Ibiza
Encyclopedia
Ibiza or Eivissa (əjˈvisə) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea
79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain
. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands
, an autonomous community
of Spain. With Formentera
, it is one of the two Pine Islands
or Pityuses
. Its largest cities are Ibiza Town
, Santa Eulària des Riu
and Sant Antoni de Portmany
. Its highest point, called Sa Talaiassa
(or Sa Talaia), is 475 m/1,558 ft above sea level
.
The island is well known for its summer club parties which attract large numbers of tourists, but the island and the Spanish Tourist Office have been working in order to promote more family-oriented tourism. Though some dispute the island's ability to attract higher income families in large numbers, the island is keen to dispel its image as merely a destination for young clubbers. Noted clubs include Space
, Pacha
, Privilege
(ex Ku), Amnesia
, DC10
, Eden, and Es Paradis
. Probably the most famous bar on the island is Café del Mar
. This bar is significantly connected with the music genre of chill-out music. The other notable player in the entertainment world in recent years has been Ibiza Rocks
who feature more live acts than the established clubs. The brand now runs the most famous youth hotel on the island, Ibiza Rocks Hotel. Ibiza is also home to the legendary "port" in the district of Ibiza, a popular stop for many tourists and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Eivissa (əjˈvisə). The name in Spanish
is Ibiza (iˈβiθa). In British English
, the name is usually pronounced in an approximation of the Spanish (ɪˈbiːθə, ɪˈviːθə), while in American English
the pronunciation is more anglicized, or closer to Latin American Spanish (ɪˈbiːzə, iːˈbiːsə).
n settlers founded a port in the Balearic Islands, as Ibossim (from the Phoenician iboshim dedicated to the god of the music and dance Bes
). It was later known to Romans as "Ebusus." The Greeks
, who came to Ibiza during the time of the Phoenicians, were the first to call the two islands of Ibiza and Formentera the Pityûssai . With the decline of Phoenicia
after the Assyria
n invasions, Ibiza came under the control of Carthage
, also a former Phoenician colony. The island produced dye, salt, fish sauce (garum
), and wool.
A shrine with offerings to the goddess Tanit
was established in the cave at Es Cuieram, and the rest of the Balearic Islands entered Eivissa's commercial orbit after 400 BC
. Ibiza was a major trading post along the Mediterranean routes. Ibiza began establishing its own trading stations along the nearby Balearic island of Majorca such as Na Guardis, from which large quantities of renowned Balearic slingers were hired as mercenaries who fought for Carthage.
During the Second Punic War
, the island was assaulted by the two Scipio
brothers in 209 BC
but remained loyal to Carthage. With Carthaginian military luck running out on the Iberia
n mainland, Ibiza was last used by the fleeing Carthaginian General Mago to gather supplies and men before sailing to Minorca
and then to Liguria. Ibiza negotiated a favorable treaty with the Romans
, which spared Ibiza from further destruction and allowed it to continue its Carthaginian-Punic institutions well into the Empire days, when it became an official Roman municipality. For this reason, Ibiza today offers excellent examples of late Carthaginian-Punic civilization. During the Roman Empire, the island became a quiet imperial outpost, removed from the important trading routes of the time.
After the fall of the Roman empire and a brief period of first Vandal and then Byzantine
rule, the island was conquered by the Moors
, as well as much of the Iberian peninsula. Under Islamic rule, Ibiza came in close contact with the city of Dénia
(the closest port in the nearby Iberian peninsula, located in the Valencian Community
) as the two areas were administered jointly by the Taifa of Denia
.
Ibiza together with the islands of Formentera
and Menorca were invaded by the Norwegian king Sigurd I of Norway
in the spring of 1110 on his crusade to Jerusalem. The king had previously conquered the cities of Sintra
, Lisboa and Alcácer do Sal
and given them over to Christian rulers, in an effort to weaken the Muslim grip on the Iberian peninsula. King Sigurd continued to Sicily
where he visited king Roger II of Sicily
.
The island was conquered by the Roman Catholic
Aragonese King James I of Aragon
in 1235. Since then, the island has had its own self-government in several forms but in 1715 King Philip V of Spain
abolished the local government's autonomy. The arrival of democracy in the late 1970s led to the Statute of Autonomy of the Balearic Islands. Today the island is part of the Balearic Autonomous Community, along with Majorca, Minorca
and Formentera
.
, 475 metres.
