La Palma is one of the smaller of the Canary islands,
 with a surface area of 706 square kilometres and a population of only 80,000.
It is unusual in that it rises exceptionally steeply from the ocean,
the entire central mountain range exceeding 2000 m in altitude.
The highest point on the island is the Roque de los Muchachos
(2426 m), the location of the astronomical observatory