Archipelago in the Mediterranean, autonomous community, and province of Spain
Autonomous community and province in Spain
The
Balearic Islands
(
Catalan
:
Illes Balears
[?i??z
b?le?as]
;
Spanish
:
Islas Baleares
[2]
[3]
[4]
[?islas
βale?a?es]
BAL
-ee-
ARR
-ik
or
b?-
LEER
-ik
[5]
[6]
) are an
archipelago
in the western
Mediterranean Sea
, near the eastern coast of the
Iberian Peninsula
. The archipelago forms a
province
and
autonomous community
of Spain, with
Palma de Mallorca
being its capital and largest city.
Formerly part of the
Kingdom of Mallorca
, the islands were made a province in the 19th century provincial division, which in 1983 received a
Statute of Autonomy
. In its later reform of 2007, the Statute designates the Balearic Islands as one of the
nationalities
of
Spain
.
[7]
The official
languages
of the Balearic Islands are
Catalan
and
Spanish
.
The archipelago islands are further grouped in western
Pytiuses
(the largest being
Ibiza
and
Formentera
), and eastern
Gymnesians
(the largest being
Mallorca
and
Menorca
). Many of its minor islands and islets are close to the larger islands, including
Cabrera
,
Dragonera
, and
S'Espalmador
.
The islands have a
Mediterranean climate
, and the four major islands are all popular tourist destinations. Ibiza, in particular, is known as an international party destination, attracting many of the world's most popular
DJs
to its
nightclubs
.
[8]
The islands' culture and cuisine are similar to those of the rest of Spain but have their own distinctive features.
Etymology
[
edit
]
The official name of the Balearic Islands in
Catalan
is
Illes Balears
, while in Spanish, they are known as the
Islas Baleares
.
The ancient Greeks usually adopted local names into their own language, but they called the islands
Γυμνησ?αι
/
Gymnesiai
, unlike either the native inhabitants of the islands, the Carthaginians, or the Romans, who called them
Βαλεαρε??
, with the Romans also calling them the
Baleares
.
[9]
[10]
The term
Balearic
may derive from
Greek
(
Γυμνησ?αι
/
Gymnesiae
and
Βαλλιαρε??
/
Balliareis
).
[11]
In
Latin
, it was
Baleares
.
Of the various theories on the origins of the two ancient Greek and Latin names for the islands?
Gymnasiae
and
Baleares
?classical sources provide two.
According to
Lycophron's
Alexandra
verses, the islands were called
Γυμνησ?αι
/
Gymnesiae
(
γυμν??
/
gymnos
, meaning 'naked' in Greek) because its inhabitants were often nude, probably because of the mostly balmy year-round climate. However, Strabo thought that
Gymnesiai
probably referred to the light equipment used by the Balearic troops
γυμν?ται
/
gymnetae
.
[12]
Most of the ancient Greek and Roman writers thought that the name of the people, (
βαλεαρε??
/
baleareis
, from
β?λλω
/
ballo
: ancient Greek meaning 'to launch') was based on their skill as
slingers
. However,
Strabo
thought the name was of Phoenician origin. He observed that it was the Phoenician word for lightly armoured soldiers, which the ancient Greeks called
γυμν?τα?
/
gymnetas
.
[12]
The root
bal
arguably suggests a Phoenician origin; Strabo, in Volume III, Book XIV of his
Geography
suggests that the name comes from the Phoenician
balearides
.
[13]
Geology
[
edit
]
The Balearic Islands are on a raised platform called the
Balearic Promontory
, and were formed by
uplift
. They are cut by a network of northwest to southeast
faults
.
[14]
[15]
Geography and hydrography
[
edit
]
The main islands of the autonomous community are Majorca (
Mallorca
), Menorca/Minorca (
Menorca
), Ibiza (
Eivissa/Ibiza
), and Formentera, all popular tourist destinations. Amongst the minor islands is Cabrera, the location of the
Cabrera Archipelago Maritime-Terrestrial National Park
. Neighbours:
Algeria
(south),
Spain
's
Catalonia
and
Valencian Community
(west),
France's South
(north), and
France
's
Corsica
as well as
Italy
's
Sardinia
(east). The Balearic Islands province has the longest coastline of any provinces in Spain, with a length of coastline 1,428 kilometres.
The islands can be further grouped, with Majorca, Menorca, and Cabrera as the
Gymnesian Islands
(
Illes Gimnesies
), and Ibiza and Formentera as the
Pityusic Islands
(
Illes Pitiuses
officially in Catalan), also referred to as the Pityuses (or sometimes informally in English as the Pine Islands). Many minor islands or islets are close to the biggest islands, such as Es Conills, Es Vedra, Sa Conillera, Dragonera, S'Espalmador, S'Espardell, Ses Bledes, Santa Eularia, Plana, Foradada, Tagomago, Na Redona, Colom, L'Aire, etc.
The
Balearic Front
is a sea density regime north of the Balearic Islands on the shelf slope of the Balearic Islands, which is responsible for some of the surface-flow characteristics of the
Balearic Sea
.
[16]
Climate
[
edit
]
Located in the west of the
Mediterranean Sea
, the Balearic Islands have mostly typical
hot-summer Mediterranean climates
(
Koppen
: Csa) with some high altitude areas having a
Warm-summer Mediterranean climate
(
Koppen
: Csb) in the island of Majorca. The
semi-arid climate
(
Koppen
: BSh and BSk) is also found in the Balearic Islands, mostly on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera but also in the southern part of Majorca.