The Spanish composer and music theorist Miguel Roig-Francolí
was born in Ibiza, as was the politician and Spain's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abel Matutes
. Notable former residents of Ibiza include English punk musician John Simon Ritchie (Sid Vicious
), Philiac the psychedelic rock band, comic actor Terry Thomas
Hungarian master forger Elmyr de Hory
. American fraudster Clifford Irving
and film director Orson Welles
(native language) and Spanish
are the official languages of Ibiza, a dialect of Catalan called Eivissenc or Ibicenco is more readily spoken by both the residents and those of Formentera
." Additionally, because of the influence of tourism (see below) and expatriate
s living in or maintaining residences on the island other languages, most commonly English and Russian, are also spoken. Polylinguality is the norm, not the exception.
Ibiza is considered a popular tourist destination, especially due to its legendary and at times riotous nightlife centred around two areas: Ibiza Town
, the island's capital on the southern shore and Sant Antoni
to the West. Well-known nightclubs are Privilege
, Amnesia
, Space
, Pacha
, Eden, Es Paradís
, Underground, Gala Night and DC10
. During the summer, the top producers and DJs
in dance come to the island and play at the various clubs, in between touring to other international destinations. Some of the most famous DJs run their own weekly nights around the island. Many of these DJs use Ibiza as an outlet for presenting new songs within the house
, trance
and techno
genres of electronic dance music.
Since 2005 live music event Ibiza Rocks
has helped to redefine the Ibiza party landscape. Bands such as Arctic Monkeys
, Kasabian, The Prodigy
, WasteMan Tobola and the Kaiser Chiefs
have played in the courtyard of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel. For the last 3 years the UK's BBC Radio 1 has focused its Ibiza Weekend broadcast from the venue and as a result the island is now seen as a more diverse place that is not only about sex and drugs.
The season traditionally begins at the start of June with Space
and DC10
's opening parties and finishes on the first weekend of October with the Closing Parties. A typical schedule for clubbers going to Ibiza includes waking at noon, early evening naps, late night clubbing, and "disco sunrises." Due to Ibiza's notable tolerance toward misbehaviour from young adult tourists, it has acquired the sobriquet
"Gomorrah
of the Med." Also well-known is Café del Mar
, a long-standing bar where many tourists traditionally view the sunset made famous by José Padilla
. That and other bars close by have become an increasingly popular venue for club pre-parties after sunset, hosting popular DJ performers.
The island's government is trying to encourage a more cultured and quieter tourism scene, passing rules including the closing of all nightclubs by 6 a.m. at the latest, and requiring all new hotels to be 5-star. The administration is wanting to attract a more international mixture of tourists.
s, and thus protected from the development and commercialization of the main cities. A notable example includes "God's Finger" in the Benirràs Bay as well as some of the more traditional Ibicenco cultural sites. Because of its rustic beauty, companies and artists alike frequently use the island for photographic and film shoots. A monument ("The Egg") erected in honour of Christopher Columbus
can be found in Sant Antoni: Ibiza is one of several places purporting to be his birthplace.
's abandoned hotel complex at Cala D'en Serra, the half completed and now demolished "Idea" nightclub in San Antonio
and the ruins of a huge restaurant/nightclub in the hills near Sant Josep
called "Festival Club" that only operated for three summer seasons in the early 1970s.
Since the global economic crisis
and the end of the Spanish property bubble
in 2008 a large number of housing and tourist developments have been abandoned or put on hold as developers have struggled to get more credit from the banks and the projected profit margins fell significantly due to the slump in property prices and falling number of visitors to the island.
.
A daily bus service runs from North to Ibiza.
of the Balearic Islands
, whose capital is Palma
, on the island of Majorca. Ibiza comprises 5 of the community's 67 municipalities. Clockwise from the south coast, these are:
These municipalities had a total population of 88,076 inhabitants (as of the 2001 census
), which had risen to an estimated 132,637 by the start of 2010, and have a land area of 572.56 km² (221.1 sq mi).
.
by Mordecai Richler
, Soma Blues by Robert Sheckley
, Vacation in Ibiza by Lawrence Schimel
, A Short Life on a Sunny Isle: An Alphonse Dantan Mystery by Hannah Blank
, They Are Ruining Ibiza by A.C. Greene and The Python Project by Victor Canning
. The 1960 novel Out of the Red into the Blue by the English novelist Barbara Comyns Carr
is based on the island.
The 1969 film More was filmed on location in Ibiza, and the soundtrack by Pink Floyd
features a song titled "Ibiza Bar
." The 2004 film It's All Gone Pete Tong
was also filmed in Ibiza. Also the 2001 film Kevin and Perry Go Large was filmed on location in Ibiza.
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
, an autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of Spain. With Formentera
Formentera
Formentera is the smaller and more southerly island of the Pine Islands group , which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community .-Geography:...
, it is one of the two Pine Islands
Pine Islands
Pine Islands or Pityuses is the name given collectively to the Balearic Islands of Ibiza , Formentera, S'Espalmador and other small islets in the Mediterranean Sea....
or Pityuses
Pine Islands
Pine Islands or Pityuses is the name given collectively to the Balearic Islands of Ibiza , Formentera, S'Espalmador and other small islets in the Mediterranean Sea....
