Maspalomas is a tourist center in the southern part of Gran Canaria, Spain’s Canary Islands, stretching from Bahia Feliz in the east to Meloneras in the west. It includes the resorts of San Agustin and Playa del Inglés.
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| Maspalomas Grand Canary Spain |
Once the name of Maspalomas was carried by a small village, now known as San Fernando de Maspalomas. The name comes from the name of Rodrigo Mas de Palomar, a colonist and soldier from Mallorca. The current Maspalomas is the result of an ambitious project developed back in 1961 with the assistance of Alejandro del Castillo, the owner of most of the local land. Within the framework of the project, a competition was organized for the creation of a tourist center, won by a French company. Later, on the territory of 1060 hectares, the center of modern Maspalomas - Costa Canaria was built. This competition created the prerequisite for a special understanding of tourist urbanism and served as a model for the creation of other tourist centers in the Canary Islands.
But unlike other resorts in the Canary Islands, Maspalomas has become a real city on a par with Palm Springs in California or Palm Beach in Florida. In addition to purely tourist infrastructure, there are also social facilities, such as private clinics, two hospitals, various schools, shops, congress centers, casinos, cinemas, golf clubs, sports centers, theme parks, and even the Summer University, working in cooperation with the University Las Palmas. Maspalomas produces the only English-language newspaper in Gran Canaria. And, of course, there are many options for accommodating tourists here.
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| Maspalomas Grand Canary Spain |
Maspalomas includes the Dunes of Maspalomas natural park, created back in 1897 and which is an important attraction of Gran Canaria. Especially it was chosen by tourists from Northern Europe who come here in the winter months. In addition, the territory of the park remains the largest in the Canary Islands and a world-famous center for gay tourism.
The attraction of Maspalomas is the lighthouse of the same name, 56 meters high, located in the southern part of the resort. From here, the 12 km long beach and dunes of Maspalomas lead to Playa del Inglés. This is the highest stone lighthouse in the archipelago.