Coat of arms of the Canary Islands Coat of arms of Canary Islands. Popularly attributed the Canary Islands name is derived from the Presa Canario, although under a law in force in the Canary Islands since 1991, the dog is the natural symbol of Gran Canaria along with the cactus. For this reason, critics of the current shield argue that it only represents the island of Gran Canaria, and not the entire archipelago. There has also been a motion to remove both animals' collars, as it is argued (especially since independence) that the collars represent "submission". Coat of arms of the Canary Islands The coat of arms
Conquest of the Canary Islands severed, and the Canaries' isolation was not total. During the Middle Ages, the first reports on the Canaries come from Arabic sources, which refer to some Atlantic islands which may have been the Canaries. What does seem clear is that this knowledge of the islands did not signify the end of the cultural isolation of the native inhabitants. Visits to the archipelago began to increase after the end of the 13th century for reasons including: The first visit by a European to the Canary Islands since antiquity was by Genoese captain Lanceloto Malocello traditionally dated 1312 (but possibly a little