. Its largest cities are Ibiza Town
Ibiza Town
Ibiza Town is a city and municipality located on the southeast coast of the island of Ibiza in the Balearic Islands autonomous community. Although called Ibiza in English and Spanish, the official name is in Catalan Eivissa and its inhabitants call it Vila d'Eivissa or simply Vila...
, Santa Eulària des Riu
Santa Eulària des Riu
Santa Eulària des Riu is a municipality on the eastern coast of Ibiza. The only river on the island flows through the town of Santa Eulària. The town was depicted, in the time before and up to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, in Elliot Paul's Life and Death of a Spanish Town...
and Sant Antoni de Portmany
Sant Antoni de Portmany
Sant Antoni de Portmany is a town on the western coast of Ibiza. It is the second-largest town and municipality in Ibiza; an island described by Time Out magazine as "arguably the clubbing capital of the universe"...
. Its highest point, called Sa Talaiassa
Sa Talaiassa
Sa Talaiassa , also known as Sa Talaia or Sa Talaia de Sant Josep, is the highest mountain in the island of Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain. It is located in the southwest of the island...
(or Sa Talaia), is 475 m/1,558 ft above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
.
The island is well known for its summer club parties which attract large numbers of tourists, but the island and the Spanish Tourist Office have been working in order to promote more family-oriented tourism. Though some dispute the island's ability to attract higher income families in large numbers, the island is keen to dispel its image as merely a destination for young clubbers. Noted clubs include Space
Space (Ibiza nightclub)
Space is a nightclub on Ibizaowned bi STANCA. It was awarded "Best Global Club" at the International Dance Music Awards in 2005 and again in 2006...
, Pacha
Pacha
Pacha is a nightclub franchise with headquarters in Ibiza, Spain. The first Pacha club was opened in Sitges outside Barcelona in 1967. The Ibiza club, located in Ibiza Town, is the best known venue today. During 2009 Pacha acquired El Divino, near the marina of Ibiza la Nueva, which will be...
, Privilege
Privilege Ibiza
Privilege Ibiza is the "world's largest nightclub" according to the Guinness Book of Records, with a capacity of 10,000 people. It is located not far from San Rafael, Ibiza, less than 1 km from the nightclub Amnesia. For fourteen years, Privilege hosted Manumission, one of the island's most famous...
(ex Ku), Amnesia
Amnesia (nightclub)
Amnesia is one of several internationally renowned clubs in Ibiza due to Joseph Murphy who created Cream in 1996 and was awarded Best Global Club in the 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 International Dance Music Awards for the respective previous year at the Winter Music Conference in Miami...
, DC10
DC10 (nightclub)
DC10 is a nightclub on the island of Ibiza in the Mediterranean. It is located in a converted finca off the end of the airport runway on the South-East side of the island. Located in a former airplane hangar, the covered terrace nightclub holds 1,500 revelers....
, Eden, and Es Paradis
Es Paradis
Es Paradís Terrenal , commonly known as Es Paradís, is one of several clubs in Ibiza. It is located in a large pyramid-shaped building, near the egg in Sant Antoni . Its roof opens at times to let sunlight in for the plants inside. Es Paradis is known for its Fiesta Del Agua .-External links:** at...
. Probably the most famous bar on the island is Café del Mar
Café del Mar
Café del Mar is a bar located in Sant Antoni de Portmany, Ibiza. It is known for its sunsets and chill-out music.- Beginning :The Café del Mar was founded by Ramón Guiral, Carlos Andrea, and José Les on 20 June 1980.- Decoration :...
. This bar is significantly connected with the music genre of chill-out music. The other notable player in the entertainment world in recent years has been Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks is a summer-long festival of live music that has run annually in San Antonio, Ibiza since 2005. Normally the festival consists of seventeen consecutive weekly Wednesday night concerts in the courtyard of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel...
who feature more live acts than the established clubs. The brand now runs the most famous youth hotel on the island, Ibiza Rocks Hotel. Ibiza is also home to the legendary "port" in the district of Ibiza, a popular stop for many tourists and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Name
The official name of the island is in CatalanCatalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
Eivissa (əjˈvisə). The name in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
is Ibiza (iˈβiθa). In British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
, the name is usually pronounced in an approximation of the Spanish (ɪˈbiːθə, ɪˈviːθə), while in American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
the pronunciation is more anglicized, or closer to Latin American Spanish (ɪˈbiːzə, iːˈbiːsə).
History
In 654 BC PhoeniciaPhoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n settlers founded a port in the Balearic Islands, as Ibossim (from the Phoenician iboshim dedicated to the god of the music and dance Bes
Bes
Bes was an Egyptian deity worshipped in the later periods of dynastic history as a protector of households and in particular mothers and children. In time he would be regarded as the defender of everything good and the enemy of all that is bad...
). It was later known to Romans as "Ebusus." The Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, who came to Ibiza during the time of the Phoenicians, were the first to call the two islands of Ibiza and Formentera the Pityûssai . With the decline of Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
after the Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n invasions, Ibiza came under the control of Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
, also a former Phoenician colony. The island produced dye, salt, fish sauce (garum
Garum
Garum, similar to liquamen, was a type of fermented fish sauce condiment that was an essential flavour in Ancient Roman cooking, the supreme condiment....
), and wool.
A shrine with offerings to the goddess Tanit
Tanit
Tanit was a Phoenician lunar goddess, worshipped as the patron goddess at Carthage. Tanit was worshiped in Punic contexts in the Western Mediterranean, from Malta to Gades into Hellenistic times. From the fifth century BCE onwards Tanit is associated with that of Baal Hammon...
was established in the cave at Es Cuieram, and the rest of the Balearic Islands entered Eivissa's commercial orbit after 400 BC
400 BC
Year 400 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Esquilinus, Capitolinus, Vulso, Medullinus, Saccus and Vulscus...
. Ibiza was a major trading post along the Mediterranean routes. Ibiza began establishing its own trading stations along the nearby Balearic island of Majorca such as Na Guardis, from which large quantities of renowned Balearic slingers were hired as mercenaries who fought for Carthage.
During the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
, the island was assaulted by the two Scipio
Scipio (cognomen)
Scipio is a Roman cognomen representing the Cornelii Scipiones, a branch of the Cornelii family. Any individual male of the branch must be named Cornelius Scipio and a female Cornelia. The nomen, Cornelius, signifies that the person belongs to the Cornelia gens, a legally defined clan composed of...
brothers in 209 BC
209 BC
Year 209 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Verrucosus and Flaccus...
but remained loyal to Carthage. With Carthaginian military luck running out on the Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
n mainland, Ibiza was last used by the fleeing Carthaginian General Mago to gather supplies and men before sailing to Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
and then to Liguria. Ibiza negotiated a favorable treaty with the Romans
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
, which spared Ibiza from further destruction and allowed it to continue its Carthaginian-Punic institutions well into the Empire days, when it became an official Roman municipality. For this reason, Ibiza today offers excellent examples of late Carthaginian-Punic civilization. During the Roman Empire, the island became a quiet imperial outpost, removed from the important trading routes of the time.
After the fall of the Roman empire and a brief period of first Vandal and then Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
rule, the island was conquered by the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
, as well as much of the Iberian peninsula. Under Islamic rule, Ibiza came in close contact with the city of Dénia
Dénia
Dénia is a city in the province of Alicante, Spain, on the Costa Blanca halfway between Alicante and Valencia, the judicial seat of the comarca of Marina Alta...
(the closest port in the nearby Iberian peninsula, located in the Valencian Community
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
) as the two areas were administered jointly by the Taifa of Denia
Taifa of Dénia
The taifa of Dénia was a Muslim kingdom in medieval Spain, ruling over part of the Valencian coast and Ibiza. With Dénia as its capital, the taifa included the Balearic Islands and parts of the Spanish mainland.- History :...
.
Ibiza together with the islands of Formentera
Formentera
Formentera is the smaller and more southerly island of the Pine Islands group , which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community .-Geography:...
and Menorca were invaded by the Norwegian king Sigurd I of Norway
Sigurd I of Norway
Sigurd I Magnusson , also known as Sigurd the Crusader , was King of Norway from 1103 to 1130. His rule, together with his brother Eystein I of Norway , has been regarded by historians as a golden age for the medieval Kingdom of Norway...
in the spring of 1110 on his crusade to Jerusalem. The king had previously conquered the cities of Sintra
Sintra
Sintra is a town within the municipality of Sintra in the Grande Lisboa subregion of Portugal. Owing to its 19th century Romantic architecture and landscapes, becoming a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the urbanized suburbs and capital of Lisbon.In addition to...
, Lisboa and Alcácer do Sal
Alcácer do Sal
Alcácer do Sal is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. It has a total area of and a total population of 13,624 inhabitants.-History :-Earliest settlement:...
and given them over to Christian rulers, in an effort to weaken the Muslim grip on the Iberian peninsula. King Sigurd continued to Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
where he visited king Roger II of Sicily
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...
.
The island was conquered by the Roman Catholic
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
Aragonese King James I of Aragon
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
in 1235. Since then, the island has had its own self-government in several forms but in 1715 King Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
abolished the local government's autonomy. The arrival of democracy in the late 1970s led to the Statute of Autonomy of the Balearic Islands. Today the island is part of the Balearic Autonomous Community, along with Majorca, Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
and Formentera
Formentera
Formentera is the smaller and more southerly island of the Pine Islands group , which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community .-Geography:...
