Teide National Park is the biggest and oldest of the Canary Islands' parks. Its landscape is shaped around the biggest volcano in Spain: Teide, whose last eruption took place in 1798.
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The volcanic cones and the lava runs form an extraordinary group of colours and shapes, in which thrives a diverse flora of great biological importance.
In 1954, Teide National Park was founded in order to protect a landscape of impressive beauty and great ecological importance that extended around the colossal volcano.
Teide is a volcanic formation situated on an old and gigantic crater-like sunken area, shaped by two semi craters, separated by Roques de Garcia. In the shelter of Teide live plants and animal species that are unique in the world. The diversity of plants is astounding: Teide broom, towers of jewels, echium virescens, bencomia stipulata, descurainia bourgaena, pterocephalus lasiospermus, and silver thistle. The most important species in the park are the invertebrates. More than 700 species of insects are listed, 50% of which are endemic to the area. There are several species of reptiles (such as the Tizon lizard) and birds (Egyptian vulture, sparrow hawk, kestrel, red kite). Mammals are scarce, but there are mouflons, rabbits and 5 species of bats. The attraction of this National Park lies in its flora, since it has 139 classified higher plants, 50 of which are endemic to the Canary Islands. Several of these natural gems are the tower of jewels, bencomia stipulata or the Teide violet, which has the honour of being the highest in the country.
