Silbo Gomero, also known as el silbo, is a whistled register of Spanish used by inhabitants of La Gomera in the Canary Islands, historically used to communicate across the deep ravines and narrow valleys that radiate through the island. It enabled messages to be exchanged over a distance of up to five kilometres. Due to its loudness, Silbo Gomero is generally used for public communication. Messages conveyed range from event invitations to public information advisories. A speaker of Silbo Gomero is sometimes called a silbador ("whistler").
The narrow valleys of La Gomera.
Silbo Gomero demonstration at a restaurant in La Gomera.
Whistled languages are linguistic systems that use whistling to emulate speech and facilitate communication between individuals.
Those who are able to speak using whistled language often use their hands or fingers to modify the sound produced.