Flag of Tenerife Tenerife as Nivaria, derived from the Latin words "nix", "nivis" or "nives", meaning snow, in clear reference to the snow-covered peak of the Teide volcano. The name of Tenerife is derived from the language of the Benehaorits - the natives of nearby La Palma. "Tene" means "mountain" and "ife" means "white". After colonisation by Spain, the letter "r" was added, uniting both words. The flag was first adopted as a maritime registry flag of the maritime province of the Canary Islands. It was initially adopted in 1845 by Royal Order and was adopted as the flag of Tenerife by an
Lanzarote of Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello, who used the alias "Lanzarote da Framqua". A fort was later built in the area of Montaña de Guanapay near today's Teguise. Castilian slaving expeditions in 1385 and 1393 seized hundreds of Guanches and sold them in Spain, initiating the slave trade in the islands. French explorer Jean de Béthencourt arrived in 1402, heading a private expedition under Castilian auspices. Bethencourt first visited the south of Lanzarote at Playas de Papagayo, and the French overran the island within a matter of months. The island lacked mountains and gorges to serve as hideouts for the remaining