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Frontera Travel Guide

Travel to Frontera - The Westernmost Municipality in El Hierro

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Frontera, meaning border in English, is the westernmost municipality in El Hierro situated on the western and the southern coasts of the island, and forming half the crater of the original volcano. Frontera is one of the two municipalities in population that is larger than the capital including La Palma and is also the largest in population and area.

Some 50 000 years ago, a large part of El Hierro broke away from the island and fell into the sea. The gap, called El Golfo, has since then filled with sediments, leaving a flat, sandy area surrounded by steep mountains. Frontera is built on these sediments. The area is very fertile and is famous for its agricultural produce including vines, banana plantations, and a profusion of fig trees. This is also one of the few areas in the Canary Islands where pineapples can be grown.

Attractions in Frontera

They include Punta or Faro de la Orchilla and the Church of the Virgen de Candelaria. Punta de la Orchilla; a lighthouse situated near the municipalit was first constructed to represent the old meridian. It used to mark the meridian line or the 0 degree-line at the lighthouse which was put by the French in 1634. Many 16th and 17th century maps had the meridian facing at Punta de la Orchilla until 1885 when the meridian since that time moved east to Greenwich during the conference in Washington D.C.. Before the meridian change, El Hierro was known as Isla del Meridiano (Meridian Island).
There are also a gymnasium, churches, a small beach, a small port, a post office and a few squares plazas.