Spanish island in the Balearic Islands
Formentera
(
Catalan pronunciation:
[furm?n?te??]
,
Spanish:
[fo?men?te?a]
) is a Spanish island located in the
Mediterranean Sea
, which belongs to the
Balearic Islands
autonomous community
(
Spain
) together with
Mallorca
,
Menorca
, and
Ibiza
.
Formentera is the smallest and most southerly
island
of the
Pityusic Islands
group (comprising
Ibiza
and Formentera itself, as well as various small islets). It covers an area of 83.24 square kilometres (32.14 sq mi), including offshore islets. At the 2011 Census, the population was 10,583; according to the Census of 1 January 2021,
[1]
it counted 11,891 inhabitants, while the official estimate as at 1 January 2023 was 11,389.
[2]
History
[
edit
]
The island's name is said to derive from the
Latin
word
frumentarium
, meaning "granary". The island was occupied in prehistoric times, going back to 2,000?1,600 BC. Archaeological sites from that period remain in Ca na Costa,
[3]
Cap de Barbaria
(multiple sites)
[4]
and Cova des Fum.
[5]
The island had been occupied by the
Carthaginians
before passing to the
ancient Romans
. In succeeding centuries, it passed to the
Visigoths
, the
Byzantines
, the
Vandals
, and the
Arabs
. In 1109 it was the target of a devastating attack by the
Norwegian
king
Sigurd I
at the head of the "
Norwegian Crusade
". The island was conquered by
James I the Conqueror
, added to the
Crown of Aragon
and later became part of the medieval
Kingdom of Majorca
.
From 1403 to the early 18th century, the threat of
Barbary pirate
attacks rendered the island uninhabitable.
[6]
[7]
On 17 June 1651, during the
Franco-Spanish War (1635?1659)
, a squadron of Spanish
galleys
under
John of Austria the Younger
captured the French galleon
Lion Couronne
off this island.
The island and its surrounding islets became a separate insular council with the same territory as the eponymous municipality after 1977. Before that, it was administered in the former insular council of Ibiza and Formentera (covering the whole group of the Pityusic Islands), but in a separate
comarca
which already covered the current municipality of Formentera. This reform allowed Ibiza to unify its comarca of five municipalities with its new insular council, no longer administrating Formentera.
Geography
[
edit
]
The main island of Formentera is 19 kilometres (12 mi) long and is located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) south of Ibiza in the
Mediterranean Sea
. More specifically Formentera is part of the delimitation of the
Balearic Sea
, which is a northwestern element of the Mediterranean Sea.
[8]
Its major villages are
Sant Francesc Xavier
,
Sant Ferran de ses Roques
,
El Pilar de la Mola
(on the
La Mola
peninsula),
La Savina
, and
Es Pujols
, the most important tourist destination of the island.
Formentera comprises one
municipality
, also called Formentera, and has a population of 11,981 (as of 1 January 2021). Its land area is 83.24 km
2
(32.14 sq mi). It is subdivided into several civil parishes (
parroquies
), themselves subdivided into
vendas
(
vendes
in Catalan).
North of Formentera is located
Espalmador
(in Catalan:
Illa de S'Espalmador
), the second largest island of the Pitiusas Islands, surrounded by a few minor islets.
Espalmador is a
tombolo
, separated from the main island of Formentera by a shallow
sandbar
. This area is a popular stopping point for those in yachts heading between Ibiza and Formentera.
Climate
[
edit
]
Formentera has a
semi-arid climate
with hot, very dry summers and warm, dry winters. The flat orography of the island means that rainfall is scarce and the temperature is quite uniform. The average annual rainfall is 370?420 mm. The average annual temperature is between 17 and 18 °C. Overall, the climate is mild, with an average annual temperature of 18.6 degrees Celsius and 2883 hours of annual sunshine on average.