.
Geography
Ibiza is the larger of a group of the western Balearic archipelago called the "Pityuses" or "Pine Islands" composed of itself and Formentera. The Balearic island chain includes over fifty islands, many of which are uninhabited. The highest point of the island is Sa TalaiassaSa Talaiassa
Sa Talaiassa , also known as Sa Talaia or Sa Talaia de Sant Josep, is the highest mountain in the island of Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain. It is located in the southwest of the island...
, 475 metres.
Climate
People
Demographically, Eivissa displays a very peculiar configuration, as census agencies diverge on exact figures. According to the 2001 national census, Ibiza had 88,076 inhabitants (against 76,000 in 1991, 64,000 in 1981, 45,000 in 1971, and 38,000 in 1961). However, two years later, this figure jumped to 108,000 (Govern de les Illes Balears - IBAE 2004), and by the start of 2010 had reached 132,637. This rapid growth stems from the amnesty which incorporated a number of unregistered foreign migrants. In terms of origin, about 55 per cent of island residents were born in Ibiza, 35 per cent are immigrants from mainland Spain (mostly working-class families from Andalusia, and the remainder from Catalonia, Valencia and Castilla), and the remaining 10 to 15 per cent are foreign, dual and multi-national citizens of the EU and abroad (Govern de les Illes Balears - IBAE 1996). In decreasing order, foreigners are Germans, British, Latin Americans, Moroccans, French, Italians, Dutch, in addition to a myriad of other nationalities. This mosaic reflects the fluidity of foreigners living and moving across the island, in ways that render impossible to exactly quantify the expatriate population (Rozenberg 1990).The Spanish composer and music theorist Miguel Roig-Francolí
Miguel Roig-Francolí
Miguel Ángel Roig-Francolí is a Spanish/American composer, music theorist, and pedagogue. His 1980 Cinco piezas para orquesta , commissioned by Radio Nacional de España and written in a postmodern, neotonal style, won first prize in the National Composition Competition of the Spanish Jeunesses...
was born in Ibiza, as was the politician and Spain's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abel Matutes
Abel Matutes
Abel Matutes y Juan is a Spanish politician who served as Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 6 May 1996 to 2000. Matutes was born in Ibiza on 31 October 1941 and his early political life was in that region. He was Mayor of Ibiza in 1970 and 1971 and became Senator for Ibiza and Formentera in...
. Notable former residents of Ibiza include English punk musician John Simon Ritchie (Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
), Philiac the psychedelic rock band, comic actor Terry Thomas
Terry Thomas
Terry Thomas may refer to:* Terry-Thomas , English comic actor* Terry Thomas , American NBA player* Terence Thomas, Baron Thomas of Macclesfield , British peer...
Hungarian master forger Elmyr de Hory
Elmyr de Hory
Elmyr de Hory was a Hungarian-born painter and art forger who claimed to have sold over a thousand forgeries to reputable art galleries all over the world...
. American fraudster Clifford Irving
Clifford Irving
Clifford Michael Irving is an American author of novels and works of nonfiction, but best known for using forged handwritten letters to convince his publisher into accepting a fake "autobiography" of reclusive businessman Howard Hughes in the early 1970s...
and film director Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
Language
While CatalanCatalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
(native language) and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
are the official languages of Ibiza, a dialect of Catalan called Eivissenc or Ibicenco is more readily spoken by both the residents and those of Formentera
Formentera
Formentera is the smaller and more southerly island of the Pine Islands group , which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community .-Geography:...
." Additionally, because of the influence of tourism (see below) and expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
s living in or maintaining residences on the island other languages, most commonly English and Russian, are also spoken. Polylinguality is the norm, not the exception.
Nightlife
Ibiza Town
Ibiza Town is a city and municipality located on the southeast coast of the island of Ibiza in the Balearic Islands autonomous community. Although called Ibiza in English and Spanish, the official name is in Catalan Eivissa and its inhabitants call it Vila d'Eivissa or simply Vila...
, the island's capital on the southern shore and Sant Antoni
Sant Antoni de Portmany
Sant Antoni de Portmany is a town on the western coast of Ibiza. It is the second-largest town and municipality in Ibiza; an island described by Time Out magazine as "arguably the clubbing capital of the universe"...
to the West. Well-known nightclubs are Privilege
Privilege Ibiza
Privilege Ibiza is the "world's largest nightclub" according to the Guinness Book of Records, with a capacity of 10,000 people. It is located not far from San Rafael, Ibiza, less than 1 km from the nightclub Amnesia. For fourteen years, Privilege hosted Manumission, one of the island's most famous...
