Guide to Balearic Islands

The Balearic Islands are an archipelago made up of 3 main islands: Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza ; there are 2 smaller islands known as Formentera and Cabrera as well as a number of tiny ones.

They are located to the east of Spain in the mediterranean sea. All the islands have a warm climate - never very hot nor very cold and it rains very little. Their coastlines are full of small coves, cliffs and pine forests typical to the mediterranean. The sea water is both crystal clear and clean.

The permanent population of all the islands is under a million at 796,483. Although this number rises during the summer months. Tourism is one of the main industries for the islands.

The islands were occupied by the Phoenicians, the Cartaginenses, the Romans, the Moors and also the Turks, all of which left their stamp. In 1229 they were conquered by Jaime I, the king of Aragon, who imposed Catalan as the official language - and so it remains to this day. Mallorca was ruled by Jaime I, Jaime II and Jaime III for 114 years. The islands have been a Spanish province until the 20th century until becoming an autonomous region in 1983.

There are some interesting archeological remains on both Mallorca and Menorca dating back to 1400 B.C. from what was know as the talayótica culture. The main industries on the islands are agricluture on Menorca, salt mines on Ibiza and pearls and leather on Mallorca. The construction industry has recently become one of the major industries thanks to tourism.

The Balearic islands have excellend facilities for tourists. There are lots of good hotels, restaurants, shops and sports installations as well as a great atmosphere. To find out more about each island click on the following links.