SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, or DE

See also:

• SANTIAGO, or SANTIAGO DE CHILE

SANTIAGO  , a seaport and the capital of Teneriffe and of the Canary Islands; in 28° 28' N. and 16° r 5' W., on the east coast . Pop . (1900) 38,419 . Santa Cruz is the residence of the governor-general of the Canaries, the civil lieutenant-governor of the Teneriffe district, and the military governor of the island . It occupies a small plain bounded by rugged volcanic rocks, and seamed by watercourses which are dry almost throughout the year . Scarcely any vegetation, except cactuses and euphorbias, is to be seen in the neighbour-hood . Almost the entire town was rebuilt in the 19th century, when its population more than trebled . The houses are generally low, with flat roofs; those of the better class are large, with a courtyard in the middle, planted with shrubs in the Spanish fashion . There are many good public buildings, including a school of navigation, technical institute, library, natural history museum and hospital . An aqueduct 5 m. long brings pure water from the mountains of the interior . Dromedaries from the adjacent islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are used to convey merchandise and in agricultural operations . The town is defended by modern forts, but its ancient batteries have also been preserved .

It was bombarded by the

British fleet under Blake in 1657, and by Nelson, who lost his arm during the attack, in 1797 . Some British flags lost on that occasion hang in one of the churches . The anchorage is good, and a mole facilitates landing . Santa Cruz is an important coaling station and commercial centre .