Teide National Park

History

Teide National Park held spiritual significance to aboriginal Guanches, and important archaeological sites have been discovered in the park. Teide was a place of worship for the Guanches, who believed it was the gate to hell (Echeyde).

National park status was declared on January 22, 1954. In 1989, the Council of Europe awarded the European Diploma of Protected Areas, its highest category. This recognition and conservation management has been subsequently renewed in 1994, 1999 and 2004. In 2007, UNESCO declared Teide National Park a World Heritage Site. At the end of 2007, participants in the 12 Treasures of Spain project voted to include Teide National Park as the sixth treasure of Spain.

Teide National Park is complementary to the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, this is mainly due to being in each of them represented the volcanic structures and forms less evolved magmas of such islands (Hawaii) and more evolved and differentiated (Teide). Moreover, Teide National Park shares similar scenic characteristics with the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, United States.

Geography and climate

The Teide National Park has generally a very sunny, dry and mild climate. The major climates found in the Teide National Park are the Mediterranean climate (Csa/Csb) and the Semi-arid climate (BSk).

The Izaña Teide Observatory located at 2371 m asl registers an annual temperature of 10.2 C and almost 3,500 sunshine hours annually. Most summer days have completely clear skies.

|Jan record high C = 18.3 |Feb record high C = 21.8 |Mar record high C = 22.0 |Apr record high C = 23.0 |May record high C = 26.0 |Jun record high C = 27.7 |Jul record high C = 30.4 |Aug record high C = 29.6 |Sep record high C = 27.2 |Oct record high C = 24.6 |Nov record high C = 20.8 |Dec record high C = 21.9 |year record high C = 30.4 |Jan record low C = -8.0 |Feb record low C = -9.8 |Mar record low C = -9.1 |Apr record low C = -8.2 |May record low C = -5.1 |Jun record low C = -1.4 |Jul record low C = -0.2 |Aug record low C = 1.2 |Sep record low C = 0.0 |Oct record low C = -3.0 |Nov record low C = -4.0 |Dec record low C = -6.8 |year record low C = -9.8

|Jan record high C = 18.3 |Feb record high C = 19.9 |Mar record high C = 22.0 |Apr record high C = 23.0 |May record high C = 26.0 |Jun record high C = 27.7 |Jul record high C = 30.4 |Aug record high C = 29.6 |Sep record high C = 27.2 |Oct record high C = 23.0 |Nov record high C = 20.8 |Dec record high C = 20.1 |year record high C = 30.4 |Jan record low C = -8.0 |Feb record low C = -9.8 |Mar record low C = -9.1 |Apr record low C = -8.2 |May record low C = -5.1 |Jun record low C = -1.4 |Jul record low C = -0.2 |Aug record low C = 1.2 |Sep record low C = 0.0 |Oct record low C = -3.0 |Nov record low C = -4.0 |Dec record low C = -6.8 |year record low C = -9.8

Flora and fauna

The lava flows on the flanks of Teide weather to a very thin, but nutrient and mineral rich soil that supports a diverse number of plant species. Vascular flora consists of 168 plant species, 33 of which are endemic to Tenerife.

Forests of Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) occur from 1000 to 2100 m, covering the middle slopes of the volcano, and having an alpine timberline 1000 m lower than that of continental mountains of similar latitude. At higher altitudes, the Las Cañadas caldera provides sufficient shelter for more fragile species such as the Canary Island cedar (Juniperus cedrus), and the Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) to grow.

The most dominant plant species in the Teide National Park are the Teide white broom (Cytisus supranubius), which has a white and pink flower; the Canary Island wallflower (Erysimum scoparium), which has white and violet flowers; and the Teide bugloss (Echium wildpretii), whose red flowers form a pyramid up to 3m in height. The Teide daisy (Argyranthemum teneriffae) can be found at altitudes close to 3,600m above sea level. The Teide violet (Viola cheiranthifolia) can be found right up to the summit of the volcano, making it the highest flowering plant in Spain.

These plants are adapted to the tough environmental conditions on the volcano such as high altitude, intense sunlight, extreme temperature variations, and lack of moisture. Adaptations include acquiring semi-spherical forms, acquiring a downy or waxy cover, reducing the exposed leaf area, and having a high flower production. Flowering takes place in the late spring or early summer, in the months of May and June.

