El Hierro is the smallest and southest of the Canary Islands. In its 268 km2 you can find diverse landscapes, from pahoehoe lava to Monteverde areas with
species of laurel and evergreen forests, with Canary pine tree woods, grazing areas and a huge area with tropical fruit plantation. This scenic variety is accompanied by the existence of microclimates, which can ensure that those who visit El Hierro have the impression of having visited a continent full of contrasts.
The island is divided into three municipalities and has a population of about 10 thousand inhabitants. Valverde, the capital, is the only Canary capital that is not on the coast, something that was done as a strategic measure due to the continuous attacks of ships.
It has two awards from UNESCO: El Hierro Biosphere Reserve in its entirety since 2000 and Geopark since 2012. These two awards are connected to natural and geological values, something that is clear to the visitor who comes to El Hierro. In recent years, the island has been on the covers of the mainstream media, not only Spanish but also from abroad and even from “across the pond”, for two very different reasons: the last volcanic eruption in Spain (2011) and the commissioning of Gorona del Viento. In the first case, it was an underwater volcanic eruption, which occurred a half mile from La Restinga (fishing village on the southern end of the island).
In the case of Gorona del Viento, we talked about the first island that is self-sufficient in renewable energy without having a wire connection with any other territory. So far, this self-supply is in specific hours (it has reached up to 72 hours straight), but they are still working on increasing the supply of clean energy to achieve 100%.