The Province of Canary Islands (in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Provincia de Canarias'') is the name of the former province formed by the Canary Islands. This province had its capital in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. After the provincial division in 1927 this province was composed of the

province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, also Province of Santa Cruz ( es, link=no, Provincia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife), is a province of Spain, consisting of the western part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. It consists of abo ...

that encompassed the western islands of the Canaries, while the

province of Las Palmas The Province of Las Palmas (, ; es, Provincia de Las Palmas) is a province of Spain, consisting of the eastern part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, capital city of this province and of the isla ...

covered the eastern islands.

History

On November 30, 1833 the province of the Canary Islands was created, which the Cadiz Constitution of 1812 established with its capital in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. However, there arose a rivalry with the island of

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that ...

, due to the fact that the capital was established on the island of

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

, although so far, the city exercised for three centuries as de facto capital of the Canary Islands was the city of

San Cristóbal de La Laguna San Cristóbal de La Laguna (commonly known as La Laguna, ) is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the Canary Islands, Spain. The city is the third-most populous ci ...

located in Tenerife. In 1912, there was created ''Ley de Cabildos'' (The Law of Town Halls) to try to satisfy both sides. This did not please those who asked for the provincial division, especially from Gran Canaria, and those who advocated regional autonomy, mostly from Tenerife.Historia del Peito Insular
/ref> In 1927, during the dictatorship of General

Primo de Rivera Primo de Rivera is a Spanish family prominent in politics of the 19th and 20th centuries: *Fernando Primo de Rivera (1831–1921), Spanish politician and soldier *Miguel Primo de Rivera (1870–1930), nephew of Fernando, military officer and dictat ...

until then province of the Canary Islands was divided into two: the eastern half would result in the

Province of Las Palmas The Province of Las Palmas (, ; es, Provincia de Las Palmas) is a province of Spain, consisting of the eastern part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, capital city of this province and of the isla ...

, leaving the western called since then with the name of

Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, also Province of Santa Cruz ( es, link=no, Provincia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife), is a province of Spain, consisting of the western part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. It consists of abo ...

. From here, the capital of the archipelago would be shared between the cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in the auto ...

, which is how it remains today. It is the only province that has been divided from the project, raising the number of provinces from 49 to the 50 that currently exist in Spain.

References

{{Reflist 1927 disestablishments in Spain 1833 establishments in Spain States and territories disestablished in 1927 Politics of the Canary Islands History of the Canary Islands Former provinces of Spain States and territories established in 1833