The Teide National Park contains a huge range of invertebrate fauna, over 40% of which are endemic species, with 70 species only being found in the national park. The invertebrate fauna include spiders, beetles, dipterans, hemipterans, and hymenopterae.

In contrast, Teide national park has only a limited variety of vertebrate fauna. Ten species of bird nest in the park. These include the blue chaffinch (Fringilla teydea teydea); Berthelot's pipit (Anthus berthelotii berthelotii); the Atlantic canary (Serinus canaria); and a subspecies of kestrel (Falco tinnunculus canariensis).

Three endemic reptile species are also found in the park – the Canary Island lizard (Gallotia galloti galloti), the Canary Island wall gecko (Tarentola delalandii), and the Canary Island skink (Chalcides viridanus viridanus).

The only mammals native to the park are bats, the most common species of which is Leisler's bat (Nyctalus leisleri). Other mammals such as the mouflon, the rabbit, the house mouse, the black rat, the feral cat, and the Algerian hedgehog have all been introduced to the park.

Scientific landmark

The similarity between environmental and geological conditions of Teide National Park and the planet Mars have made the park the ideal place for testing instruments that will travel to Mars and reveal past or present life on Mars. In 2010 a research team tested at Las Cañadas del Teide the Raman instrument that was to be used in the ESA-NASA ExoMars expedition to Mars.

In 2017, ESA tested planetary rovers in an area of the park known as Las Minas de San José.

Sister parks

• Chile Rapa Nui National Park (Easter Island, Chile).

Besides the Teide National Park participates in different international programs and exchange advice with other national parks in the world, especially Central America, South America and Europe. In regard to international cooperation, the Teide National Park has provided technical support to the Souss-Massa National Park located in southwestern of Morocco.

In popular culture

• This dramatic scenery has been featured in films such as One Million Years B.C. (1966), Intacto (2002), Clash of the Titans (2010) and Wrath of the Titans (2012).{{cite web | access-date = 3 September 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140904104557/http://www.tenerifemagazine.com/happenings/news-happenings/clash-of-the-titans-2-los-cristianos-carnival-in-tenerife-news-of-the-week.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 4 September 2014 }}
• Mike Oldfield included in his compilation The Complete Mike Oldfield of 1985, a live recording of a song called Mount Teide dedicated to this famous volcano.
• The park has a small chapel dedicated to the Virgen de las Nieves which is the highest Christian church in Spain.
• Tenerife was the place where L. Ron Hubbard (founder of the Church of Scientology) called picked "OT-III materials", according to this doctrine one of the volcanoes which were cast the "thetans" 75 million years ago is the Teide together with other volcanoes in the world, mainly from Hawaii.
• On 24 June 1989 the radio program Espacio en Blanco of Radiocadena Española called a "UFO Alert" in the Teide National Park in order to achieve some kind of contact with extraterrestrials. This event was attended by about forty thousand people.
• On January 8, 1998, members of a cult led by German psychologist Heide Fittkau-Garthe were arrested, when they tried to perform a ritual suicide on Teide.
• The sixth installment of Fast & Furious starring Vin Diesel, and directed by Justin Lin, The Teide had the main stage for most of its outer planes.
• The Teide National Park has become a popular training ground for top professional cyclists, as it allows them to train at altitude whilst also having access to sea-level terrain for high-intensity training, in stable weather conditions, with few distractions due to its isolated location. Teams who have used the park for training include Team Sky, Liquigas and Team Astana.
• In 2018, the surroundings of the National Park hosted part of the filming of the American film Rambo: Last Blood, starring Sylvester Stallone and Paz Vega among others.
• The episode Land of Giants, part of the Chased by Dinosaurs series, a special from Walking with Dinosaurs, was filmed in the park.

Gallery

Image:PNTeide.jpg|Teide National Park Image:PNTeide2.jpg|Teide National Park Image:PNTeide3.jpg|Teide National Park Image:Teide_2011.jpg|Llano de Ucanca Image:Teide Nevado.jpg|Teide National Park in winter File:Panoramic view of the Teide National Park (World Heritage Site). Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Southwestern Europe.jpg|Panoramic view File:Rock formations of the Teide National Park (World Heritage Site). Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Southwestern Europe-2.jpg|Rock formations File:Rock formations of the Teide National Park (World Heritage Site). Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Southwestern Europe-5.jpg|Rock formations File:Teneriffa Gesteinsschichten.JPG|La Tarta del Teide (Teide Cake)

References

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