Canary Islands The connection to dogs is retained in their depiction on the islands' coat-of-arms. It is considered that the aborigines of Gran Canaria called themselves "Canarios". It is possible that after being conquered, this name was used in plural in Spanish, i.e., as to refer to all of the islands as the Canarii-as. What is certain is that the name of the islands does not derive from the canary bird; rather, the birds are named after the islands. Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the archipelago. Gran Canaria, with 865,070 inhabitants, is both the Canary Islands' second most
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