Hierro

Area: 277 sq.km/107 sq.mi

Population: 6,000

Hierro, the most westerly of the Canaries, lies 130km/80mi from Tenerife. As a holiday place it is still the preserve of a few individualists.

Topography

At first sight Hierro, surrounded by cliffs up to 1,000m/3,300ft high, with only a few small beaches, looks distinctly inhospitable. The center of the island is occupied by an upland region with Mt Malpaso (1,500m/4,920ft) as its highest peak. This area and the lower country on the north side of the island offer the most favorable conditions for settlement and agriculture.