Santa Cruz de Tenerife (2005 population 221,627) is a Spanish city on the island of Tenerife, the largest and most populated of the Canary Islands as stated in the 2005 census.

It is the capital of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and a co-capital of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. It is part of one of the two biggest metropolitan areas in the Islands with 420,198 inhabitants, and itself, the second biggest city in the archipelago, second to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with whom shares the capital city status.

It is home to the Parliament of the Canary Islands, the Canarian Ministry of Presidency (shared in a 4 years term years with Las Palmas), a half the ministries and boards of the Canarian Government, (the other half being located in Gran Canaria) , the Tenerife Provincial Courts and 2 courts of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands. There are also several dependecies of the La Laguna University lying on Santa Cruz soil, like the Fine Arts School or the Naval Sciences Faculty. Its harbour is one of Spain´s busiests and it comprises three different sectors. It is important for its commercial and passengers traffic and for being one of the major stations in the cruisers' route from Europe to the Caribbean.

In 1990, the population slowly boomed above the 200,000 mark but fell in the late-1990s but returned in 2002 and head to a record level in the 2003 census but the 2004 population saw a minor slowdown only to hit a new record the next year, mostly due to booming immigration rates in the region, mostly from Latin America and Africa.

Santa Cruz, being the centre of the Tenerife Metropolitan Area, is the logical hub for the island´s motorway network.

The 85 km. long TF1 motorway links Las Américas and other southern resorts and villages straight away with its capital. The motorway itself starts near Auditorio and allows to access Santa Cruz and La Laguna through three different ways.

TF5 is the name of the motorway linking Santa Cruz with the Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava and northern side of the island, passing right through La Laguna before getting into Santa Cruz.

The Santa Cruz harbour is one of the busiests is Spain, and in three different quays hosts regular ferries, fast ferries, cruise ships and merchant ships.

Los Rodeos Airport International lies just in the outskirts of La Laguna, making access to Santa Cruz very easy.

Reina Sofía Airport, the one of the two busiest in the Archipielago, ranking 7th in Spain, lies just by TF1 motorway, 75 km, south of Santa Cruz. Plans to link the airport with the capital with a train network have already taken place and works are due to start next year.

In Avenida 3 de Mayo lies the Central Bus Station (Estación de Guaguas), hub for all metropolitan bus lines. Besides it lies the newly built intercambiador, a bigger construction( including free parking places and a shopping centre) linking metropolitan bus lines with those operatating islandwise and the future tram network.

After two years of intensive effort, the Metropolitan Area Tram network will start working in early 2007. The first line will start in Plaza de España and will end in La Laguna´s Avenida Trinidad, reaching Aeropuerto Los Rodeos in a next stage. Yet another line, serving the quarters between the two cities is planned.

There are five administrative subdivisions in Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Anaga, Centro - Las Colinas, Salud - La Salle, Ofra - Costa Sur and Suroeste. You can learn more about Santa Cruz de Tenerife's subdivisions in [1] (Spanish). After recent national legislation (Major Cities Act), each district has a local citizen participation committee ("Tagoror") where representatives of the differente political parties and residents' associations have some influence in municipal policies in their district.

The economy of Santa Cruz relies mainly on services. Trade, tourism, import-export, the seaport and the presence of the major political and financial institutions, as well as the most important companies, guarantee a strong economic activity and development. The building sector is also quite relevant, while industry, apart from the oil reffinery and food processing, is minoritary. The last years have witnessed a certain madness in the building sector, as in many places in Spain. The city of Santa Cruz has refurnished many of its quarters, modernised its infrastructures, built brand new areas, malls, high buildings and some charismatic constructions, such as Calatrava´s Auditorio or the Congress Hall, César Manrique´s Marina or the not yet completed Óscar Domínguez Museum of Modern Art and Culture (IODACC) and the new Plaza de España layout, both by Basel-based Pritzker Price winner studio Herzog & de Meuron. The works to renew the concept under man-made Las Teresitas Beach are due to start this year, under the direction of French architect Dominique Perrault

The area was known to the Guanches, the first inhabitants of the island, as Añazo. Later, it became one of the most important ports of the Atlantic and the Canary Islands, a position it retains to this day. The rise of this former fishermen's village happened after a Volcano destroyed the port of Garachico in the XVIII century. Santa Cruz became the major port of the Island. It acquired first independence from La Laguna and, in the 19th century, was awarded the status of Capital of the Canary Islands province by king Ferdinand VII.

In the last years, it has become clear that there exists a de facto union with neighbouring city San Cristóbal de La Laguna (141.627 inhabitants as in 2005 census) due to the rapid growth of population and lack of empty space between both, forming a merged metropolitan unity home to 420.198 inhabitants including nearby municipalities Tegueste, Candelaria and El Rosario. Regarding this situation, the mayor of Santa Cruz, Miguel Zerolo Aguilar and his La Laguna counterpart, Ana María Oramas Moro, both belonging to the Canarian Nationalists Party(CC), have stated several times to local media their willingness to proceed to a full political union between their municipalities, even though the decission is due to be postponed to a date after the forthcoming local elections in 2007.

Due to the strategic location of Tenerife on the route between the Mediterranean and the Americas, it was attacked a number of times by the English and the Dutch. In particular, Santa Cruz Bay was the scene of two notable naval engagements involving two of the most famous British admirals.

In 1656, Admiral Robert Blake totally destroyed a Spanish silver fleet of 16 ships for the loss of one of his own, despite being under fire from shore batteries and attacking and withdrawing on the tide. 50 years later, the British under John Genings were defeated when they attacked the island on November 6, 1706 during the War of the Spanish Succession.

In 1797 Admiral Horatio Nelson met with bloody defeat in an attempt to storm the harbour. It was at this battle that Nelson lost his right arm having been hit before he had stepped off the ships boat. It was on Santiago's day and that is the reason for having Santiago's sword cutting the lion's head as a symbol of the British defeat.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is popular for its wide commercial offer, including zona Centro (Central part) - Pedestrian calle Castillo, San José, del Pilar, Viera y Clavijo Zona Rambla (Rambla area) or Rambla de Pulido, calle Ramón y Cajal, and the big shopping centres and department stores in Avenida de 3 Mayo, plus the big malls in Añaza on the southern suburbs. The most upmarket and high street shopping is located along Calle del Pilar and nearby Parque Bulevar Shopping Centre, where many designer shops can be found. International and local brands of shops and restaurants, such as Zara, Mango, H&M, Ordning&Reda, El Corte Inglés, Ikea, C&A, McDonalds or Burger King are much present on the island. Not only the wide range of shops makes the city attractive but the lower prices found in many items, such as tobacco, alcohol, electronic devices, beauty products, sunglasses or even food or coffee. They are indeed much lower than in most cities of Western Europe including Spain, due to the very special and much lighter taxation on goods enjoyed on the Canary Islands

Santa Cruz is characterized for its nightlife consisting of discotheques and pubs in the Marina park named after César Manrique, Avenida 3 de mayo and Residencial Anaga, as well as pubs in La Noria street and surroundings, as well a nearby La Laguna.The city is also renowned for its massive, popular and at the same time sophisticated carnival, one of the biggest in the World, declared of Internation Tourist Interest after general Franco´s death. It takes the city by storm in February or March every year.