With 1,660 km² Fuerteventura is the second largest of the Canary Islands, after Tenerife. It was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO.
The first tourist hotel was built in 1965 followed by the construction of Fuerteventura Airport at El Mattoral, heralding the dawn of a new era for the island. Fuerteventura, with its 3,000 sunshine hours a year, was placed firmly on the world stage as a major European holiday destination.
The summer Trade Winds and winter swells of the Atlantic make this a year-round surfers’ paradise. Sailors, scuba divers and big-game fishermen are all drawn to these clear blue Atlantic waters where whales, dolphins, marlin and turtles are all common sights. With many hills present through out the Island, hikers are also attracted to this Island.
Much of the interior, with its large plains, lavascapes and volcanic mountains, consists of protected areas which can be best be explored in a 4×4 or (for the more daring) with a cross-country motorbike on an organised tour.
Sites of interest include Corralejo and El Jable to the north which are made up of fine sand dunes whilst the south is filled with long beaches and remote bays. The constant winds blowing onto the beaches provide a paradise for windsurfing. Surfing is common on the west and north coasts where there are large waves. Windsurfing is common around Corralejo and Playas de Sotavento and wave sailing (windsurfing on the waves) on the coast along the northern half of the island. El Cotillo is a small fishing village in the north-west of the Island famous for a very long beach to the south of the village and few very calm beaches to the north. The northern beaches frequented by snorkeling enthusiasts and sun worshipers alike are referred to as lakes by the locals.
At Cofete on the western side of Jandía a remote and imposing house – Villa Winter – looks out to sea across wide and generally empty beaches. It was reputedly built by a Mr Winter on land given by Generalisimo Franco. Despite being one of the most beautiful part of Fuerteventura Cofete has very little touristic facilities.
On 18 January 1994 the SS American Star (former America, USS West Point, Australis) was beached in Playa de Garcey during a storm. By 2007 the ship had collapsed onto its side, almost completely submerged. In 2008 the wreck finally slipped below the surface.