[17]
Climate data for
Palma
, Port (1981?2010) 3 metres (9.8 feet)
(
Satellite view
)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
15.4
(59.7)
|
15.5
(59.9)
|
17.2
(63.0)
|
19.2
(66.6)
|
22.5
(72.5)
|
26.5
(79.7)
|
29.4
(84.9)
|
29.8
(85.6)
|
27.1
(80.8)
|
23.7
(74.7)
|
19.3
(66.7)
|
16.5
(61.7)
|
21.8
(71.2)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
11.9
(53.4)
|
11.9
(53.4)
|
13.4
(56.1)
|
15.5
(59.9)
|
18.8
(65.8)
|
22.7
(72.9)
|
25.7
(78.3)
|
26.2
(79.2)
|
23.5
(74.3)
|
20.2
(68.4)
|
15.8
(60.4)
|
13.1
(55.6)
|
18.2
(64.8)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
8.3
(46.9)
|
8.4
(47.1)
|
9.6
(49.3)
|
11.7
(53.1)
|
15.1
(59.2)
|
18.9
(66.0)
|
21.9
(71.4)
|
22.5
(72.5)
|
19.9
(67.8)
|
16.6
(61.9)
|
12.3
(54.1)
|
9.7
(49.5)
|
14.6
(58.3)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
43
(1.7)
|
37
(1.5)
|
28
(1.1)
|
39
(1.5)
|
36
(1.4)
|
11
(0.4)
|
6
(0.2)
|
22
(0.9)
|
52
(2.0)
|
69
(2.7)
|
59
(2.3)
|
48
(1.9)
|
449
(17.7)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 1 mm)
|
6
|
6
|
5
|
5
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
5
|
7
|
6
|
7
|
53
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
167
|
170
|
205
|
237
|
284
|
315
|
346
|
316
|
227
|
205
|
161
|
151
|
2,779
|
Source:
Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia
[18]
|
Climate data for
Ibiza Airport
(1981?2010) 6 metres (20 feet)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
15.7
(60.3)
|
15.9
(60.6)
|
17.7
(63.9)
|
19.7
(67.5)
|
22.7
(72.9)
|
26.8
(80.2)
|
29.7
(85.5)
|
30.3
(86.5)
|
27.7
(81.9)
|
24.0
(75.2)
|
19.6
(67.3)
|
16.7
(62.1)
|
22.2
(72.0)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
11.9
(53.4)
|
12.1
(53.8)
|
13.7
(56.7)
|
15.6
(60.1)
|
18.6
(65.5)
|
22.6
(72.7)
|
25.6
(78.1)
|
26.3
(79.3)
|
23.8
(74.8)
|
20.2
(68.4)
|
15.9
(60.6)
|
13.1
(55.6)
|
18.3
(64.9)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
8.1
(46.6)
|
8.3
(46.9)
|
9.6
(49.3)
|
11.4
(52.5)
|
14.6
(58.3)
|
18.4
(65.1)
|
21.4
(70.5)
|
22.2
(72.0)
|
19.9
(67.8)
|
16.5
(61.7)
|
12.3
(54.1)
|
9.5
(49.1)
|
14.3
(57.7)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
37
(1.5)
|
36
(1.4)
|
27
(1.1)
|
31
(1.2)
|
27
(1.1)
|
11
(0.4)
|
5
(0.2)
|
18
(0.7)
|
57
(2.2)
|
58
(2.3)
|
53
(2.1)
|
52
(2.0)
|
413
(16.3)
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
162
|
166
|
211
|
246
|
272
|
299
|
334
|
305
|
236
|
205
|
157
|
151
|
2,744
|
Source:
Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia
[19]
|
Climate data for
Menorca Airport
(1981?2010) 91 metres (299 feet)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
14.1
(57.4)
|
14.2
(57.6)
|
15.9
(60.6)
|
18.0
(64.4)
|
21.6
(70.9)
|
25.8
(78.4)
|
28.9
(84.0)
|
29.2
(84.6)
|
26.2
(79.2)
|
22.7
(72.9)
|
18.1
(64.6)
|
15.2
(59.4)
|
20.8
(69.4)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
10.8
(51.4)
|
10.8
(51.4)
|
12.3
(54.1)
|
14.3
(57.7)
|
17.8
(64.0)
|
21.8
(71.2)
|
24.9
(76.8)
|
25.4
(77.7)
|
22.6
(72.7)
|
19.4
(66.9)
|
14.9
(58.8)
|
12.1
(53.8)
|
17.2
(63.0)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
7.5
(45.5)
|
7.4
(45.3)
|
8.6
(47.5)
|
10.6
(51.1)
|
13.9
(57.0)
|
17.8
(64.0)
|
20.8
(69.4)
|
21.5
(70.7)
|
18.9
(66.0)
|
16.1
(61.0)
|
11.6
(52.9)
|
9.0
(48.2)
|
13.6
(56.5)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
52
(2.0)
|
54
(2.1)
|
38
(1.5)
|
45
(1.8)
|
37
(1.5)
|
14
(0.6)
|
3
(0.1)
|
20
(0.8)
|
61
(2.4)
|
78
(3.1)
|
88
(3.5)
|
61
(2.4)
|
546
(21.5)
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
144
|
146
|
202
|
222
|
270
|
311
|
347
|
312
|
225
|
183
|
142
|
130
|
2,632
|
Source:
Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia
[20]
|
History
[
edit
]
Ancient history
[
edit
]
The earliest known evidence of inhabitation of the Balearic Islands is dated to the
3rd millennium BC
, around 2500-2300 BC from the Iberian Peninsula or southern France, by people associated with the
Bell Beaker culture
.
