- La Palma
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/leuh pahl"meuh/a city in SW California. 15,663.
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▪ Panamatown, eastern Panama, on the estuary of the Tuira River near the Gulf of San Miguel. It is the principal trading centre for the large sparsely populated region that surrounds it. Plantains, corn (maize), and rice are cultivated, and livestock is raised; there is also some sawmilling. The town is isolated, with no highway links to other communities in central and western Panama. Pop. (2000) 1,741.island, Santa Cruz de Tenerife provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of the Canary Islands of Spain, in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the northwestern coast of Africa. Its central geographic feature is La Caldera de Taburiente, a large volcanic caldera (6 miles [10 km] in diameter) that was established as a national park. The rim is breached on the west by a canyon, but it forms a mountain ridge up to 7,950 feet (2,423 metres) at Roque de los Muchachos, where there is an observatory. Its well-watered slopes are densely wooded and deeply dissected by ravines. The more recent lava streams, including those formed in 1949, are naked. The economy of La Palma revolves around irrigation-based farming. Bananas, tomatoes, and tobacco, along with embroidery, are exported from the port of Santa Cruz de la Palma, which also serves as the island's capital. Tourism has increased in importance. The island has some roads and an airstrip. Area 273 square miles (708 square km).Vicente Rodriguez* * *
Universalium. 2010.