, Amnesia
Amnesia (nightclub)
Amnesia is one of several internationally renowned clubs in Ibiza due to Joseph Murphy who created Cream in 1996 and was awarded Best Global Club in the 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 International Dance Music Awards for the respective previous year at the Winter Music Conference in Miami...
, Space
Space (Ibiza nightclub)
Space is a nightclub on Ibizaowned bi STANCA. It was awarded "Best Global Club" at the International Dance Music Awards in 2005 and again in 2006...
, Pacha
Pacha
Pacha is a nightclub franchise with headquarters in Ibiza, Spain. The first Pacha club was opened in Sitges outside Barcelona in 1967. The Ibiza club, located in Ibiza Town, is the best known venue today. During 2009 Pacha acquired El Divino, near the marina of Ibiza la Nueva, which will be...
, Eden, Es Paradís
Es Paradis
Es Paradís Terrenal , commonly known as Es Paradís, is one of several clubs in Ibiza. It is located in a large pyramid-shaped building, near the egg in Sant Antoni . Its roof opens at times to let sunlight in for the plants inside. Es Paradis is known for its Fiesta Del Agua .-External links:** at...
, Underground, Gala Night and DC10
DC10 (nightclub)
DC10 is a nightclub on the island of Ibiza in the Mediterranean. It is located in a converted finca off the end of the airport runway on the South-East side of the island. Located in a former airplane hangar, the covered terrace nightclub holds 1,500 revelers....
. During the summer, the top producers and DJs
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
in dance come to the island and play at the various clubs, in between touring to other international destinations. Some of the most famous DJs run their own weekly nights around the island. Many of these DJs use Ibiza as an outlet for presenting new songs within the house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
and techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
genres of electronic dance music.
Since 2005 live music event Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks is a summer-long festival of live music that has run annually in San Antonio, Ibiza since 2005. Normally the festival consists of seventeen consecutive weekly Wednesday night concerts in the courtyard of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel...
has helped to redefine the Ibiza party landscape. Bands such as Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
, Kasabian, The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
, WasteMan Tobola and the Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
have played in the courtyard of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel. For the last 3 years the UK's BBC Radio 1 has focused its Ibiza Weekend broadcast from the venue and as a result the island is now seen as a more diverse place that is not only about sex and drugs.
The season traditionally begins at the start of June with Space
Space (Ibiza nightclub)
Space is a nightclub on Ibizaowned bi STANCA. It was awarded "Best Global Club" at the International Dance Music Awards in 2005 and again in 2006...
and DC10
DC10 (nightclub)
DC10 is a nightclub on the island of Ibiza in the Mediterranean. It is located in a converted finca off the end of the airport runway on the South-East side of the island. Located in a former airplane hangar, the covered terrace nightclub holds 1,500 revelers....
's opening parties and finishes on the first weekend of October with the Closing Parties. A typical schedule for clubbers going to Ibiza includes waking at noon, early evening naps, late night clubbing, and "disco sunrises." Due to Ibiza's notable tolerance toward misbehaviour from young adult tourists, it has acquired the sobriquet
Sobriquet
A sobriquet is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
"Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and later expounded upon throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and Deuterocanonical sources....
of the Med." Also well-known is Café del Mar
Café del Mar
Café del Mar is a bar located in Sant Antoni de Portmany, Ibiza. It is known for its sunsets and chill-out music.- Beginning :The Café del Mar was founded by Ramón Guiral, Carlos Andrea, and José Les on 20 June 1980.- Decoration :...
, a long-standing bar where many tourists traditionally view the sunset made famous by José Padilla
José Padilla (musician)
José Padilla is a Spanish disc jockey and producer of ambient music. He is best known for his work as DJ in the Café del Mar bar in the island of Ibiza, and is considered responsible for popularizing electronic chill-out music....
. That and other bars close by have become an increasingly popular venue for club pre-parties after sunset, hosting popular DJ performers.
The island's government is trying to encourage a more cultured and quieter tourism scene, passing rules including the closing of all nightclubs by 6 a.m. at the latest, and requiring all new hotels to be 5-star. The administration is wanting to attract a more international mixture of tourists.
World Heritage Site
Though primarily known for its party scene, large portions of the island are registered as UNESCO World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s, and thus protected from the development and commercialization of the main cities. A notable example includes "God's Finger" in the Benirràs Bay as well as some of the more traditional Ibicenco cultural sites. Because of its rustic beauty, companies and artists alike frequently use the island for photographic and film shoots. A monument ("The Egg") erected in honour of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
can be found in Sant Antoni: Ibiza is one of several places purporting to be his birthplace.