[21]
[22]
Little is recorded about the inhabitants of the islands during classical antiquity, though many legends exist. The story, preserved by
Lycophron
, that certain shipwrecked
Greek Boeotians
were cast nude on the islands, was evidently invented to account for the name Gymnesiae (
Ancient Greek
:
Γυμν?σιαι
). In addition,
Diodorus Siculus
writes that the Greeks called the islands Gymnesiae because the inhabitants were naked (γυμνο?) during the summer time.
[23]
Also, a tradition holds that the islands were colonized by
Rhodes
after the
Trojan War
.
[12]
The islands had a very mixed population. Several stories describing them as having unusual habits. Some have it that they went naked year-round (a
folk etymology
claims this inspired the islands’ name), some say they went naked only in the summer, some that they wore only sheepskins?until the
Phoenicians
arrived and provided them with broad-bordered tunics.
Other stories have it that the inhabitants lived in hollow rocks and artificial caves, that their men were remarkable for their love of women and would trade three or four men to ransom one woman, that they had no gold or silver coin, and forbade the importation of the precious metals?so that those of them who served as mercenaries took their pay in wine and women instead of money. The Roman
Diodorus Siculus
described their marriage and funeral customs (v. 18 book 6 chapter 5), noting that Roman observers found those customs peculiar.
In ancient times, the islanders of the
Gymnesian Islands
(
Illes Gimnesies
) constructed
talayots
, and were famous for their skill with the
sling
. As
slingers
, they served as mercenaries, first under the
Carthaginians
, and afterwards under the
Romans
. They went into battle ungirt, with only a small
buckler
, and a javelin
burnt at the end
, and in some cases tipped with a small iron point; but their effective weapons were their slings, of which each man carried three, wound round his head (Strabo p. 168; Eustath.), or, as seen in other sources, one round the head, one round the body, and one in the hand. (Diodorus) The three slings were of different lengths, for stones of different sizes; the largest they hurled with as much force as if it were flung from a catapult; and they seldom missed their mark. To this exercise, they were trained from infancy, in order to earn their livelihood as mercenary soldiers. It is said that the mothers allowed their children to eat bread only when they had struck it off a post with the sling.
[24]
The Phoenicians took possession of the islands in very early times;
[25]
a remarkable trace of their colonisation is preserved in the town of Mago (
Mao
in
Menorca
). After the fall of
Carthage
in 146 BC, the islands seem to have been virtually independent. Notwithstanding their celebrity in war, the people were generally very quiet and inoffensive.
[26]
The Romans, however, easily found a pretext for charging them with complicity with the Mediterranean pirates, and they were conquered by
Q. Caecilius Metellus
, thence surnamed Balearicus, in 123 BC.
[27]
Metellus settled 3,000 Roman and Spanish colonists on the larger island, and founded the cities of
Palma
and
Pollentia
.
[28]
The islands belonged, under the
Roman Empire
, to the conventus of
Carthago Nova
(modern Cartagena), in the
province
of
Hispania Tarraconensis
, of which province they formed the fourth district, under the government of a praefectus pro legato. An inscription of the time of
Nero
mentions the PRAEF. PRAE LEGATO INSULAR. BALIARUM. (Orelli, No. 732, who, with Muratori, reads
pro
for
prae
.) They were afterwards made a separate province, called
Hispania Balearica
, probably in the division of the empire under
Constantine
.
[29]
The two largest islands (the Balearic Islands, in their historical sense) had numerous excellent harbours, though rocky at their mouth, and requiring care in entering them (Strabo, Eustath.;
Port Mahon
is one of the finest harbours in the world). Both were extremely fertile in all produce, except wine and olive oil.
[30]
They were celebrated for their cattle, especially for the mules of the lesser island; they had an immense number of rabbits, and were free from all venomous reptiles.
[31]
Amongst the snails valued by the Romans as a diet was a species from the Balearic Isles called
cavaticae
because they were bred in caves.
[32]
Their chief mineral product was the red earth, called
sinope
, which was used by painters.
[33]
Their resin and pitch are mentioned by
Dioscorides
.
[34]
The population of the two islands is stated by Diodorus at 30,000.
The part of the
Mediterranean
east of Spain, around the Balearic Isles, was called
Mare Balearicum
,
[35]
or
Sinus Balearicus
.
[36]
Medieval period
[
edit
]
Late Roman and early Islamic eras
[
edit
]
The
Vandals
under
Genseric
conquered the Islands sometime between 461 and 468 during their war on the
Roman Empire
. However, in late 533 or early 534, following the
Battle of Ad Decimum
, the troops of
Belisarius
reestablished control of the islands for the Romans. Imperial power receded precipitately in the western Mediterranean after the fall of
Carthage
and the
Exarchate of Africa
to the
Umayyad Caliphate
in 698, and in 707 the islands submitted to the terms of an Umayyad fleet, which allowed the residents to maintain their traditions and religion as well as a high degree of autonomy. Now nominally both Byzantine and Umayyad, the
de facto
independent islands occupied a strategic and profitable grey area between the competing religions and kingdoms of the western Mediterranean. The prosperous islands were thoroughly sacked by the
Swedish
Viking
King
Bjorn Ironside
and his brother
Hastein
during their Mediterranean raid of 859?862.
