El Hierro's society has been shaped by production, mobility, ports, migration and the changing value of its landscapes.
The island became part of Norman seigneurial expansion early on and later entered the broader dynamics of the archipelago while keeping a small demographic scale. Its relative isolation shaped its own rhythms of settlement, economy and mobility until very recent times. The island economy has changed according to available resources, external connections, population mobility and pressure on the territory.
Among its main reference points are Myth of the edge, Biosphere Reserve, Energy innovation, which connect landscape, memory and everyday life. This section links production, society and landscape to explain the contemporary island without separating it from its history.
Key points
Ganaderia y agricultura de subsistencia
Hasta el siglo XX, la economia de El Hierro se basaba en la ganaderia extensiva, la pesca artesanal y una agricultura de secano adaptada a la escasez de agua.
Emigracion masiva y retorno
La emigracion a Cuba y Venezuela fue intensa; el retorno de muchos herreños en el siglo XX introdujo recursos, ideas y contactos que transformaron la sociedad local.
Turismo de naturaleza y buceo
El Hierro ha apostado por un turismo de baja densidad basado en senderismo, naturaleza y buceo; La Restinga atrae visitantes internacionales por la calidad de sus fondos marinos.
Proyecto energetico Gorona del Viento
La combinacion de aerogeneradores y depositos de agua permite a El Hierro cubrir sus necesidades energeticas con recursos renovables; es un modelo de referencia para islas pequeñas en todo el mundo.
Municipalities of El Hierro
See all →- El Pinar de El HierroEl Pinar de El Hierro is a municipality of El Hierro, presented through settlement, landscape, local memory and its links with the rest of the island.
- FronteraFrontera is a municipality of El Hierro, presented through settlement, landscape, local memory and its links with the rest of the island.
- ValverdeValverde is a municipality of El Hierro, presented through settlement, landscape, local memory and its links with the rest of the island.