Overdevelopment
Since the early days of mass tourism on the island there have been a large number of development projects ranging from successful ventures such as the super clubs at Space and Privilege however there have also been a number of failed development projects such as Josep Lluís SertJosep Lluís Sert
Josep Lluís Sert i López was a Spanish Catalan architect and city planner.- Biography :Born in Barcelona, he showed keen interest in the works of his painter uncle Josep Maria Sert and of Gaudí. He studied architecture at the Escola Superior d'Arquitectura in Barcelona and set up his own studio...
's abandoned hotel complex at Cala D'en Serra, the half completed and now demolished "Idea" nightclub in San Antonio
Sant Antoni de Portmany
Sant Antoni de Portmany is a town on the western coast of Ibiza. It is the second-largest town and municipality in Ibiza; an island described by Time Out magazine as "arguably the clubbing capital of the universe"...
and the ruins of a huge restaurant/nightclub in the hills near Sant Josep
Sant Josep de sa Talaia
Sant Josep de sa Talaia is a small town and municipality of the Balearic Islands in western Ibiza. The town is 10.7 miles west of the capital Eivissa and is Located on the PM803 highway between Eivissa town and Sant Antoni de Portmany. The town is 6.5 miles from the islands airport...
called "Festival Club" that only operated for three summer seasons in the early 1970s.
Since the global economic crisis
Credit crunch
A credit crunch is a reduction in the general availability of loans or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from the banks. A credit crunch generally involves a reduction in the availability of credit independent of a rise in official interest rates...
and the end of the Spanish property bubble
Spanish property bubble
The Spanish property bubble refers to the massive growth of real state prices observed, in various stages, from 1985 up to 2008 in Spain. The housing burst can be clearly divided in three periods: 1985-1991, in which the price nearly tripled, 1992-1996, in which the price remained somewhat stable,...
in 2008 a large number of housing and tourist developments have been abandoned or put on hold as developers have struggled to get more credit from the banks and the projected profit margins fell significantly due to the slump in property prices and falling number of visitors to the island.
Transport
Ibiza is served by Ibiza AirportIbiza Airport
Ibiza Airport is the airport serving the Balearic islands of Ibiza and Formentera in Spain, used by 95% of all people who arrive at or depart from these two islands...
.
A daily bus service runs from North to Ibiza.
Administration
Ibiza is administratively part of the autonomous communityAutonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
, whose capital is Palma
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
, on the island of Majorca. Ibiza comprises 5 of the community's 67 municipalities. Clockwise from the south coast, these are:
- Sant Josep de sa TalaiaSant Josep de sa TalaiaSant Josep de sa Talaia is a small town and municipality of the Balearic Islands in western Ibiza. The town is 10.7 miles west of the capital Eivissa and is Located on the PM803 highway between Eivissa town and Sant Antoni de Portmany. The town is 6.5 miles from the islands airport...
- Sant Antoni de PortmanySant Antoni de PortmanySant Antoni de Portmany is a town on the western coast of Ibiza. It is the second-largest town and municipality in Ibiza; an island described by Time Out magazine as "arguably the clubbing capital of the universe"...
- Sant Joan de LabritjaSant Joan de LabritjaSant Joan de Labritja is a village and municipality of the Balearic Islands on northern Ibiza. Among others, the resorts of Portinatx and Cala de Sant Vicent are located there.The municipality encompasses the following towns and villages:...
- Santa Eulària des RiuSanta Eulària des RiuSanta Eulària des Riu is a municipality on the eastern coast of Ibiza. The only river on the island flows through the town of Santa Eulària. The town was depicted, in the time before and up to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, in Elliot Paul's Life and Death of a Spanish Town...
- Vila d'EivissaIbiza TownIbiza Town is a city and municipality located on the southeast coast of the island of Ibiza in the Balearic Islands autonomous community. Although called Ibiza in English and Spanish, the official name is in Catalan Eivissa and its inhabitants call it Vila d'Eivissa or simply Vila...
