El Drago Milenario facts for kids
Quick facts for kids El Drago Milenario |
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El Drago seen from the public viewing area
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 El Drago Milenario
Location in Tenerife
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| Species | Canary Islands dragon tree (Dracaena draco) |
| Coordinates | 28°22′00″N 16°43′20″W / 28.3666°N 16.72222°W |
| Height | 21 m (69 ft) |
| Girth | 20 m (66 ft) |
El Drago, also known as Drago Milenario (which means "Millennium Dragon Tree"), is a very old and huge dragon tree. You can find it in Parque del Drago in Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife, Spain. People say it is about a thousand years old, but its exact age is still debated. This amazing tree is one of the most famous symbols of Tenerife. It was officially made a national monument in 1917.
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What is El Drago?
El Drago is the biggest and oldest living example of a Dracaena draco, also called a dragon tree. It stands in the Parque del Drago in Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife. The tree is about 20 to 21 meters (65 to 69 feet) tall. Its base measures around 20 meters (65 feet) all the way around.
How Big is the Tree?
This giant tree has more than 300 main branches. Inside its trunk, there is a large hollow space about 6 meters (20 feet) high. This space even has a door and a fan to keep air moving and stop mold from growing. Experts believe the tree weighs around 140 tons (about 308,000 pounds). In 1995, when it flowered, it had about 1,800 branches covered in flowers. During the time it grew fruit, its weight increased by about 3.5 tons.
A Symbol of Tenerife
El Drago is a very important symbol for the island of Tenerife. It was even shown on the old 1,000 peseta money notes. The tree is also part of the official symbol for the town of Icod de los Vinos. Many local stories and legends feature this special tree. While you need to pay to enter the park where the tree is, you can still see it for free from the nearby town square.
History of El Drago
The exact age of El Drago has been a topic of discussion for many years. Most people believe it is between 800 and 1,000 years old. Some older estimates were much higher. For example, a famous explorer named Alexander von Humboldt thought a similar tree on the island was thousands of years old. In 1907, some professors and students from Zurich believed El Drago was 2,500 years old. However, other studies in 1975 suggested it might be younger, around 350 years old. Today, many studies agree it is about 1,000 years old.
Protecting the Tree
El Drago was officially named a national monument in 1917. In the 1930s, parts of its base were filled with stones and cement to help support it. In 1985, a tree expert named Kenneth Alien studied El Drago. He reopened the entrance to the hollow inside the trunk. He also put a large fan inside to help air move around and stop fungi from growing.
In 1993, a road that used to pass very close to the tree was moved. This helped protect El Drago from traffic and pollution. Since 2002, there have been talks about asking UNESCO to make El Drago a World Heritage Site. This would give it special protection as a place of global importance.
See also
In Spanish: Drago de Icod de los Vinos para niños
- List of individual trees
