Santa Cruz de Tenerife (2003 population 220,022) is a Spanish city on the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands.

It is the capital of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and a co-capital of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands.

The city is a seaport and a tropical resort, offering its impressive scenery and mild sub-tropical climate to visitors.

The port also exports products of the Canaries such as vegetables, tobacco, and bananas. The oil refinery, inaugurated in November 28th 1930, and other industries were constructed to attempt to diversify the economy.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is unusual in having a major oil refinery sited in the city centre. Ecologists groups - particularly ATAN - have drawn attention to the scope for a major disaster should there be a fire at the 70-year old plant. The fact that the city's two major evacuation routes (the North and South highways) both run past the refinery is further cause for concern. This particular case exemplifies the growing conflict between industrial land uses and tourism in Tenerife.

The city's airport was the site of the Tenerife disaster, the worst aircraft accident in history.

Naval history

Due to the strategic location of Tenerife on the route between the Mediterranean and the Americas, it was attacked a number of times by the English and the Dutch. In particular, Santa Cruz Bay was the scene of two notable naval engagements involving two of the most famous British admirals.

In 1656, Admiral Robert Blake totally destroyed a Spanish silver fleet of 16 ships for the loss of one of his own, despite being under fire from shore batteries and attacking and withdrawing on the tide. 50 years later, The British under John Genings were defeated when they attacked the island on November 6, 1706 during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Lord Nelson lost his right arm in a later failed attack in the same bay on July 25 1797.

External links

• Robert Blake's attack (in Spanish)
• John Genings' attack (in Spanish)