View source for Arrecife

{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Arrecife
| native_name             =
| other_name              =
| etymology =
| translit_lang1_type     = 
| translit_lang1_info     = 
| settlement_type         = City
| image_skyline           = Arrecife, Lanzarote 2011.JPG
| image_alt               =
| image_caption           = Aerial view of Arrecife
| image_size              =
| image_flag              = Bandera Arrecife.png
| flag_alt                =
| image_shield            = Coat of Arms of Arrecife.svg
| shield_alt              =
| nickname                =
| motto                   =
| image_map          = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=y|frame-width=285|frame-height=180|frame-align=center|frame-coordinates={{Coord|32|N|9|W}}|zoom=4|type=point|title=Arrecife|marker=city|type2=shape|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|text=Interactive map of Arrecife.}}
|map_caption              = Location of Arrecife
| pushpin_map             = Spain Lanzarote#Spain Canary Islands#Spain with Canary Islands
| coordinates             = {{coord|28|57|45|N|13|33|2|W|type:city|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   =
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = Spain
| subdivision_type1       = [[Autonomous Community]]
| subdivision_name1       = {{flag|Canary Islands}}
| subdivision_type2       = [[Provinces of Spain|Province]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Province of Las Palmas|Las Palmas]]
| subdivision_type3       = [[Island]]
| subdivision_name3       = [[Lanzarote]]
| established_title       = 
| established_date        = 
| founder                 = 
| leader_party            = [[People's Party (Spain)|PP]] 
| leader_title            = Mayor
| leader_name             = Ástrid Pérez Batista   
| area_footnotes          = <ref name=area>[http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/istac/jaxi-istac/menu.do?uripub=urn:uuid:fbc0bdc8-cacb-43b8-a5cb-a93f745dcff6 Instituto Canario de Estadística], area</ref>
| area_total_km2          = 22.72
| elevation_footnotes     = ([[AMSL]])
| elevation_m             = 20
| population_as_of        = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
| population_footnotes    = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
| population_total        = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population_rank         = 
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_demonym      =
| timezone1               = [[Western European Time|WET]]
| utc_offset1             = +00:00
| timezone1_DST           = [[Western European Summer Time|WEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +01:00
| postal_code_type        = [[Postal code]]
| postal_code             = 35500
| area_code               = [[+34]] (Spain) + 928 (Las Palmas)
| twin1                   = 
| twin1_country           = 
| website                 = [http://www.arrecife.es/portal/ www.arrecife.es]
| footnotes               =
}}

'''Arrecife''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|r|ə|ˈ|s|iː|f|eɪ|}}; {{IPA|es|areˈθife|lang|Pronunciation of Arrecife in Spanish.ogg}}; {{IPA|es|areˈsife|local}}) is the [[capital city]] and a [[Municipalities of Spain|municipality]] of [[Lanzarote]] in the [[Canary Islands]]. It was made the island's capital in 1852. The city owes its name to the rock reef ("arrecife" being Spanish for "reef") which covers its local beach. It also gives its name to the nearby [[Arrecife Airport]]. The population of the municipality was 64,645 in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Arrecife - Población: inmigrantes, emigrantes y otros datos sobre los habitantes de cada municipio|url=https://www.epdata.es/datos/poblacion-inmigrantes-emigrantes-otros-datos-habitantes-cada-municipio/3/arrecife/1127|access-date=2021-05-15|website=www.epdata.es}}</ref> Its area is {{convert|22.72|km2|sqmi}}.<ref name=area/>

Arrecife is located south of [[Teguise (municipality)|Teguise]] and east of [[San Bartolomé, Las Palmas|San Bartolomé]], and is bordered by the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to its southeast. It is a [[port town]], served by ferries to the other Canary Islands, Europe, and Africa. The [[LZ1 (Lanzarote)|LZ1]] road connects Arrecife to the northeast of the island, the [[LZ2 (Lanzarote)|LZ2]] road connects it to the southwest, and the [[LZ3 (Lanzarote)|LZ3]] road serves as the city's beltway.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Carreteras insulares de Lanzarote (2007)|url=http://www.datosdelanzarote.com/itemDetalles.asp?idFamilia=31&idItem=3978|access-date=2021-05-16|website=www.datosdelanzarote.com}}</ref> The tallest building in Lanzarote is the Arrecife Gran Hotel, which is located on the seafront alongside the harbour.