Climate data for Formentera 119m amsl
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
15
(59)
|
16
(61)
|
17
(63)
|
19
(66)
|
22
(72)
|
26
(79)
|
29
(84)
|
30
(86)
|
28
(82)
|
24
(75)
|
19
(66)
|
16
(61)
|
22
(71)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
12
(54)
|
12
(54)
|
13
(55)
|
15
(59)
|
18
(64)
|
22
(72)
|
25
(77)
|
26
(79)
|
24
(75)
|
20
(68)
|
16
(61)
|
13
(55)
|
18
(64)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
8
(46)
|
8
(46)
|
9
(48)
|
11
(52)
|
14
(57)
|
17
(63)
|
21
(70)
|
21
(70)
|
19
(66)
|
16
(61)
|
12
(54)
|
9
(48)
|
14
(57)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
35
(1.4)
|
30
(1.2)
|
40
(1.6)
|
35
(1.4)
|
25
(1.0)
|
15
(0.6)
|
5
(0.2)
|
25
(1.0)
|
40
(1.6)
|
65
(2.6)
|
50
(2.0)
|
55
(2.2)
|
420
(16.8)
|
Average precipitation days
|
6
|
5
|
6
|
6
|
5
|
3
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
6
|
56
|
Source: Climates to travel
[9]
|
Administration
[
edit
]
Insular government
[
edit
]
Elections are held every four years concurrently with
local elections
. From 1983 to 2007, councilors were indirectly elected from the results of the election to
Parliament of the Balearic Islands
for the constituencies of
Ibiza
and
Formentera
(then forming a single Island council, with Formentera sending a single councilor to both Parliament and the Island council). Since 2007, however, separate direct elections are held to elect the Island Council of Formentera, with currently 17 seats (
it only sends a single one to the Balearic Parliament
).
Results of the elections to the former Island Council of Ibiza and Formentera
[
edit
]
Island Councilors of the Island Council of Ibiza and Formentera between 1978 and 2007
|
|
Election
|
Distribution
|
President
|
1979
[10]
|
|
Cosme Vidal Juan (ICIF?
CD
,
CP
)
|
|
1983
|
|
|
1987
|
|
Antoni Mari (
PP
)
|
|
1991
|
|
1995
|
|
1999
|
|
Pilar Costa (
Pacte Progressista
)
|
|
2003
|
|
Pere Palau (
PP
)
|
|
Split into the Island Councils of
Ibiza
and Formentera respectively, with the 2007 Amendment of the
Statue of Autonomy
coming into effect.
|
Results of the elections to the Island Council of Formentera
[
edit
]
Island Councilors of the Island Council of Formentera since 2007
|
|
Election
|
Distribution
|
President
|
2007
|
|
Jaume Ferrer Ribas (
GxF
)
|
|
2011
|
|
2015
|
|
2019
|
|
Alejandra Ferrer (
GxF
)
(2019-2021)
|
Ana Juan (
PSIB?PSOE
)
(2021-2023)
|
|
2023
|
|
Lorenzo Cordoba (
Sa Unio
,
Independent
)
|
|
Attractions
[
edit
]
Since the 1960s, Formentera has been a popular destination for
hippies
.
[11]
Formentera is renowned across Europe for many pristine white beaches and the fact that
nude sunbathing
is allowed on most of its
beaches
.
[12]
Throughout its history, Formentera has been the subject of many legends, written in novels by famous writers such as
Jules Verne
, and in songs by musicians as varied as
Gilberto Gil
and
Pink Floyd
. From this artistic curiosity, the annual
Formentera Jazz Festival
has been held annually in early June and features many emerging and established musicians from the local and international scene.
[13]
The Canadian writer
Patrick Roscoe
was born in Formentera.
[14]
Joni Mitchell
wrote her 1971 album
Blue
on the island while
Bob Dylan
once slept on the Far de la Mola on the island.
[15]
Author
Matt Haig
also writes about visiting the island often in his twenties in
Reasons to Stay Alive
.
[15]
The opening track of the
King Crimson
album
Islands
,
Formentera Lady
, is named after the island.
James Taylor
also worked on his hit song
Carolina in My Mind
on holiday from recording with
Apple Records
, though he began writing it in London and completed it on the nearby island of
Ibiza
.
[16]
The Cap de Barbaria Lighthouse plays a pivotal role in
Julio Medem
's 2001 Spanish film,
Sex and Lucia
(Lucia y el sexo)
, which was filmed on the island and served as a touchstone for the various characters' interwoven relationships.
[17]
[18]
Although
paved roads
allow access to all parts of the island and cars are easily hired in the port, many people choose to rent mopeds or even bicycles due to the flat nature of most of the island and the availability of dedicated cycle tracks in many locations.
The island also has four
Martello towers
.
[19]
Transport
[
edit
]
With no airports, the island was formerly reachable only by boat from Ibiza, making it the quieter of the two islands, but in recent years regular passenger service from the Spanish mainland has increased tourism.
