Formentera

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,Ca na Costa, L’Enciclopèdia d’Eivissa i Formentera, http://www.eeif.es/veus/Costa-ca-na/, accessed 16/04/2017. Cap de Barbaria (multiple sites)Cap de Barbaria, L’Enciclopèdia d’Eivissa i Formentera, http://www.eeif.es/veus/Barbaria-cap-de/, accessed 16/04/2017. and Cova des Fum.Cova des Fum, L’Enciclopèdia d’Eivissa i Formentera, http://www.eeif.es/veus/Fum-cova-des/, accessed 16/04/2017. 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, Formentera 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.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uZbxkcaKFVMC&q=Formentera+uninhabited&pg=PA12|title=Ibiza and Formentera|last=Bryant|first=Sue|date=June 2007|publisher=New Holland Publishers|isbn=9781845378141}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eACqCQAAQBAJ&q=Battle+of+A%C3%AFn-el-Turk&pg=PA453|title=Concise History of Islam|last1=Syed|first1=Muzaffar Husain|last2=Akhtar|first2=Syed Saud|last3=Usmani|first3=B. D.|date=2011-09-14|publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd|isbn=9789382573470|language=en}} 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 Couronné 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.

File:MTN50-0849-2006-cns-Formentera.jpg

File:Véndes de Formentera.svg

The main island of Formentera is {{convert|19|km}} long and is located about {{convert|6|km|0}} 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.C.Michael Hogan. 2011. [http://www.eoearth.org/article/Balearic_Sea?topic=49523 Balearic Sea. Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. P. Saundry & C.J.Cleveland. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC] 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 {{convert|83.24|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. It is subdivided into several civil parishes (parròquies), themselves subdivided into vendas (véndes 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.{{Clear}}

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.

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).

| rowspan="2" | Cosme Vidal Juan (ICIF–CD, CP)

| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Coalition (Spain)}};"|

|-

| align=center|1983

|

| style="background:{{party color|People's Coalition (Spain)}};"|

|-

| align=center|1987

|

| rowspan="3" | Antoni Marí (PP)

| rowspan="3" style="background:{{party color|People's Party of the Balearic Islands}};"|

|-

| align=center|1991

|

|-

| align=center|1995

|

|-

| align=center|1999

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| Pilar Costa (Pacte Progressista)

| style="background:{{party color|Pacte Progressista}};"|

|-

| align=center|2003

|

| Pere Palau (PP)

| style="background:{{party color|People's Party of the Balearic Islands}};"|

|-

| colspan="4" style="background:#EEEEEE; text-align:center;"| {{smaller|Split into the Island Councils of Ibiza and Formentera respectively, with the 2007 Amendment of the Statue of Autonomy coming into effect.}}

|}

| rowspan="3" | Jaume Ferrer Ribas (GxF)

| rowspan="4" style="background:{{party color|Gent per Formentera}};"|

|-

| align=center|2011

|

|-

| align=center|2015

|

|-

| rowspan="2" align=center|2019

| rowspan="2" |

| Alejandra Ferrer (GxF) {{small|(2019-2021)}}

|-

| Ana Juan (PSIB–PSOE) {{small|(2021-2023)}}

| style="background:{{party color|Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands}};"|

|-

| rowspan="3" align=center|2023

|

| rowspan="2" | Llorenç Córdoba (Sa Unió, Independent) {{small|(2023–2024)}}

| style="background:{{party color|Sa Unió de Formentera}};"|

|-

| rowspan="2" |

| style="background:{{party color|Independent}};"|

|-

| Òscar Portas (Sa Unió) {{small|(2024–)}}

| style="background:{{party color|Sa Unió de Formentera}};"|

|}

Since the 1960s, Formentera has been a popular destination for hippies.{{cite news|last1=Stewart|first1=James|title=Formentera: where the party's still chilled|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/jun/19/formentera-balearics-party-island|access-date=15 June 2015|newspaper=The Guardian|date=18 June 2010}} Formentera is renowned across Europe for many pristine white beaches and the fact that nude sunbathing is allowed on most of its beaches.{{cite book|last1=Mischke|first1=Roland |last2=Schwarz|first2=Berthold |title=Ibiza, Formentera|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xsTzAaa582cC&pg=PA91|year=2001|publisher=Nelles Verlag|isbn=978-3-88618-768-3|pages=91–}}

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.{{cite web |title=Formentera Jazz Festival |url=https://www.formenterajazzfestival.info/cat/el-festival |website=formenterajazzfestival.info |access-date=21 March 2023}}

The Canadian writer Patrick Roscoe was born in Formentera.{{cite book|last1=Burton|first1=Peter|title=Death Comes Easy: The Gay Times Book of Murder Stories|date=2003|publisher=Gay Men's Press|location=London, U.K.|isbn=9781902852461|oclc=58997265|page=[https://archive.org/details/deathcomeseasy00pete/page/458 458]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/deathcomeseasy00pete/page/458}} Joni Mitchell wrote her 1971 album Blue on the island while Bob Dylan once slept on the Far de la Mola on the island.{{cite book|last1=Haig|first1=Matt|title=Reasons to Stay Alive|date=2015|publisher=Cannongate Books|location=London, U.K.|isbn=9781782116820|page=231|quote=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.}} Author Matt Haig also writes about visiting the island often in his twenties in Reasons to Stay Alive. 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.{{cite book|last=Halperin | first=Ian|title=Fire and Rain: The James Taylor Story|edition=Revised|publisher=Citadel Press | year= 2003|isbn=0-8065-2348-4|page=71}}

The Cap de Barbaria Lighthouse plays a pivotal role in Julio Medem's 2001 Spanish film, Sex and Lucia (Lucía y el sexo), which was filmed on the island and served as a touchstone for the various characters' interwoven relationships.{{cite web |title=Far Del Cap de Barbaria |url=https://www.illesbalearsfilm.org/en/locations/far-del-cap-de-barbaria?ref= |website=Illes Balears Film Commission |access-date=21 March 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Basté |first1=Jordi |title=Tras los pasos de 'Lucía y el sexo´en Formentera |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/cine/20140810/54412854798/verano-de-cine-lucia-y-el-sexo.html |publisher=La Vanguardia |date=9 August 2014}}

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.{{cite book |last1=Clements |first1=Bill |last2=Clements |first2=William H. |title=Martello Towers Worldwide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hLX7kXj-lrsC&pg=PA56 |access-date=March 5, 2015 |year=2011 |publisher=Casemate Publishers |isbn=9781848845350 |page=56}}

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.noudiari.es/2019/04/el-temporal-empuja-contra-las-rocas-a-un-velero-con-la-tripulacion-dentro-en-formentera-video/|title=El temporal empuja contra las rocas a un velero con la tripulación dentro en Formentera [Vídeo]|date=10 April 2019}}

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.

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.[http://www.techno293.org/ Techno 293 OD World Championships]

• Es Mal Pas

File:Sant Francesc Formentera.jpg|Church in Sant Francesc

File:Formentera sat.png|Satellite picture of Formentera

File:Formentera_cliffs.jpg|The coastline near Cala Saona

File:S'espalmador.jpg|Island of Espalmador

File:Platja Trucadors.JPG|Trucadors Beach

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.consellinsulardeformentera.cat/ Consell de Formentera]
• [http://www.formentera.es Local government website]

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{{Municipalities in the Balearic Islands}}

{{Comarcas of the Balearic Islands}}

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Category:Comarcas of the Balearic Islands

Category:Islands of the Balearic Islands

Category:Municipalities in the Balearic Islands

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Category:Mediterranean islands