Pityusic Islands
| Native name: Illes Pitiüses | |
|---|---|
|
Flag of Ibiza | |
 | |
| Etymology | Greek: Πιτυοῦσσαι, Pityûssai: pine-covered (islands) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Mediterranean Sea |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 38°42′N 1°27′E / 38.700°N 1.450°E |
| Archipelago | Balearic Islands |
| Area | 655.8 km2 (253.2 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 476 m (1,562 ft) |
| Highest point | Talaia, Ibiza |
| Administration | |
|
Spain | |
| Autonomous Community | Balearic Islands |
| Province | Balearic Islands |
| Largest settlement | Ibiza (pop. 37,408) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 142,599 (1 January 2010) |
| Pop. density | 217.44 /km2 (563.17 /sq mi) |
The Pityusic Islands,[1][2] often referenced simply as the Pityuses (Catalan: Pitiüses [pitiˈuzəs], Spanish: Pitiusas; from the Greek πιτύα pitýa, pine tree), or commonly but informally (and ambiguously) as the Pine Islands, is the name given collectively to the Balearic islands of Ibiza (Catalan: Eivissa), Formentera, S'Espalmador and other small islets in the Mediterranean Sea.
Geography
The islands are situated approximately 100 kilometres (62 miles) southwest of the island of Majorca, and approximately 80 km (50 mi) east of the Cap de la Nau in the Iberian Peninsula.
History
In antiquity they were known as the Pityusa islands, listed in Claudius Ptolemy's Geography, under the names Ophiusis and Ebyssus, which had a town of the same name. The islands were used by Cilician pirates as a base. The Roman general Annius drove them out with a large fleet and with them the Roman renegade general Quintus Sertorius, who was seeking refuge there.
Administration
The Pine Islands are sometimes grouped together as part of the Balearic Islands, or else considered separate with the Balearics proper being Majorca and Minorca (which together with their islets form the Gymnesian Islands). Politically, they are part of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands.
Initially, they were administratively part of the same insular council (of Ibiza and Formentera), but since 2007 they are now separated between the insular council of Ibiza and the insular council of Formentera (each one is also assimilated to a single comarca), which are two of the four main administrative subdivisions of the province (and autonomous community) of the Balearic Islands.
Images Gallery
Beach on Ibiza
Beach on Formentera
Flags and coats of arms
Flag of Spain
Flag of the Balearic Islands
Flag of Ibiza
Flag of Formentera
Emblem of the Island Council of Ibiza
Coat of arms of Sant Antoni de Portmany
Coat of arms of Sant Joan de Labritja
Coat of arms of Santa Eulària des Riu
Coat of arms of Eivissa
See also
- Gymnesian Islands (Illes Gimnèsies)
Further reading
- Kuhbier, Heinrich; Alcover, Josep Antoni; Guerau d'Arellano Tur, Cristòfol, eds. (1984). Biogeography and Ecology of the Pityusic Islands. Monographiae Biologicae, Volume 52. The Hague, The Netherlands: Dr. W. Junk (Kluwer). ISBN 978-90-6193-105-8.
External links
- ↑ (in Spanish) Lagartija de las Pitiusas - Podarcis pityusensis (Boscá, 1883), Enciclopedia virtual de los vertebrados españoles, Alfredo Salvador, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Natural (CSIC), Madrid, published 20-06-2006.
- ↑ A new species of rail (Aves, Rallidae) from the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene of Eivissa (Pitiusic Island, Western Mediterranean), McMinn M., Palmer M. & Alcocer J.A., Ibis journal (ISSN 0019-1019), volume 147, pp. 706-716, published 2005. Referenced by the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA).