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
Canary Islands 51,136 African residents, mostly Moroccans (39,847). The population of the islands according to the 2010 data are: The Roman Catholic branch of Christianity has been the majority religion in the archipelago for more than five centuries, ever since the Conquest of the Canary Islands. However, there are other religious communities. The overwhelming majority of native Canarians are Roman Catholic (85%) with various smaller foreign-born populations of other Christian beliefs such as Protestants from northern Europe. The appearance of the Virgin of Candelaria (Patron of Canary Islands) was credited with moving the Canary Islands toward Christianity. Two Catholic saints were born