340 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
340 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sponsored
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travel
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spanish_tourist_board
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canaryislands
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7091725
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# Fuerteventura: a little reserve amid all the action
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## Fuerteventura is catching up with the other Canary Islands as a sun and
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sand destination - but it's also an important conservation centre for rare
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species, including the endangered loggerhead turtle.
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![Canary Islands: Aloe Vera fields in Fuerteventura][1]
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Image 1 of 5
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Canary Islands: Aloe Vera fields in Fuerteventura
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![Canary Islands: Dunes National Park in Fuerteventura][2]
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Image 1 of 5
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Canary Islands: Dunes National Park in Fuerteventura
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![Canary Islands: Corralejo Dunes Beach in Fuerteventura][3]
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Image 1 of 5
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Canary Islands: Corralejo Dunes Beach in Fuerteventura
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![Canary Islands: Sotavento beach in Fuerteventura][4]
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Image 1 of 5
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Canary Islands: Sotavento beach in Fuerteventura
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![Canary Islands: Loggerhead turtles are being reintroduced to
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Fuerteventura][5]
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Image 1 of 5
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Canary Islands: Loggerhead turtles are being reintroduced to Fuerteventura
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11:51AM GMT 28 Jan 2010
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Over the last decade, Fuerteventura's historic role as the poorest and least
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developed of the Canary Islands has come under serious threat.
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Guaranteed sun, expanses of golden sand and turquoise waters have proved
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irresistible to tour operators, brochure writers and winter sun-seekers alike.
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Tourism is now big business. But explore beyond the resorts, and another
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dimension to Fuerteventura emerges which, in the long-term, may prove to be
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more significant.
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Better known as a resort town, Morro Jable in the south is now also home to
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the Sodabe Turtle Reserve. This pioneering project aims, over the next decade,
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to reintroduce loggerhead turtles to the island, creatures that have not bred
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here for more than a century.
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Turtle eggs are brought from the Cape Verde islands to the south and hatched
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in artificial nests on the west coast beach of Cofete. Before they can crawl
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away to an uncertain future, the baby turtles are transferred to tanks at the
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nursery until they are big enough to stand a good chance of survival. They are
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then microchipped and released.
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The hope is that, a decade from now, females will make their way back to
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Cofete to lay eggs themselves, so the species will once again spontaneously
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breed on the island.
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## Related Articles
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* [Tenerife: an elegant land erupting with nature and history][6]
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26 Jan 2010
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* [La Palma: sitting pretty in starlight][7]
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26 Jan 2010
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* [La Gomera: a small corner of whistles and love][8]
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26 Jan 2010
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* [Canary Islands: sun, sea and truly stunning skylines][9]
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26 Jan 2010
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* [Gran Canaria: an exotic blend of ancient and modern][10]
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28 Jan 2010
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* [Lanzarote: a blast from the past illuminates the present][11]
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28 Jan 2010
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'This island is a hot spot of biodiversity for the whole planet,' says Daniel,
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one of the marine scientists working at the reserve. As well as turtles,
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another conservation project has also been set up to reintroduce the
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endangered Mediterranean monk seal to the tiny neighbouring island of Los
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Lobos in the north.
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With this renewed interest in the importance of their natural environment, one
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very welcome recent development for the islanders was the announcement by
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Unesco in May, 2009, that the entire island was to be made a Biosphere
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Reserve, reinforcing its green credentials and its sustainable tourism
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ambitions for the future.
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This strategy means that the almost completely untouched west coast, the
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interior and a proportion of the southern Jandia peninsula will be protected
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for future generations.
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Traditionally, the islanders depended for their livelihoods on fishing, goat
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herding and local crafts, but one recent boon has been the surge in demand for
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moisturising skin products from visiting sun-worshippers.
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In response, the aloe vera plant has overtaken goat's cheese as the island's
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most important product, with its high-quality moisturising products being sold
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all over the archipelago and beyond. ([www.savimax.com][12])
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The quality of water sports to be enjoyed here is among the best in the
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Canaries, with windsurfing and kiteboarding proving powerful magnets for the
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adventure sports fraternity.
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While the seas on the leeward, eastern side of the island are almost always
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calm, the winds are also reliable and constant, particularly in the famous
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Sotavento lagoon where World Tour events are staged every year.
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On the wilder western coast, there are a handful of surfing beaches, while
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diving is also very popular with a 3,280ft drop-off close to shore, exotic
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marine life, excellent visibility, and an underwater terrain of caves and
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grottoes typical of a submerged volcano. Sea conditions are also usually
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perfect for both novice and experienced divers alike.
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Being the oldest of the Canary Islands, erosion over the millennia has meant
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that almost 4,000ft of height has been wiped off the volcano that created the
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island. The relative lack of rain-attracting elevation has resulted in only
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small pockets of vegetation - mostly in the traditional mountain villages in
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the west - and the most authentically 'lunar' landscape of all the islands.
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Evenings and early mornings are the best times to appreciate this sometimes
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surreal landscape. In low light conditions, the volcanic rock passes through a
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kaleidoscope of colours and textures: warm reds and yellows against the
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darkening blue of the sky.
