The Canary Mastiff... I Mean "Not Stiff" Quiz

Answer: Archipelago

The word 'archipelago' derives from the Greek arkhi- 'chief' and pelagos 'sea'. The Canary Islands belong to Spain, but are located off the northwest coast of Africa. The largest city and one of its capitals is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, while its capital is Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The islands fall into two groups, western and eastern, and were formed due to volcanic activity.

The picture is of an archipelago.

Answer: Graceful

Go two kilometres south, across the Strait of El Río, from Lanzarote Island and you will run into La Graciosa. Of the main islands that make up the Canary Islands, La Graciosa is the smallest and the least populated. It barely boasts more than seven hundred residents, and these are split between two settlements. The island is pristine and to keep it that way, the only vehicles allowed on it are "special use" vehicles. Add to this the temperate nature of its climate and you can understand why it has become a tourist haven. The other significant industry for the locals is, unsurprisingly, fishing.

The picure depicts the graceful feet of a ballerina, to hint at the name of the island.

Answer: Berber

Hailing from Morocco, the Berbers were indigenous to North Africa. The Guanche and Canario inhabitants of the Canary Islands were known to be monotheistic, and had their own language, evidence of which is found in artefacts discovered across the islands. They, like the Egyptians, practiced embalming of their dead. The Romans knew the islands as the Insulae Fortunatae (Fortunate Isles).

The barber's pole suggests the correct response - Berber!

Answer: A large volcanic crater

La Palma is the most north-westerly of the Canary Islands, where a visit by German geologist Leopold von Buch in 1815 to view the Taburiente caldera bought the term (caldera) into the geological lexicon. Caldera is the Spanish word for a cauldron or large cooking pot.

For your benefit, a calvert is another term for a shepherd and a culver is a dove. Both terms are used as boys' names. Eli Wallach played the bandit Calverra in the 1960 western "The Magnificent Seven".

The picture is of a caldera.

Answer: Dogs

Yes, the islands are named after dogs, and the Canis lupus familiaris (Canary Mastiff) support the shield. The tricolour flag features the coat of arms in central blue portion with white on the left (blue and white is representative of the province of Santa Cruz,) and yellow on the right, which represents Las Palmas. The flag was adopted in 1982. Each island has its own unique flag.

The dog bone is there to assist you choose - dogs!

Answer: Pineapple palm

This is a large solitary palm that grows 30-60 feet in height though there have been recordings of some growing as high as 130 feet. It does produce a fruit though it is not good eating. The fruit is an orangey yellow colour with a single seed inside.

The sap from this tree can be used to produce a form of palm syrup and this is a solid industry for the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands. As for it being called a pineapple palm, it is because its fat trunk as a young tree resembles that of a pineapple, as in the picture.

Answer: Tenerife

Tenerife lays claim to being the last of the Canaries to be conquered, and they proved to be a right-royal ten-in-the-riff to the Castilian troops. After a number of ineffectual years at the task, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon gave the job to Alonso Fernández de Lugo. He arrived on the island in 1494 with 2,000 men on foot and another 200 on horseback and, despite their superior technology, it still took them until 1496 to overwhelm the islanders.

The picture here is of Tenerife itself.

Answer: The devil

According to the local people, the Guanches, the devil is reputed to have imprisoned Magec, the god of light and the sun inside the sacred mountain. Mount Teide, a World Heritage site since 2007, is the third largest volcano in the world from its base. It is the most visited national park in Europe and one of the most visited in the world.

The photo is of a thorny devil lizard.

Answer: Canary Damsel

This lovely fish (only 10cm long, so don't think you can catch it for dinner!) has a glowing deep blue outline. It is in the family pomacentridae, the same as the clownfish. They feed on algae and small invertebrates, and the male defends the eggs in spawning season. The variety is found around the Azores, Madeira, the Savage Islands, Cape Verde and off the coast of Senegal.

The picture as a damselfly.

Answer: English folk singer

Tim Hart was a celebrated resident of La Gomera in the Canary Islands and, along with Maddy Prior, was the backbone of the English folk group Steeleye Span between the years 1970 to 1982. Apart from their great songs, the band was recognised for the variety of instruments that they employed, including the tabor, spoons, five string banjo and dulcimer.

When Hart's health declined in 1988, he took up residence in the friendlier climes of La Gomera, moved away from music and became a writer and took up photography for a living. In 2008 he was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and he passed away on Christmas Eve in 2009.