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El Hierro, nicknamed ''Isla del Meridiano'' (the "Meridian Island"), is the smallest and farthest south and west of the Canary Islands (an Autonomous Community of Spain), in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a population of 10,162 (2003). == Name == The name ''El Hierro'', although spelled like the Spanish word for 'iron', is not related to that word. The ''H'' in the name of the metal is derived from the ''F'' of Latin ''ferrum'' (compare ''higa'' for 'fig'). The ''H'' in the name of the island dates back to the time in Old Spanish orthography when the distinction between the letters ''I'' and ''J'' was not yet established and a silent ''h'' was written before word-initial ''ie'' to ensure that the ''i'' was read as a semivowel, not as the consonant . The confusion with the name of the metal had effects on the international naming of the island. As early as the 16th century, maps and texts called the island after the word for 'iron' in other languages: Portuguese ''Ferro'', French ''l'île de Fer'', and Latin ''Insula Ferri''. Nevertheless, the origin of the name ''ero'' or ''erro'' or ''yerro'' is not definitely known. It is thought to be derived from one of several words in the Guanche language of the pre-Hispanic inhabitants, known as Bimbaches. Juan de Abreu Galindo (in a manuscript translated and published by George Glas in 1764) gives the native name of the island as Esero (or ''Eseró''), meaning 'strong'. Richard Henry Major, however, in notes on (his translation ) of (''Le Canarien'' ), observes that the Guanche word ''hero'' or ''herro'', meaning 'cistern', could easily have lapsed into ''hierro'' by a process of folk etymology. It is believed that the Bimbaches had to construct cisterns to save fresh rainwater. The ''Gran diccionario guanche''〔 〕 gives the meaning of the Guanche word ''hero'' in Spanish as "fuente" ('spring (source )'). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「El Hierro」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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