The notion of médano comes from the Hispanic Arabic máydan . The term refers to a dune : an elevation of sand that the wind is responsible for forming and moving on beaches and in deserts.
Dunes, therefore, develop when sand accumulates due to the action of the winds . This makes them have uniform layers that overlap.
If the wind blows in a dominant direction, the dunes that are formed take the shape of the letter C. The gusts cause them to advance, with the smaller dunes having greater movement. In this way, the smaller dunes end up reaching the larger dunes, with which they merge.
The wind also causes sand to loosen from the larger dunes, giving rise to new dunes. These phenomena of displacement and formation of sand hills can generate various disorders, from the obstruction of roads to the invasion of crops.
To minimize these inconveniences, it is common for dunes to be fixed to the ground through plants . In some cases, binding substances are also used.
On many beaches the dunes function as a natural barrier against the advance of the sea. That is why they are important to combat coastal erosion: without dunes, water can gradually cover the coastline.
Medano o Medanos, en tanto, son nociones que aparecen en el nombre de varias localidades. En Argentina existen cities llamadas Medanos en la province of Buenos Aires y en Between Rivers; en Venezuela está el Los Médanos de Coro National Park. La isla española de Tenerife, por último, tiene una población denominada El Médano.
The town of El Médano belongs to the municipality of Granadilla de Abona and is the most touristy of all. Its name is due to the fact that there are a large number of dunes in the area. Regarding its location, it is about 11 kilometers from the center of Granadilla and its altitude is around 75 meters above sea level.
We can recognize several nuclei in this town , which are the following: Ensenada Pelada, El Topo, El Cabezo, Arenas del Mar and El Médano . There we find primary and secondary education centers, tourist and citizen service offices, a center for the elderly, a house of culture, a health center, a commercial center and a parish, as well as a postal service and various other services.
For recreation, in El Médano we can find various public squares , among which the Ermita, Galicia and Médano squares stand out, as well as facilities for practicing sports and playgrounds. There is also a promenade that runs along the entire town, from Montaña Pelada to the other end. From there it is possible to reach the hiking trails that lead to the Red Mountain.
Regarding the commitment to the environment, in El Médano there is the Technological Institute of Renewable Energy ( ITER ), a research center of international relevance that also focuses on advances in telecommunications and engineering.
One of the most popular attractions is the Cave of the Holy Brother Peter , where numerous pilgrimages take place every year. The Montaña Pelada is a protected space, a volcanic cone considered a natural monument, with a caldera that is approximately one kilometer in diameter that was formed by the succession of many explosions due to the vaporization of seawater .
The best-known beach is Leocadio Machado , whose length is around 750 meters. In 2004, it received the Blue Flag distinction, an award intended for ports and beaches that achieve an outstanding level in the care of their facilities .