La Graciosa, until now an administrative appendage of Lanzarote, has been officially recognised as the 8th inhabited island in the Canaries.

La Graciosa only covers 18 square miles and is home to around 700 inhabitants, as well as some of the best beaches in the Canaries, if not Spain.

Although already widely regarded as the 8th Canary Island by many for years – the island had in fact always been been part of Lanzarote for administrative purposes, comprising part of the island district of Teguise.

But now that’s all set to change as Spain officially decides to recognise La Graciosa alongside the other islands in the archipelago – Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro.

La Graciosa currently attracts around 25,000 tourists a year, with many properties on the island dedicated for use as holiday lets. Locals there are hoping that their new-found status will give them greater control over tourist numbers whilst providing them with an independent budget to service their own infrastructure needs.

The islands economy revolves around fishing and tourism and it remains one of the few spots in Europe where there are no tarmac roads.