Balearics

The Balearics are an archipelago and an autonomous Spanish community, whose capital is the municipality of Palma de Mallorca, with 4,992 square kilometers of total area: the main islands are Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Then there are the smaller, uninhabited ones: Cabrera, Conejera, Dragonera, Es Vedrà, Espalmador, Espardell, Tagomago.

Also part of the territory is the Maritime-Terrestrial National Park of the archipelago of Cabrera, which in addition to the latter and the island of Conejera, includes the islets S'illa de ses Rates, S'Estell Xapat, S'Estell de s 'Esclatasang, S'Estell des Coll, S'Estell de Fora, L'Imperial, S'illa de ses Bledes, Illa des Fonoll, Na Redona, L'Esponja, Na Plana, Na Pobra, S'Illot Pla, S' Illot de Na Foradada, Na Foradada, for a total of about 10,000 hectares mostly of sea, established to preserve the great biodiversity of flora and fauna that characterizes these places.

Also thanks to the mildness of the climate during all seasons of the year, tourism is the main productive activity. Traditions are still kept alive in agriculture, with the cultivation of almonds, cereals, potatoes, olives, vegetables, citrus fruits, grapes, in pastoralism, with the breeding of cattle and pigs, in fishing and in the footwear and wood craftsmanship.

The typical dishes are the ensaimada, the Majorcan dessert, the sobrassada and the mè rostit made with pork, the tuna, the lobsters, the bullit de peix (rock fish with potatoes and rice), the auberginies farcides, stuffed aubergines , the maó, a cheese. The wine is the red one coming from the areas of Binissalem and Plà i Llevant.

The beaches are many and paradisiacal, both in wild coves and near the inhabited centers. The soft white sand is washed by the crystal clear waters of the Balearic Sea. The most beautiful in Mallorca are Caló des Moro and the beaches of Formentor and Es Trenc, in Menorca the Cavalleria, Turqueta and Cala Macarella beaches, in Formentera Caló d'Es Mort and the Ses Illetes beach, in Ibiza Cala d'Hort and Aigues Blanques. In Mallorca, Cala d'Or, near Santanyí, is famous not only for its beach, but also for its caves, pine forests and a wide range of services.

The UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Balearics are the medieval melody of the Cant de la Sibilla (which can be heard in the Cathedral of Palma de Mallorca), the fortified old town of the city of Ibiza, where you can visit the Puig des Molins museum , and Minorca, proclaimed a Biosphere Reserve, where you cannot miss a visit to the Naveta de Es Tudons, a collective tomb from the pre-Talayotic era.

There are three airports in the archipelago: Palma de Mallorca Son Sant Joan Airport, Ibiza Sant Josep Airport and Minorca Airport, Sant Climent.

The maritime connections with Barcelona and Valencia are assiduous, as well as those inside the archipelago. The largest port is the Port of Palma; always on the island of Mallorca there is also the port of Alcudia. The port of Ibiza, Portus Magnus, is located in the Sant Antoni de Portmany area. In Menorca there are two: the main one, the port of Mahon, and that of Ciutadella. The port of Formentera is located in La Savina.