In 902, the heavy use of the islands as a pirate base provoked the
Emirate of Cordoba
, nominally the island's overlords, to invade and incorporate the islands into their state. However, the Cordoban emirate disintegrated in civil war and partition in the early eleventh century, breaking into smaller states called
taifa
.
Mujahid al-Siqlabi
, the ruler of the
Taifa of Denia
, sent a fleet and seized control of the islands in 1015, using it as the base for subsequent expeditions to
Sardinia
and
Pisa
. In 1050, the island's governor Abd Allah ibn Aglab rebelled and established the independent
Taifa of Mallorca
.
The Crusade against the Balearics
[
edit
]
For centuries, the Balearic sailors and pirates had been masters of the western Mediterranean. But the expanding influence of the Italian
maritime republics
and the shift of power on the Iberian peninsula from the Muslim states to the Christian states left the islands vulnerable. A crusade was launched in 1113. Led by
Ugo da Parlascio Ebriaco
and
Archbishop
Pietro Moriconi
of the
Republic of Pisa
, the expedition included 420 ships, a large army and a personal envoy from
Pope Paschal II
. In addition to the Pisans (who had been promised suzerainty over the islands by the Pope), the expedition included forces from the Italian cities of
Florence
,
Lucca
,
Pistoia
,
Rome
,
Siena
, and
Volterra
, from
Sardinia
and
Corsica
, Catalan forces under
Ramon Berenguer
,
Hug II of Empuries
, and
Ramon Folc II of Cardona
came from Spain and
Occitan
forces under
William V of Montpellier
,
Aimery II of Narbonne
, and
Raymond I of Baux
came from France. The expedition also received strong support from
Constantine I of Logudoro
and his base of
Porto Torres
.
The crusade sacked Palma in 1115 and generally reduced the islands, ending their period as a great sea power, but then withdrew. Within a year, the now shattered islands were conquered by the
Berber
Almoravid dynasty
, whose aggressive, militant approach to religion mirrored that of the crusaders and departed from the island's history as a tolerant
[
citation needed
]
haven under Cordoba and the
taifa
. The Almoravids were conquered and deposed in North Africa and on the Iberian Peninsula by the rival
Almohad Dynasty
of
Marrakech
in 1147. Muhammad ibn Ganiya, the Almoravid claimant, fled to Palma and established his capital there. His dynasty, the
Banu Ghaniya
, sought allies in their effort to recover their kingdom from the Almohads, leading them to grant Genoa and Pisa their first commercial concessions on the islands. In 1184, an expedition was sent to recapture
Ifriqiya
(the coastal areas of what is today Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and western Libya) but ended in defeat. Fearing reprisals, the inhabitants of the Balearics rebelled against the Almoravids and accepted Almohad suzerainty in 1187.
Reconquista
[
edit
]
On the last day of 1229, King
James I of Aragon
captured Palma after a three-month siege. The rest of Mallorca quickly followed. Menorca fell in 1232 and Ibiza in 1235. In 1236, James traded most of the islands to
Peter I, Count of Urgell
for Urgell, which he incorporated into his kingdom. Peter ruled from Palma, but after his death without issue in 1258, the islands reverted by the terms of the deal to the
Crown of Aragon
.
James died in 1276, having partitioned his domains between his sons in his will. The will created a new
Kingdom of Mallorca
from the Balearic islands and the mainland counties of
Roussillon
or
Montpellier
, which was left to his son
James II
. However, the terms of the will specified that the new kingdom be a vassal state to the
Crown of Aragon
, which was left to his older brother
Peter
. Chafing under the vassalage, James joined forces with the Pope
Martin IV
and
Philip III of France
against his brother in the
Aragonese Crusade
, leading to a 10-year Aragonese occupation before the islands were restored in the 1295
Treaty of Anagni
. The tension between the kingdoms continued through the generations until James' grandson
James III
was killed by the invading army of Peter's grandson
Peter IV
at the 1349
Battle of Llucmajor
. The Balearic Islands were then incorporated directly into the Crown of Aragon.
Early modern period
[
edit
]
In 1469,
Ferdinand II of Aragon
(
king of Aragon
) and
Isabella I of Castile
(queen of
Castile
) were married. After their deaths, their respective territories (until then governed separately) were governed jointly, in the person of their grandson, the Emperor
Charles V
. This can be considered the foundation of the modern Spanish state, albeit a decentralized one wherein the various component territories within the united crowns retained their particular historic laws and privileges.
The Balearic Islands were frequently
attacked
by Ottomans and
Barbary pirates
from North Africa;
Formentera
was even temporarily abandoned by its population. In 1514, 1515 and 1521, the coasts of the Balearic Islands and the Spanish mainland were raided by
Turkish privateers
under the command of the
Ottoman
admiral,
Hayreddin Barbarossa
. The Balearic Islands were
ravaged in 1558
by Ottoman corsair
Turgut Reis
, and 4,000 people were taken into
slavery
.
