Canary Islands

Meaning

An archipelago and autonomous community of Spain, off the coast of northwestern Africa, near Morocco.

Synonyms

Canaries

Autonomous Community of Canary Islands

Translations

Kanarische Inseln

🇮🇨

Isole Canarie

Canaries

🇮🇨

Canarische Eilanden

Islas Canarias

🇮🇨

Canarias

îles Canaries

🇮🇨

Ilhas Canárias

🇮🇨

Îles Canaries

Illes Canàries

🇮🇨

Kanarya Adaları

Canárias

🇮🇨

Κανάριοι Νήσοι

جزر الكناري

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kəˈnɛəɹi ˌaɪləndz/

Etymology

Partial calque of Spanish Islas Canarias, itself likely a partial calque, with the plural of isla (“island”), of Latin Canāriae Īnsulae (literally “Islands of the Dogs”), from the feminine plural of canārius (“of or pertaining to dogs”) + the plural of īnsula f (“island”). Perhaps so named because monk seals or sea dogs were abundant, a name that was evidently generalized from the ancient name of one of these islands, Canaria – presumably Gran Canaria. According to the historian Pliny the Elder, the island Canaria contained “vast multitudes of dogs of very large size”. The connection to dogs is retained in the autonomous community’s coat of arms, which is also included in its flag. The canary was named after the islands, not vice versa.