== History ==
The earliest records of Arrecife date from the fifteenth century when it was a small fishing settlement. The name, given then as ''Arrecifes'', refers to the black volcanic [[reefs]] behind which boats could hide, protected from sudden [[pirate]] attacks.

Towards the end of the sixteenth century the settlement began to grow in response to a need for accommodation and warehousing to support growing trade between the old and new worlds.  The first church was constructed at this time, consecrated to the first [[bishop]] of Arrecife, ''San Ginés''. Growing prosperity increased the attractiveness of the town as a pirate target: in 1571 a pirate named ''Dogan'' plundered and almost completely destroyed the little port town.

In 1964 Arrecife became the site of [[Lanzarote]]'s first sea-water [[desalination]] plant.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=González-Morales|first1=Alejandro|last2=Ramón-Ojeda|first2=Antonio Ángel|date=2019-06-14|title=La desalación de agua de mar en las Canarias Orientales: los casos de Lanzarote y Fuerteventura|url=https://revistaselectronicas.ujaen.es/index.php/atma/article/view/3722|journal=Agua y Territorio / Water and Landscape|language=es|issue=13|pages=15–26|doi=10.17561/at.13.3722|issn=2340-7743|doi-access=free|hdl=10553/58386|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

== Climate ==
Arrecife has a tropical [[desert climate|hot desert climate]] (BWh) according to the [[Köppen climate classification]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=591924&cityname=Arrecife%2C+Canary+Islands%2C+Spain&units=|title = Arrecife, Spain Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)}}</ref> The little precipitation is concentrated in the winter months.



{{Weather box
| width = 100%
| location = Lanzarote Airport (1981-2010)
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan record high C = 27.9
| Feb record high C = 29.0
| Mar record high C = 32.7
| Apr record high C = 36.3
| May record high C = 42.6
| Jun record high C = 40.7
| Jul record high C = 42.9
| Aug record high C = 43.6
| Sep record high C = 40.5
| Oct record high C = 37.1
| Nov record high C = 34.2
| Dec record high C = 27.5
| year record high C = 43.6
| Jan high C = 20.7
| Feb high C = 21.3
| Mar high C = 22.9
| Apr high C = 23.5
| May high C = 24.6
| Jun high C = 26.3
| Jul high C = 28.2
| Aug high C = 29.1
| Sep high C = 28.6
| Oct high C = 26.7
| Nov high C = 24.2
| Dec high C = 21.8
| year high C = 24.8
| Jan mean C = 17.4
| Feb mean C = 17.9
| Mar mean C = 19.0
| Apr mean C = 19.6
| May mean C = 20.8
| Jun mean C = 22.6
| Jul mean C = 24.3
| Aug mean C = 25.2
| Sep mean C = 24.7
| Oct mean C = 23.0
| Nov mean C = 20.7
| Dec mean C = 18.6
| year mean C = 21.1
| Jan low C = 14.0
| Feb low C = 14.3
| Mar low C = 15.0
| Apr low C = 15.7
| May low C = 16.8
| Jun low C = 18.8
| Jul low C = 20.4
| Aug low C = 21.2
| Sep low C = 20.8
| Oct low C = 19.4
| Nov low C = 17.2
| Dec low C = 15.4
| year low C = 17.4
| Jan record low C = 8.0
| Feb record low C = 9.0
| Mar record low C = 8.3
| Apr record low C = 9.5
| May record low C = 11.5
| Jun record low C = 12.4
| Jul record low C = 15.4
| Aug record low C = 16.6
| Sep record low C = 15.5
| Oct record low C = 12.0
| Nov record low C = 10.9
| Dec record low C = 9.0
| year record low C = 8.0
| Jan rain mm = 16.5
| Feb rain mm = 18.2
| Mar rain mm = 12.5
| Apr rain mm = 5.2
| May rain mm = 1.5
| Jun rain mm = 0.1
| Jul rain mm = 0.0
| Aug rain mm = 0.5
| Sep rain mm = 2.2
| Oct rain mm = 9.9
| Nov rain mm = 14.7
| Dec rain mm = 29.3
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain days = 3
| Feb rain days = 3
| Mar rain days = 2
| Apr rain days = 1
| May rain days = 0
| Jun rain days = 0
| Jul rain days = 0
| Aug rain days = 0
| Sep rain days = 0
| Oct rain days = 2
| Nov rain days = 3
| Dec rain days = 4
| unit rain days = 1.0 mm
| Jan sun = 203
| Feb sun = 201
| Mar sun = 241
| Apr sun = 255
| May sun = 297
| Jun sun = 292
| Jul sun = 308
| Aug sun = 295
| Sep sun = 248
| Oct sun = 235
| Nov sun = 207
| Dec sun = 196
| source 1 = [[Agencia Estatal de Meteorología]]<ref>{{cite web
  |url=http://www.aemet.es/en/conocermas/publicaciones/detalles/guia_resumida_2010
  |title=Guía resumida del clima en España (1981-2010)
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118081428/http://www.aemet.es/en/conocermas/publicaciones/detalles/guia_resumida_2010
  |archive-date=2012-11-18
  |url-status=dead
  }}</ref>
| date = November 2014
| source = 
}}