("Ibiza Town"; known simply as simply Vila, "Town")
| Municipality | Area in square kms. |
Census population 1 November 2001 |
Estimated population 1 January 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sant Josep de sa Talaia Sant Josep de sa Talaia Sant Josep de sa Talaia is a small town and municipality of the Balearic Islands in western Ibiza. The town is 10.7 miles west of the capital Eivissa and is Located on the PM803 highway between Eivissa town and Sant Antoni de Portmany. The town is 6.5 miles from the islands airport... |
159.4 | 14,267 | 22,871 |
| Sant Antoni de Portmany Sant Antoni de Portmany Sant Antoni de Portmany is a town on the western coast of Ibiza. It is the second-largest town and municipality in Ibiza; an island described by Time Out magazine as "arguably the clubbing capital of the universe"... |
126.8 | 15,081 | 22,136 |
| Sant Joan de Labritja Sant Joan de Labritja Sant Joan de Labritja is a village and municipality of the Balearic Islands on northern Ibiza. Among others, the resorts of Portinatx and Cala de Sant Vicent are located there.The municipality encompasses the following towns and villages:... |
121.7 | 4,094 | 5,477 |
| Santa Eulària des Riu Santa Eulària des Riu Santa Eulària des Riu is a municipality on the eastern coast of Ibiza. The only river on the island flows through the town of Santa Eulària. The town was depicted, in the time before and up to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, in Elliot Paul's Life and Death of a Spanish Town... |
153.6 | 19,808 | 32,637 |
| Vila d'Eivissa Ibiza Town Ibiza Town is a city and municipality located on the southeast coast of the island of Ibiza in the Balearic Islands autonomous community. Although called Ibiza in English and Spanish, the official name is in Catalan Eivissa and its inhabitants call it Vila d'Eivissa or simply Vila... |
11.1 | 34,826 | 49,516 |
| Totals | 572.6 | 88,076 | 132,637 |
These municipalities had a total population of 88,076 inhabitants (as of the 2001 census
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)
The National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
), which had risen to an estimated 132,637 by the start of 2010, and have a land area of 572.56 km² (221.1 sq mi).
Cuisine
Ibiza's local cuisine is typically Mediterranean. One of the typical culinary products of the island is sweets known as flaonsFlaons
Flaons are a type of pastry made in different locations of the Eastern Iberian Peninsula, like Morella, Ibiza, Formentera, Minorca and Olot, Spain...
.
In popular culture
A number of novels have been written using Ibiza as the setting, including Joshua Then and NowJoshua Then and Now
Joshua Then and Now is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Mordecai Richler, first published in 1980 by McClelland and Stewart. Richler adapted it into the feature film Joshua Then and Now, starring James Woods, Alan Arkin, and Gabrielle Lazure; directed by Ted Kotcheff who had previously...
by Mordecai Richler
Mordecai Richler
Mordecai Richler, CC was a Canadian Jewish author, screenwriter and essayist. A leading critic called him "the great shining star of his Canadian literary generation" and a pivotal figure in the country's history. His best known works are The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Barney's Version,...
, Soma Blues by Robert Sheckley
Robert Sheckley
Robert Sheckley was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical.Sheckley was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and...
, Vacation in Ibiza by Lawrence Schimel
Lawrence Schimel
Lawrence Schimel is an American science fiction and fantasy writer, translator, and anthologist whose work frequently deals with gay and lesbian themes, and with Jewish themes. He was born in New York, and received his B.A. in Literature from Yale University. Schimel is a member of the National...
, A Short Life on a Sunny Isle: An Alphonse Dantan Mystery by Hannah Blank
Hannah Blank
Hannah Blank is an American author.- Bibliography :*A Murder of Convenience ISBN 096527781X*Brave Man Dead ISBN 0965277836*A Short Life on a Sunny Isle ISBN 0965277844...
, They Are Ruining Ibiza by A.C. Greene and The Python Project by Victor Canning
Victor Canning
Victor Canning was a prolific writer of novels and thrillers who flourished in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, but whose reputation has faded since his death in 1986...
. The 1960 novel Out of the Red into the Blue by the English novelist Barbara Comyns Carr
Barbara Comyns Carr
- Early life :Barbara Irene Veronica Bayley was born in the Warwickshire village of Bidford-on-Avon in 1907. She was one of six children and the family home was Bell Court on the banks of the River Avon...
is based on the island.
The 1969 film More was filmed on location in Ibiza, and the soundtrack by Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
features a song titled "Ibiza Bar
Ibiza Bar
"Ibiza Bar" is a song written and performed by the English rock band, Pink Floyd, and featured on their third album, Soundtrack from the Film More. It opens with a riff very similar to that of "The Nile Song". However, unlike that track, the song does not cycle through several keys and Gilmour's...
." The 2004 film It's All Gone Pete Tong
It's All Gone Pete Tong
-CD 1:#"Pacific State" - 808 State #"Cloud Watch" - Lol Hammond#"Dry Pool Suicide" - Graham Massey#"Moonlight Sonata" - Graham Massey#"Baby Piano" - Lol Hammond#"Ku Da Ta" - Pete Tong...
was also filmed in Ibiza. Also the 2001 film Kevin and Perry Go Large was filmed on location in Ibiza.
External links
- Consell Insular d'Eivissa (local government)
- Official City Council Site
- Official tourism portal of Ibiza - Consell Insular d'Eivissa
- Ibiza and the Historic Town of Eivissa by The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Ibiza: Beaches and Clubs - slideshow by Life magazine
- Ibiza Castle - Info from the Official site of Tourism in Spain