El Hierro, nicknamed Isla del Meridiano, is the farthest south and west of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a population of 11,659 (2023). Its capital is Valverde. At 268.51 square kilometres (103.67 sq mi), it is the second smallest of the eight main islands of the Canaries with La Graciosa being the smallest.