== Historical population ==
{{Historical populations
|align=center
|cols=2
|shading=off
|percentages=pagr
|source=Centro de Datos, Cabildo de Lanzarote<ref name=pob_lanz_1996-2019>{{cite web |url=http://www.datosdelanzarote.com/itemDetalles.asp?idFamilia=6&idItem=2817 |title=Población de derecho de Lanzarote según municipio. Evolución (1996-2019) |trans-title=Legal population of Lanzarote by municipality. Evolution (1996-2019) |language=es |publisher=Centro de Datos, Cabildo de Lanzarote |access-date=2019-07-16 }}</ref>
| 1996 | 38091
| 2000 | 43711 
| 2005 | 53920 
| 2010 | 58156 
| 2015 | 56940
| 2018 | 61351
|2020|64,645}}

==Economy==
The [[Port of Arrecife]] is the main [[seaport|port facility]] for Lanzarote and the second busiest in the Canary Islands in terms of passengers.<ref name="las-palmas-1">{{cite web |title=Port of Arrecife |url=http://www.palmasport.es/en/port-of-arrecife/ |website=Puertos de Las Palmas |access-date=11 April 2021}}</ref> It handles passenger ferries, cruise ships, and [[ro-ro]] cargo, but also [[bulk cargo|bulk]], [[breakbulk]], [[Intermodal container|container]]s, and [[liquid bulk]], and has a large [[commercial fishing|fishing]] port.<ref name="fap-1">{{cite web |title=Port of Arrecife, Spain |url=https://www.findaport.com/port-of-arrecife |website=www.findaport.com |publisher=Shipping Guides Limited |access-date=11 April 2021}}</ref>

== Communities ==
* [[Urbanización Playa Honda]] (subdivision), south

== Assets of Cultural Interest ==
The real estate properties of Arrecife registered in the [[Bien de Interés Cultural|Register of Assets of Cultural Interest]] are:

* Casa de los Arroyo
* [[Castillo de San Gabriel]]
* [[Castillo de San José]]
* [[San Ginés, Arrecife|Iglesia Matriz de San Ginés Obispo]]
* [[Fachada del edificio Segarra]]
* Headquarter of the Island Council of Lanzarote
* Salinas de Naos
* Salinas de Bufona

== Sites of interest ==
* [[Playa Reducto]], Arrecife's town beach
* [[Castillo de San José]], 18th-century fortress that now houses a collection of modern art
* [[Puente de Las Bolas]], bridge leading to the Castillo de San Gabriel
* [[Charco de San Ginés]], man-made lagoon used by fishermen

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Iglesia de San Ginés.jpg|Church
File:Gran Hotel Arrecife.jpg|The Gran Hotel Arrecife
File:Castillo de San Gabriel Arrecife Lanzarote Canaries.jpg|Castle of San Gabriel
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[List of municipalities in Las Palmas]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commonscatinline}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline}}
* [http://www.guidetocanaryislands.com/things-to-do-arrecife-lanzarote// Things to do in Arrecife]

{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Arrecife
|North     = [[Teguise (municipality)|Teguise]]
|Northeast = 
|East      = 
|Southeast = Atlantic Ocean
|South     = 
|Southwest = 
|West      = [[San Bartolomé, Las Palmas|San Bartolomé]]
|Northwest = 
}}

{{Municipalities in Las Palmas|state=autocollapse}}
{{Canary Islands-Capitals}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Arrecife| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities in Lanzarote]]
[[Category:Populated places in Lanzarote]]