[4][5][6] The archipelago is administered by Lanzarote and belongs to the municipality of Teguise.

The name of the archipelago is a reference to its reduced dimensions as the word chinijo is a local colloquial adjective used to describe something small.

[8][9] The natural park, total area 91.12 km2 (35.2 sq mi), also includes part of the rocky north coast of the island Lanzarote (los riscos de Famara).

The area of the natural park overlaps with that of a separately designated marine reserve.

[10] The European Union designated a Special Protection Area for birds in 1994.