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Add in the silhouette of a remote finca surrounded by herds of goats, and you
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can see why walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders are increasingly
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attracted to the island.
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**Key Facts **
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* Capital: Puerto de Rosario
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* Size: 641 sq miles
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* Population: 94,400
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* Highest point: Pico de la Zarza at 2,648ft
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* Protected nature reserves:13. The entire island has been designated a
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Unesco World Biosphere Reserve
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* Website: [www.fuerteventuraturismo.com][13]
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**Island Highlights **
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** **
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_**Beaches** _
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There are more than 150 magical beaches to choose from, most of which have
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golden sand that is actually natural and not blown across from the Sahara as
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many guide books will have you believe.
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The best are on the Jandia peninsula in the south-east which are generally
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less gusty than those in the north-east. But don't forget the west coast which
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has strong currents but also some beautiful fishing villages and surfing
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beaches, including El Cotillo in the north-west and wild Cofete in the Jandia
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Natural Park.
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_**Playa de Sotavento**_
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The Sotavento lagoon in the south-east has become world famous among
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windsurfers and kiteboarders, with World Tour events held here annually around
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the last two weeks in July.
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Its popularity stems from its unique and reliable wind conditions; the beach
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itself is a stunning lagoon with white sand and shallow, turquoise sea which
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changes by the minute as the tides rise and fall.
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_**Betancuria Church** _
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The former capital of Betancuria in the centre west was chosen for its natural
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protection against pirate attacks. None the less, the original church fell
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victim and what we see today was rebuilt in 1691, although the bell tower is
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original. A magnificent example of Spanish baroque.
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_**Parque Natural de las Dunas de Corralejo** _
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Located at the northern end of the island, these protected white-sand dunes
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are one of the island's major draws and helped kick-start tourism in the
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nearby resort of Corralejo.
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Often featured in films and television, the large expanse of dunes stretches
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for about six miles along the coast.
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_**Mirador Morrovelosa **_
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With the best and most panoramic views, this lookout point is one of a number
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in the Canaries that also features a restaurant designed by the great
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Lanzarote-born architect Cesar Manrique. The bumpy track to the top at 2,130ft
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is well worth the effort. ** **
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_**Tindaya Volcano** _
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Sacred to the Majoreros people who once lived here and who left more than 100
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mysterious 'foot' carvings on the summit (apparently to guard against evil
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spirits), the volcano can only be climbed with permission from the environment
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agency.
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A controversial project to hollow out a space inside the mountain by the late
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Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida is still under consideration.
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[X][14] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][15]
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* Share: [Share][14] [ ][16] [ ][17]
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[Tweet][18]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryisland
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s/7091725/Fuerteventura-a-little-reserve-amid-all-the-action.html
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Telegraph
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## [Canary Islands][19]
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* ### [Sponsored »][20]
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* ### [Travel »][21]
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* ### [Spanish Tourist Board »][22]
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[X][14] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][15]
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Share:
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* [ ][14]
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* [ ][16]
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* [ ][17]
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* [Tweet][18]
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* [![Canary Islands holidays][23]][19]
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[1]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/CANARY_P10-12_CM_A_1
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567820c.jpg
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[2]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/CANARY_P10-12_CM_D_1
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567819c.jpg
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[3]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/CANARY_P10-12_STB__1
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567818c.jpg
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[4]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/CANARY_P10-12_STB__1
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567817c.jpg
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[5]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/CANARY_P10-13_R_MG_1
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567816c.jpg
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[6]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079200
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/Tenerife-an-elegant-land-erupting-with-nature-and-history.html
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[7]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079397/La-
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Palma-sitting-pretty-in-starlight.html
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[8]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079510/La-
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Gomera-a-small-corner-of-whistles-and-love.html
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[9]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079816/Canary-
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Islands-sun-sea-and-truly-stunning-skylines.html
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[10]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7080193/Gran-
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Canaria-an-exotic-blend-of-ancient-and-modern.html
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[11]:
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/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7091935/Lanzarote-a
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-blast-from-the-past-illuminates-the-present.html
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[12]: http://www.savimax.com
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[13]: http://www.fuerteventuraturismo.com
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[14]: #
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[15]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/4590190/Share-this-
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article-What-are-these.html
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[16]: mailto:?subject=A Telegraph reader thought you would be interested in
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this article&body=Depending on your email program, you may be able to click on
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the link in the email. Alternatively, you may have to open a web browser, such
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as Firefox or Internet Explorer, and copy the link over into the address bar.
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%0A%0Ahttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canary
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islands/7091725/Fuerteventura-a-little-reserve-amid-all-the-action.html
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%0A%0AFor the best content online, visit www.telegraph.co.uk
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[17]: javascript:print()
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[18]: http://twitter.com/share?via=Telegraph
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[19]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/can
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aryislands/
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[20]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/
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[21]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/
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[22]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/
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[23]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01569/sponsor_canaryisla_
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1569739a.jpg
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