The University of La Laguna is located in Tenerife, the largest of the seven Canary Islands, an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean about 100 kilometres northwest of the African continent at the closest point. The principal campuses (Central, Anchieta, Guajara and Ofra) of this learning institution are located in the city of La Laguna, which was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, although it also has other centres scattered throughout Santa Cruz de Tenerife. As of academic year 2009/ 2010, the university has 25,103 students, 1,764 professors and 843 administrative and services employees, and offers 41 bachelor degrees and 30 postgraduate degrees regarding all knowledge areas. Its history expands through more than 200 years. First known as “Universidad de San Fernando” (University of St. Ferdinand), a Royal Decree from king Carlos IV ordered on March 11, 1792 the creation of the first literary university in the Canary Islands in La Laguna, which was then the capital of Tenerife. However, the unstable political landscape after 1793 made it impossible to follow through with the decree. The situation was solved after the restoration of Bourbon Dynasty, with another decree from king Fernando VII in 1816, in which it was finally established the creation of a university in the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna named. It opened its doors on January 12, 1817, but the numerous shortcomings of the university, especially the lack of resources and the unstable teaching staff, led to a succession of orders to close and re-open the institution until it was definitively abolished in 1845 by a Royal Order that reduced the number of universities in Spain to ten and ordained the creation of the Canaries Institute in La Laguna. During a visit of Alfonso XIII to the institute in 1906, its director, Adolfo Cabrera Pinto, asked the King to re-establish the university. His petition was rewarded in 1913 by a decree that opened the first academic year of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters and Law preparation, and the history of the University of La Laguna as we know it finally started. During the 20th century, the institution increased in studies, facilities and number of students, teachers and researchers. Two hundred years after it was founded, it continues to be a point of reference in the Canarian community and also reaches out to the world across the Atlantic. In 2010 it joined forces with the other higher learning institution from Canary Islands (the Universitiy of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) to develop the project "Campus Atlántico Tricontinental" (Tri-continental Atlantic Campus), which has gained a quality mention from the Spanish Ministry of Education. This initiative aims to increase the international influence of Canary Island’s universities in South America, North Africa and Europe, especially in research areas such astrophysics, alternative energies and sea studies.