Ferry tickets from
Ibiza
are available in advance, as are transfers from Ibiza airport or port directly to accommodation in Formentera.
Ferries to Formentera operate from their own terminal in Ibiza port, with departures every half hour in high season on large (200+ passenger) fast
catamarans
. The journey takes approximately 30 minutes comprising 10 minutes leaving Ibiza, 10 minutes crossing the sea, and 10 minutes arriving in Formentera past the
isthmus
to
Espalmador
.
Some of the anchorages may not be suitable for sailboats under less than ideal circumstances.
[20]
Culture
[
edit
]
A local Ibizan (
eivissenc
) variant of the
Balearic dialect
of the
Catalan language
is spoken in Formentera. While the official languages are Catalan and
Spanish
, other major languages like English, Italian, German, French and Dutch can also be heard extensively in the summer due to mass tourism.
Sports
[
edit
]
From 1 September to 7 September, Formentera hosted the 2007 Techno 293 OD World Championships in
windsurfing
for juniors under 15 and youths under 17.
[21]
Villages
[
edit
]
Gallery
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Madrid, 2021.
- ^
Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Madrid, 2023.
- ^
Ca na Costa, L’Enciclopedia d’Eivissa i Formentera,
http://www.eeif.es/veus/Costa-ca-na/
, accessed 16/04/2017.
- ^
Cap de Barbaria, L’Enciclopedia d’Eivissa i Formentera,
http://www.eeif.es/veus/Barbaria-cap-de/
, accessed 16/04/2017.
- ^
Cova des Fum, L’Enciclopedia d’Eivissa i Formentera,
http://www.eeif.es/veus/Fum-cova-des/
, accessed 16/04/2017.
- ^
Bryant, Sue (June 2007).
Ibiza and Formentera
. New Holland Publishers.
ISBN
9781845378141
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Syed, Muzaffar Husain; Akhtar, Syed Saud; Usmani, B. D. (14 September 2011).
Concise History of Islam
. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd.
ISBN
9789382573470
.
- ^
C.Michael Hogan. 2011.
Balearic Sea
. Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. P. Saundry & C.J.Cleveland. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC
- ^
"Formentera Climate"
. Climates to travel
. Retrieved
20 October
2018
.
- ^
Martin Rotger Lebron (2021).
"Les eleccions preautonomiques de 1979 a les Illes Balears"
.
Mayurqa
(in Spanish).
3
: 107?121.
doi
:
10.22307/2386.7124.2021.01.008
.
- ^
Stewart, James (18 June 2010).
"Formentera: where the party's still chilled"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
15 June
2015
.
- ^
Mischke, Roland; Schwarz, Berthold (2001).
Ibiza, Formentera
. Nelles Verlag. pp. 91?.
ISBN
978-3-88618-768-3
.
- ^
"Formentera Jazz Festival"
.
formenterajazzfestival.info
. Retrieved
21 March
2023
.
- ^
Burton, Peter (2003).
Death Comes Easy: The Gay Times Book of Murder Stories
. London, U.K.: Gay Men's Press. p.
458
.
ISBN
9781902852461
.
OCLC
58997265
.
- ^
a
b
Haig, Matt (2015).
Reasons to Stay Alive
. London, U.K.: Cannongate Books. p. 231.
ISBN
9781782116820
.
Bob Dylan spent some time living in the lighthouse at Cap de Barbaria, on the island's southern tip. Formentera was also where Joni Mitchell wrote the album
Blue
.
- ^
Halperin, Ian (2003).
Fire and Rain: The James Taylor Story
(Revised ed.).
Citadel Press
. p. 71.
ISBN
0-8065-2348-4
.
- ^
"Far Del Cap de Barbaria"
.
Illes Balears Film Commission
. Retrieved
21 March
2023
.
- ^
Baste, Jordi (9 August 2014).
"Tras los pasos de 'Lucia y el sexo´en Formentera"
. La Vanguardia.
- ^
Clements, Bill; Clements, William H. (2011).
Martello Towers Worldwide
. Casemate Publishers. p. 56.
ISBN
9781848845350
. Retrieved
5 March
2015
.
- ^
"El temporal empuja contra las rocas a un velero con la tripulacion dentro en Formentera [Video]"
. 10 April 2019.
- ^
Techno 293 OD World Championships
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Geographic
| |
---|