The island is not short of superlatives. As the youngest, southernmost, and westernmost of the Canary Islands, it’s also the smallest inhabited island, trailing only the uninhabited La Graciosa in size. Its name – El Hierro – traces back to the ancient geographer Ptolemy, who in the 2nd century AD chose its westernmost point, Punta de Orchilla, as the location for the prime meridian. For more than sixteen centuries, this remote Canarian headland served as the world’s reference point for longitude measurements, maintaining this role until the meridian was relocated to Greenwich, England, in 1884.
The heart-shaped island was also a refuge for Christopher Columbus, who made a 17-day stay here to gather water, food and supplies and wait for better winds to push him towards the Americas. In Spanish, El Hierro is known as the “Meridian Island”, because it was, for many centuries, the westernmost point of the known world. Its sharp, rocky cliffs with natural pools, and the black volcanic earth give the sensation of being the edge of civilisation, which it was until the discovery of America.
El Hierro remains refreshingly untouched by mass tourism, revealing stunning beaches like the volcanic black stones of Timijiraque, crimson-colored Playa del Verodal, and the pristine white sands of Arenas Blancas. However, to truly enjoy the island, you might need to be the adventurious type.
With 270 kilometers of ancient pathways threading across the landscape, hikers can explore diverse terrain from coastal cliffs to volcanic slopes. Water enthusiasts will find exceptional diving opportunities in the Mar de las Calmas Marine Reserve and unique swimming experiences in charcos – natural rock pools carved from volcanic stone. Reliable trade winds make paragliding possible year-round, while mountain bikers can tackle empty trails winding through forests, along dramatic coastlines, and across lunar-like volcanic terrain. For those curious about culture, the island’s museums and heritage sites offer insights into El Hierro’s rich history and traditions of its original inhabitants.
But the island doesn’t come without challenges. Besides climate change that has famously troubled El Hierro, bringing extreme droughts and severe storms, another issue has emerged. The island has become the main point of arrival for refugees and migrants arriving from West Africa. Dubbed “Lampedusa of the Atlantic”, over 20,000 migrants arrived on the island in 2024. Only around 20 doctors operate on the island, making it very difficult to take care of people who arrive after life-threatening journeys through the Atlantic. Many of those who manage to arrive face dehydration, hypothermia, and respiratory infections, requiring intense care.
One of the doctors told The Guardian: “This constant flow of migrants takes up a good part of our time to the detriment of the needs of the island’s citizens, which is why we need another hospital quickly.”
Migration to increased since the Covid-19 pandemic, when more border controls on the Mediterranean reactivated the Canary route and changed the migratory balance. Last year, around 47,000 migrants came from the west African coast heading to the Canaries, an 18% increase from the previous year. Almost half of them landed in El Hierro, where controls are less strict.
Years of conflict in the Sahel region, unemployment, and the effect of climate change on farming communities are among the reasons why people attempt the crossing. Seemingly, no organisation – Frontex, Policia Nacional, Red Cross, Civil Defence, NGOs – has a long-term solution for the challenge, which is nowhere near to its end.
Interviewed by The Guardian, one migrant said: “The West must at the same time offer training and a job to those who arrive but also convince other Africans not to leave. Africa must be really helped, serious investments and real development policies are needed, otherwise migration will never end.”