[37]
Menorca
[
edit
]
The island of
Menorca
was a
British
dependency
for most of the 18th century as a result of the 1713
Treaty of Utrecht
. This treaty?signed by the
Kingdom of Great Britain
and the
Kingdom of Portugal
as well as the
Kingdom of Spain
, to end the conflict caused by the
War of the Spanish Succession
?gave
Gibraltar
and Menorca to the Kingdom of Great Britain,
Sardinia
to
Austria
(both territories had been part of the Crown of Aragon for more than four centuries), and
Sicily
to the
House of Savoy
. In addition,
Flanders
and other European territories of the Spanish Crown were given to Austria. The island
fell
to French forces, under
Armand de Vignerot du Plessis
in June 1756 and was occupied by them for the duration of the
Seven Years' War
.
The British re-occupied the island after the war but, with their military forces diverted away by the
American War of Independence
, it fell to a Franco-Spanish force after a
seven-month siege (1781?82)
. Spain retained it under the
Treaty of Paris
in 1783. However, during the
French Revolutionary Wars
, when Spain became an ally of France, it came under French rule.
Menorca was finally returned to Spain by the
Treaty of Amiens
during the French Revolutionary Wars, following
the last British occupation
, which lasted from 1798 to 1802. The continued presence of British naval forces, however, meant that the Balearic Islands were never occupied by the French during the
Napoleonic Wars
.
20th century
[
edit
]
The islands saw limited fighting in the 1936-1939
Spanish Civil War
, with Menorca and Formentera staying loyal to the
Republican Spanish Government
, while the rest of the Balearic Islands supported the Spanish
Nationalists
. The Republican forces recaptured Ibiza early in the conflict, but were unable to take control of Majorca in the
Battle of Majorca
in August 1936, an amphibious landing aimed at driving the Nationalists from the island and reclaiming it for the Republic. After the battle, Nationalist forces re-took Ibiza in September 1936. Menorca would be occupied by the Nationalists in February 1939 after the
Battle of Menorca
.
Culture
[
edit
]
Cuisine
[
edit
]
The cuisine of the islands can be grouped as part of wider
Catalan
,
Spanish
or
Mediterranean
cuisines. It features much pastry, cheese, wine, pork and seafood.
Sobrassada
is a local pork sausage.
Lobster stew
(so-called
caldereta
) from
Menorca
, is one of their most sought after dishes.
[38]
Mayonnaise
is said to originate from the Menorcan city of
Mao
(Mahon)
[39]
which also produces
its own cheese
. Local pastries include
Ensaimada
,
Flao
and
Coca
.
Languages
[
edit
]
Both
Catalan
and
Spanish
are official languages in the islands. Virtually all residents of the Balearic Islands speak Spanish fluently. Most of the native speakers of Spanish in the islands have family roots elsewhere in Spain.
[40]
Catalan is designated as a
llengua propia
, literally
own language
in its statute of autonomy. The
Balearic dialect
features several differences from standard Catalan. Typically, speakers of Balearic Catalan call their own language with a name specific to each island:
Mallorqui
,
Menorqui
,
Eivissenc
,
Formenterenc
. In 2003 74.6% of the Islands' residents knew how to speak Catalan (either Balearic or mainland) and 93.1% could understand it.
[41]
The 2011 census, using slightly different phrasing, reported that 63.4% could fluently speak and 88.5% could understand Catalan.
[42]
Other languages, such as
English
,
French
,
German
and
Italian
, are often spoken by locals, especially those who work in the tourism industry.
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
---|
1900
| 311,649
| ?
|
---|
1910
| 326,063
| +4.6%
|
---|
1920
| 338,894
| +3.9%
|
---|
1930
| 365,512
| +7.9%
|
---|
1940
| 407,497
| +11.5%
|
---|
1950
| 422,089
| +3.6%
|
---|
1960
| 443,327
| +5.0%
|
---|
1970
| 558,287
| +25.9%
|
---|
1981
| 655,945
| +17.5%
|
---|
1991
| 708,138
| +8.0%
|
---|
2001
| 841,669
| +18.9%
|
---|
2011
| 1,100,513
| +30.8%
|
---|
2021
| 1,183,415
| +7.5%
|
---|
Source:
[43]
|
Population in the Balearic Islands (2021)
[44]
Insular council
(
official name in Catalan and equivalent in Spanish
)
|
Population
|
Proportion of
Balearic Islands
|
Density
(population/km
2
)
|
Mallorca
(
Mallorca/Mallorca
)
|
920,605
|
77.79%
|
252.91
|
Ibiza
(
Eivissa/Ibiza
)
|
154,186
|
13.03%
|
269.74
|
Menorca
(
Menorca/Menorca
)
|
96,733
|
8.17%
|
139.04
|
Formentera
(
Formentera/Formentera
)
|
11,891
|
1.00%
|
142.85
|
Circa 2016 the islands had 1,107,220 total residents; the figures of Germans and British respectively were 20,451 and 16,134. Between 2016 and 2017 people from other parts of Spain moved to the Balearics, while the foreign population declined by 2,000. In 2007 there were 29,189 Germans, 19,803 British, 17,935 Moroccans, 13,100 Ecuadoreans, 11,933 Italians, and 11,129 Argentines. The numbers of Germans, British, and South Americans declined between 2007 and 2017 while the largest-increasing populations were the Moroccans, Italians, and Romanians.
[45]
Circa 2017 there were 1,115,999 residents of the Balearics; 16.7% of the islands' population were foreign (non-Spanish). At that time the islands had 23,919 Moroccans, 19,209 Germans, 16,877 Italians, and 14,981 British registered in town halls. The next-largest foreign groups were the Romanians; the Bulgarians; the Argentines, numbering at 6,584; the French; the Colombians; and the Ecuadoreans, numbering at 5,437.
