Canary Islands dogs, mummified them and treated dogs generally as holy animals. The ancient Greeks also knew about a people, living far to the west, who are the "dog-headed ones", who worshipped dogs on an island. Some hypothesize that the Canary Islands dog-worship and the ancient Egyptian cult of the dog-headed god, Anubis are closely connected but there is no explanation given as to which one was first. Other theories speculate that the name comes from the Nukkari Berber tribe living in the Moroccan Atlas, named in Roman sources as "Canarii", though Pliny again mentions the relation of this term with dogs.
Demographics of the Canary Islands Demographics of the Canary Islands 219 people/km² with Tenerife and Gran Canaria accounting for more than 80% of the total population of all islands. There is a history of emigration from the islands to other cities and countries, such as Cuba and Venezuela. In recent years, the Canary population has increased due as emigrants have returned and newcomers have arrived to occupy new jobs. Spain's membership in the European Union is one major reason for this increase in prosperity and residence. The 2005 census recorded 1,968,280 inhabitants, with 1,011,928 in the 33 municipalities of the province of Las Palmas, and