A European Region
The Canary Islands form a Spanish archipelago of seven islands located in the Atlantic Ocean, 1,739 km southwest of the capital of the country. They are part of the Macronesian tropical region and they enjoy a mild climate all year round. The geographical relief is the result of hundreds of volcanic eruptions over millions of years, which is why the archipelago has one of the most unusual landscapes in the whole of Europe.
As a Spanish autonomous region, it is governed by European Union law allowing free movement of its citizens. Its currency is the euro. For this reason, European residents on the islands can enjoy all the rights and privileges awarded to European citizens by the Maastrich Treaty of 1992.
The standard cost of living of the Canary Islands is very similar to the rest of the Spanish autonomous communities and the average prices can usually be considered reasonable.
Language
The official language is Spanish but in the main tourist areas it is easy to find people who also speak English, German and other languages.
Local Time
Visiting the Canary Islands from any European country does not involve great changes to your timetable, as, due to its geographical location, they share the time zone (UTC) with countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland and are only one hour behind the rest of Spain and countries such as France, Germany or Poland (UTC+1).
Technology and Communications
The electrical supply in most buildings has 220v plugs and (CEE7/4) pins. You can find mobile cover and WIFI on all the islands, therefore many hotels provide this service free of charge.
Health System
As a region belonging to the EU, the Canary Islands have a health system equivalent to that of the rest of the EU. This is why all European residents have a right to free health care within the Canary Islands public health system.
All the islands have public health centres and hospitals with emergency services that attend to the public 24 hours a day. There are also many pharmacies open 24 hours or pharmacies on duty to cater for emergencies.