[45]
At the Census of 1 January 2021, the population had increased to 1,183,415 inhabitants.
Roman Catholicism
is, by far, the largest religion in Balearic Islands. In 2012, the proportion of Balearicians that identify themselves as Roman Catholic was 68.7%.
[46]
Xueta Christianity
is a
syncretic
religion on the island of
Majorca
,
Spain
followed by the
Xueta
people, who are supposedly descendants of persecuted
Jews
who were
converts to Christianity
.
[47]
Administration
[
edit
]
Each one of the four islands are administered, along with its surrounding minor islands and islets, by an insular council (
consell insular
in Catalan) of the same name. These four insular councils are the first level of subdivision in the autonomous community (and province) of Illes Balears.
[48]
Before administrative reform in 1977, Ibiza and Formentera formed a single insular council, covering the whole of the Pitiusic Islands.
The insular council of Mallorca is further subdivided into six comarques; three other comarques cover the same territory as the three remaining insular councils.
These nine comarques are then subdivided into municipalities (
municipis
), with the exception of Formentera, which is at the same time an insular council, a comarca, and a municipality.
Note that the maritime and terrestrial natural reserves in the Balearic Islands are not owned by the municipalities, even if they fall within their territory, but are owned and managed by the respective insular councils.
Those municipalities are further subdivided into civil parishes (
parroquies
), that are slightly larger than the traditional religious parishes.
On Ibiza and Formentera parishes are further divided into administrative villages (named
vendes
in Catalan); each
venda
is grouping several nearby hamlets (
casaments
) and their immediate surroundings. These
casaments
are traditionally formed by grouping together several cubic houses to form a defensive block with windows open to the east (against heat), sharing their collective precious water resources, whose residents decide and plan common collective works. However, these last levels of subdivisions do not have their own local administration: they are mostly natural economical units for agriculture (and consequently referenced in local norms for constructions and urbanisation as well) and the reference space for families (they may be appended to the names of people and their properties) and are still used in statistics. Historically, these structures had been used for defensive purpose as well, and were more tied to the local Catholic church and parishes (notably after the
Reconquista
).
Wildlife
[
edit
]
At the time of human arrival, the only terrestrial mammals native to the Balearic Islands were the dwarf goat-antelope
Myotragus
, the giant dormouse
Hypnomys
, and the shrew
Nesiotites hidalgo
which were found on Mallorca and Menorca, which became extinct shortly after human arrival. The only other terrestrial vertebrates native to the islands are
Lilford's wall lizard
, which today is confined to offshore islets surrounding Mallorca and Menorca, the
Ibiza wall lizard
native to the Pityusics, and the
Majorcan midwife toad
, today only found in the mountains of Mallorca.
[49]
An extinct dwarf subspecies of
Lataste's viper
,
Vipera latastei ebusitana
, was also native to the Pityusics until it became extinct after human settlement.
[50]
The
Balearic warbler
is an endemic bird species found on the islands excluding Menorca. Seabirds nesting on the islands include the
Balearic shearwater
,
European storm petrel
,
Scopoli's shearwater
,
European shag
,
Audouin's gull
and the
yellow-legged gull
.
[51]
Economy
[
edit
]
The
gross domestic product
(GDP) of the autonomous community was 32.5 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 2.7% of Spanish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 29,700 euros or 98% of the EU27 average in the same year.
[52]
Transport
[
edit
]
Water transport
[
edit
]
There are approximately 150 ferries between Mallorca and other destinations every week,
[53]
most of them to mainland Spain.
Sport
[
edit
]
The islands' most prominent
football
club is
RCD Mallorca
from
Palma
. Founded in 1916, it is the oldest club in the islands and its team currently (2023?24) plays in the top-tier
La Liga
. RCD Mallorca won the
2003 Copa del Rey
, their sole major honour.
[54]
They were runners-up in the
1999 European Cup Winners' Cup
.
[55]
They contest the long-standing
Palma derby
with the other established team on the islands,
CD Atletico Baleares
.
[
citation needed
]
The islands also have another professional football club since 2015:
UD Ibiza
, a
phoenix club
of
UD Ibiza-Eivissa
, itself a phoenix of
SD Ibiza
. There is also the
Balearic Islands autonomous football team
, and an
unofficial Menorcan national team
. Local clubs play in the
regional divisions
managed by the
Balearic Islands Football Federation
.
[
citation needed
]
Individuals
[
edit
]
Tennis player
Rafael Nadal
, winner of 22
Grand Slam
single titles, and former world no. 1 tennis player
Carlos Moya
are both from Majorca. Rafael Nadal's uncle,
Miguel Angel Nadal
, is a former Spanish international footballer. Other famous sportsmen include basketball player
Rudy Fernandez
and motorcycle road racers
Jorge Lorenzo
, who won the
2010
,
2012
and
2015
MotoGP
World Championships, and
Joan Mir
, who won the
2020
MotoGP World Championship.
[
citation needed
]
Watersports
[
edit
]
Ibiza is one of the world's top yachting hubs attracting a wide assortment of charter yachts.
[56]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes and references
[
edit
]
- ^
"Contabilidad Regional de Espana"
(PDF)
.
www.ine.es
.
- ^
"Ley 3/1986, de 19 de abril, de normalizacion linguistica"
. Boe.es. Archived from
the original
on 22 October 2007
. Retrieved
7 July
2012
.
