La Gomera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
San Sebastián de La Gomera
|
||
---|---|---|
Municipality
|
||
San Sebastián de La Gomera
|
||
|
||
Country | Spain | |
Autonomous Community | Canary Islands | |
Province | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | |
Island | La Gomera | |
Area | ||
• Total | 113.59 km2 (43.86 sq mi) | |
Population | ||
• Total | KIDDLE_IB | |
Time zone | UTC+0 (CET) | |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (CEST (GMT +1)) | |
Postal code |
38880
|
|
Area code(s) | +34 (Spain) + 922 (Tenerife) | |
Website | Town Hall |
San Sebastián de La Gomera is the capital and a municipality of La Gomera in the Canary Islands, Spain. It also hosts the main harbour. The population was 8,699 in 2013, and the area is 113.59 square kilometres (43.86 sq mi).
The port serves ferry routes to the islands of Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro. Streets include Calle Real and F. Olsen. A bus station named Estación de Guaguas is used for bus lines throughout the island; it is located on Avenida Del Quinto Centenario.
Contents
History
The area was inhabited by the Guanches before the arrival of the Spanish. Hernán Peraza arrived in 1440. Christopher Columbus stopped at the harbour on 6 September 1492 before heading to India but arrived in America instead. The building in which Columbus stayed whilst on the island is now a museum. The town is named after Saint Sebastián de Milán, an early Christian saint and martyr.
Historical population
Year | Population |
---|---|
1991 | 5,606 |
1996 | 6,199 |
2001 | 6,618 |
2002 | 7,138 |
2003 | 6,902 |
2004 | 7,984 |
2013 | 8,699 |
Sites of interest in the town
- Torre del Conde - a tower in the middle of the valley
- Casa del Colón, a museum dedicated to Christopher Columbus
- Museo Arqueológico de La Gomera - a museum dedicated to Guanche's social, political and religious structures
- Casa de los Peraza
- Pozo de La Aguada
- Iglesia de La Asunción and Ermita de San Sebastián Churches
- Ermita de la Virgen de Guadalupe
- Playa de San Sebastián
- Playa de la Cueva
- Mercado Municipal
Municipality
Apart from the town of San Sebastián the municipality includes the settlements of
- Benchijigua
- Jerdune
- La Laja
- Lomo Fragoso
- the eastern part of Playa Santiago
The municipality also includes these sites of interest:
- Barranco del Cabrito
- Los Roques rocks
- Punta Llana
- Majona Nature Park
Economy
The economy of San Sebastián de La Gomera is centered on the functions of the capital and its port, as well as in the public sector, particularly in the transportation, trading, and tourism of Tenerife.
Tourism
The port serves as a hub for tourists arriving on the 35-minute ferry ride from the nearby island of Tenerife, which is almost always visible from La Gomera. The main ferry companies are Fred. Olsen Express and Naviera Armas.
In Puntallana is the chapel of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of the island of La Gomera.
List of Notable people
- Ignacio Lorenzo de Armas (1706 - unknown), settler and mayor of San Antonio, Texas in 1738 and 1764.
Gallery
See also
In Spanish: San Sebastián de La Gomera para niños
- List of municipalities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife