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Telde is sometimes confused with Spain's and the Canary Island's tallest mountain, Teide.

Municipality of Telde
Map
Statistics
Autonomous region:	Canary Islands
Province:	Las Palmas
Island:	Gran Canaria
Area:	102.43 km² some reads 102.87 km²
Population:	94,862 (2004)
Population density:	922.15/km²
Elevation: Lowest: Centre: Highest:	Atlantic Ocean 130 m western part
Location:	28° N lat. 15.41667/15°25' W long.
Municipal code:	E-35026
Car designation:	GC until 2001

Telde is a municipality in the eastern province of Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria, part of the Canary Islands. It is the second most populated municipality on the island. The population is 93,942 (ISTAC, 2003), the area is 102.43 km² and the density is 917.13/km² and is expected to reach the 100,000 person mark in the mid-2000s. The elevation is 130 m. It is located on the province's main highway, which links with the capital and the superhighway GC1, other roads includes GC4 with mountain curves in the northeast and GC5 near Teide and another interchange in the east. In recent years, the main industries have become private businesses and tourism, though until the 1980s agriculture was the dominant industry. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east, farmlands cover the central and eastern area, and the rest of the land is very mountainous. The housing developments of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria were built in the 1960s and were expanded in the 1980s. This expansion resulted in a loss of agricultural land which was replaced by residential, industrial and commercial properties, including hotels and an airport, Gran Canaria International Airport. The airport is located in the subdivision of Gando, between Telde and the capital. Further south lies the island's tourist zone.

• Location:
  • Latitude: 28 (28°) N
  • Longitude: 15.41667 (15°25') W
• Altitude:
  • Lowest: Atlantic Ocean
  • Centre: 130 m
  • Highest: southwestern part m

Pre-Spanish colonialist invasion Telde was the eastern centre to the Guanches, and the renowned Guanche King Doramas is believed to have lived here. Telde, situated in a most fertile area of Gran Canaria, has its equivalent province in Morocco in a very fertile region called Tedlah. Early records point to about 14,000 Guanche dwellings here in Telde at the time of conquest, and Telde is the spot where the famous Idolo de Tara figure—currently housed in the Museo Canario in Las Palmas—was discovered.

Telde, along with Galdar, is considered a Guanche centre. Today Telde is Gran Canaria's second city with a population well over 80,000. The historic old town area of Telde is particularly popular with visitors.

In the past, Telde was an agricultural community, the main crops being sugar canes, vineyards, bananas and tomatoes. Today, the surrounding area of Telde is quite heavily industrialised becoming the industrial centre on the island. ^[1]

The historical Iglesia de San Juan Bautista located in the Plaza de San Juan, Telde

Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Telde is the true spiritual centre of Telde. Located in the square of the same name and founded in 1483, the old church was erected by the Garcia del Castillo family at the time of the town's foundation. It still has the original gateway, an example of Sevillian-Portuguese Gothic architecture. The towers, however, are an example of early 20th neo-Gothic construction. The real marvels are inside the building: the statue of Christ on the main altar, made from corn dough by the Tarasco Mexican Indians, brought here before 1550, the Flemish Gothic main altar, which dates back to before 1516, and the triptych of the Virgin Mary, brought from Flanders, also in the 16th century, depicting five religious scenes. ^[2]

Telde has schools, lyceums, gymnasia, churches, beaches, a post office, parks, sporting grounds and a square (plaza).

• Map and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest, MapPoint, Google or Yahoo! Maps
  • Google or Microsoft Virtual Earth - image now available
• Coordinates: 28°0′0″N, 15°30′0″W

• List of municipalities in Las Palmas

v • d • e Municipalities of Gran Canaria
Agaete • Agüimes • Artenara • Arucas • Firgas • Gáldar • Ingenio • Mogán • Moya • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria • San Bartolomé de Tirajana • San Nicolás de Tolentino • Sta. Brígida • Sta. Lucía de Tirajana • Sta. María de Guía • Tejeda • Telde • Valleseco • Valsequillo • Vega de San Mateo