- ^
"Ley 13/1997, de 25 de abril, por la que pasa a denominarse oficialmente Illes Balears la Provincia de Baleares"
. Boe.es. Archived from
the original
on 22 October 2007
. Retrieved
7 July
2012
.
- ^
"Ley Organica 1/2007, de 28 de febrero, de reforma del Estatuto de Autonomia de las Illes Balears"
. Boe.es. Archived from
the original
on 22 October 2007
. Retrieved
7 July
2012
.
- ^
Wells, John C. (2008).
Longman Pronunciation Dictionary
(3rd ed.). Longman.
ISBN
978-1-4058-8118-0
.
- ^
Roach, Peter (2011).
Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary
(18th ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN
978-0-521-15253-2
.
- ^
Estatut d'Autonomia de les Illes Balears, Llei Organica 1/2007, article 1r
- ^
"The Party Island of Ibiza"
.
www.vice.com
.
- ^
Plin.; Agathem.; Dion Cass. ap. Tzetz. ad Lycophr. 533; Eustath.
- ^
Williams, George (1854).
"Baleares"
. In Smith, William (ed.).
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography: Abacaenum-Hytanis
. Little, Brown and Company. p. 373.
- ^
Diod.
v. 17, Eustath. ad Dion. 457; Baliareis ?
Βαλιαρε??
, Baliarides ?
Βαλιαρ?δε?
,
Steph. B.
; Balearides ?
Βαλεαρ?δε?
,
Strabo
; Balliarides ?
Βαλλιαρ?δε?
,
Ptol.
ii. 6. § 78; Baleariae ?
Βαλεαρ?αι
Agathem.
- ^
a
b
c
Strab. xiv. p. 654; Plin. l. c "The Rhodians, like the Baleares, were celebrated slingers"
Sil. Ital. iii. 364, 365: "Jam cui Tlepolemus sator, et cui Lindus origo, Funda bella ferens Balearis et alite plumbo."
- ^
"The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3) by Strabo"
.
Hellenica World
. Retrieved
5 January
2022
.
- ^
Roberts, David G.; A. W. Bally (2012).
Regional Geology and Tectonics: Phanerozoic Passive Margins, Cratonic Basins and Global Tectonic Maps, Volume 1
.
ISBN
9780444563576
. Retrieved
21 June
2016
.
- ^
"History of Mallorca"
(PDF)
. 2007?2012
. Retrieved
21 June
2016
.
- ^
C. Michael Hogan. 2011.
Balearic Sea
. Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. P. Saundry & C. J. Cleveland. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington D.C.
- ^
"Standard climate values, Illes Balears"
. Aemet.es
. Retrieved
10 December
2014
.
- ^
"Guia resumida del clima en Espana (1981?2010)"
. Archived from
the original
on 18 November 2012.
- ^
"Valores climatologicos normales. Ibiza, Aeropuerto"
. June 2021.
- ^
"Valores Climatologicos Normales. Minorca / Aeropuerto"
. June 2021.
- ^
Fernandes, Daniel M.; Mittnik, Alissa; Olalde, Inigo; Lazaridis, Iosif; Cheronet, Olivia; Rohland, Nadin; Mallick, Swapan; Bernardos, Rebecca; Broomandkhoshbacht, Nasreen; Carlsson, Jens; Culleton, Brendan J. (1 March 2020).
"The spread of steppe and Iranian-related ancestry in the islands of the western Mediterranean"
.
Nature Ecology & Evolution
.
4
(3): 334?345.
doi
:
10.1038/s41559-020-1102-0
.
ISSN
2397-334X
.
PMC
7080320
.
PMID
32094539
.
- ^
Alcover, Josep Antoni (1 March 2008).
"The First Mallorcans: Prehistoric Colonization in the Western Mediterranean"
.
Journal of World Prehistory
.
21
(1): 19?84.
doi
:
10.1007/s10963-008-9010-2
.
ISSN
1573-7802
.
S2CID
161324792
.
- ^
"Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica, Books I-V, book 5, chapter 17"
.
www.perseus.tufts.edu
.
- ^
Strabo; Diod.; Flor. iii. 8;
Tzetzes
ad Lycophron
.
- ^
Strabo iii. pp. 167, 168.
- ^
Strabo; but Florus gives them a worse character, iii. 8.
- ^
Livy
Epit. Ix.
; Freinsh. Supp. lx. 37; Florus, Strabo
ll. cc.
- ^
Strabo,
Pomponius Mela
,
Pliny the Elder
.
- ^
Notitia Dignitatum
Occid. c. xx. vol. ii. p. 466, Bocking.
- ^
Aristot. de Mir. Ausc. 89; Diodorus, but Pliny praises their wine as well as their corn, xiv. 6. s. 8, xviii. 7. s. 12: the two writers are speaking, in fact, of different periods.
- ^
Strabo, Mela; Pliny l. c., viii. 58. s. 83, xxxv. 19. s. 59; Varro, R. R. iii. 12; Aelian, H. A. xiii. 15;
Gaius Julius Solinus
26.
- ^
Pliny xxx. 6. s. 15.
- ^
Pliny xxxv. 6. s. 13; Vitruv. vii. 7.
- ^
Materia Medica i. 92.
- ^
τ? Βαλλεαρικ?ν π?λαγο?
, Ptol. ii 4. § 3.
- ^
Flor. iii. 6. § 9.
- ^
Carr, Matthew,
Blood and Faith: the Purging of Muslim Spain
(Leiden, 1968), p. 120.
- ^
Curiosidades turisticas en Menorca
. Sobreespana.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.
- ^
"Mayonnaise"
.
Andalucia For Holidays
. 6 July 2013. Archived from
the original
on 15 December 2013
. Retrieved
12 July
2013
.
- ^
"Enquesta d'usos linguistics a les Illes Balears 2014 - Analisi"
(in Catalan). Conselleria de Cultura, Participacio i Esports (Govern de les Illes Balears) - Departament de Cultura (Generalitat de Catalunya) - Universitat de les Illes Balears. October 2017
. Retrieved
6 December
2021
.
A partir dels anys seixanta, la poblacio illenca practicament s'ha triplicat. El principal factor ha estat l'aportacio de la immigracio, que des d'un punt de vista linguistic inclou les persones nascudes fora dels territoris de llengua catalana. Aquest factor, a mes d'aportar no catalanoparlants procedents de fora del domini linguistic, tambe n'aporta de nascuts a les Illes, majoritariament, en el si de families immigrades. Per les circumstancies i limitacions socials i politiques de la societat que les acull, la integracio linguistica d'aquestes persones sol ser lenta i incompleta. [] Fins a final de segle, gran part de la poblacio immigrada procedia de l'Estat espanyol, pero a partir d'aquests anys la immigracio estrangera ha crescut fins a superar en nombre l'espanyola. En aquest sentit, tambe conve tenir en compte la incidencia del turisme, que al llarg de l'any aporta un contingent de persones que multiplica per deu el nombre de residents, amb efectes directes en el paisatge linguistic i la percepcio dels rols de les diferents llengues que entren en contacte.
[
Beginning with the 1960s, the population of the Islands has virtually tripled. The main factor has been immigration, which from a linguistic point of view includes people born outside of the Catalan speaking area. This factor, in addition to adding non-Catalan speakers from outside that area, includes also those born in the Islands within immigrant families. Because of the circumstances and political and social limitations of the society which accommodates them, the linguistic integration of these people is usually slow and incomplete. [...] Until the end of the [20th] century, a good deal of the immigrant population came from Spain, but afterwards foreign immigration has grown and has surpassed the Spanish one. [...] One has to consider also the impact of tourism [...].
]
- ^
Estad
Archived
1 September 2017 at the
Wayback Machine
. Ibestat.cat. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.
- ^
"2011 census, from Institut Balear d'Estadistica, Govern de les Illes Balears"
. Caib.es
. Retrieved
30 June
2022
.
- ^
"1.1.1.01 Poblacion por ano de nacimiento, isla de residencia y sexo"
.
Institut d'Estadistica de las Illes Balears
(in Spanish). 2011
. Retrieved
27 June
2019
.
- ^
Fuente:
INE
Instituto Nacional de Estadistica de Espana
(01-01-2021)
- ^
a
b
"British and German foreign communities decreasing"
.
Majorca Daily Bulletin
. 19 January 2018
. Retrieved
31 August
2018
.
- ^
"Interactivo: Creencias y practicas religiosas en Espana"
.
La Vanguardia
. 2 April 2015.
- ^
"El cristianismo judio de un chueta pobre"
.
Monografias.com
(in Spanish). 9 February 2003
. Retrieved
10 November
2011
.
- ^
Jefatura del Estado (26 April 1997),
Ley 13/1997, de 25 de abril, por la que pasa a denominarse oficialmente Illes Balears la provincia de Baleares
, pp. 13448?13448
, retrieved
22 May
2023
- ^
Bover, Pere; Quintana, Josep; Alcover, Josep Antoni (May 2008).
"Three islands, three worlds: Paleogeography and evolution of the vertebrate fauna from the Balearic Islands"
.
Quaternary International
.
182
(1): 135?144.
Bibcode
:
2008QuInt.182..135B
.
doi
:
10.1016/j.quaint.2007.06.039
.
hdl
:
10261/85878
.
- ^
Torres-Roig, Enric; Mitchell, Kieren J; Alcover, Josep Antoni; Martinez-Freiria, Fernando; Bailon, Salvador; Heiniger, Holly; Williams, Matthew; Cooper, Alan; Pons, Joan; Bover, Pere (30 April 2021).
"Origin, extinction and ancient DNA of a new fossil insular viper: molecular clues of overseas immigration"
.
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
.
192
(1): 144?168.
doi
:
10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa094
.
ISSN
0024-4082
.
- ^
Seabirds of the Balearic Islands: status and recent changes (1987-2014)
Conservation of Marine and Coastal Birds
- ^
"Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018"
.
Eurostat
.
- ^
"Mallorca Ferry Schedule"
.
DirectFerries.com
. Direct Ferries Limited
. Retrieved
11 March
2022
.
there are on average around 167 ferries running per week, across 12 different routes, provided by 3 different ferry operators
- ^
Spain Cups 2002/03
. Rsssf.com (2004-02-03). Retrieved on 2013-07-12.
- ^
UEFA Champions League, Cup Winners Cup, UEFA Cup 1998?99
. Rsssf.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.
- ^
"Yacht Charter Ibiza | Boat Charter Ibiza | Magenta Yachts Brokers"
.
Magenta Yachts
. Retrieved
6 August
2019
.
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
International
| |
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National
| |
---|
Geographic
| |
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Other
| |
---|