Formentera Island

Formentera is the second smallest inhabited island in the Balearic Islands. Formentera is located about 9 kilometers south of Ibiza and is 19 kilometers long. The island has an area of 82 sq. km.

Geography
Outline of the island
The island is relatively flat and consists mainly of four parts:

North
The north is the most densely populated part of the island and includes the villages of La Savina, Es Pujols, Sant Ferran de ses Roques, and Es Calo Sant Francesc de Formentera:
La Savina is the main port of the island. This is where the ferries go to and from Ibiza Town. Es Pujols is the only main tourist town on the island embossed with hotels and apartment blocks, restaurants, cafes, shops and discos.

It extends between La Savina and Pujols. Sant Francesc Xavier is located south of Es Pujols in the interior of the island with 1,500 inhabitants and is the largest town on the island and the administrative seat.

Northwest of Es Pujols joins an ever-tapering, uninhabited headland, which is surrounded by golden sand beaches, of which the best known are the Platja de ses Illetes. The beauty of this beach every day in the summer season attracts many boating enthusiasts from Ibiza.

South
To the south, the area is still sparsely populated and reaches a height of 119 meters. At the southernmost end of the island, the Cap de Barbaria is almost one hundred meters above sea level and is a medieval watchtower. This part of the island lies in the nature reserve and has a more rural, rocky shoreline.

Mid
The middle part of the island is approximately six kilometers long and wide. Here there are no true historical locations, but Platja de Mitjorn on the south side is the longest beach on the island and there are a few larger resorts.

East
In the east, La Mola joins the plateau, which is accessible only via a winding road or the old Roman road and located up to 192 meters above sea level. In the center of the plateau is El Pilar de la Mola. On the east of the island at almost 150m is high cape “Punta de sa Ruda” a beacon of which is a long view east over the sea. This part of the island is like the South, from rocky areas.

Local subdivisions

The municipality comprises of the eponymous main island of Formentera and the smaller northern islands Espalmador and Espardell. It is divided into 9 districts. The town of Formentera has 9147 inhabitants (2008), who live almost exclusively on the island. Council offices are at Sant Francesc de Formentera, with 1091 inhabitants. The pace since the 70s has seen a strong population growth.

The population has more than tripled since 1960. Since the millennium, the population has increased very rapidly (annual average 2001-2008: 7.4%). As a result, the proportion of residents in recent decades has diminished. Still 39.6% of residents are native to the Balearic Islands and 27.0% of Formentera. The population is about 52.9% male and 47.1% female.

Formentera was inhabited in prehistoric times. The oldest find was dated from the cave Cova des Fum (from the Chalcolithic period approximately from 2000 to 1600 BC). The most significant archaeological site is the dolmen grave Ca na Costa.

It is located between the lake Estany Pudent and the village of Es Pujols. From the Phoenician and Punic period, there are no signs of a settlement network, which is all the more surprising because Ibiza at that time was an important center in the western Mediterranean.

In Roman times, there was a large population of Formentera, which suggested several findings. The fort near Es Calo dates from the late Roman era. The Romans called the island frumentaria (”Island Wheat”) and used it because of the fertile soil and abundant fresh water resources at the time as a granary.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Vandals took control over all the Balearic Islands, known as the Byzantine Empire. In the year 859 Formentera, Mallorca and Menorca were haunted by marauding Vikings. Since the beginning of the 10th Century Formentera belonged to the Arab sphere of influence.

In 1235 the Catalan king Jaume I (James I the Conqueror) captured Ibiza and Formentera. Since then, Formentera has had its Catalan identity. With the drying up of sources, agriculture decreased more, and because of constant pirate attacks, the island was in the 16th Century eventually completely depopulated, and only settled in Ibiza again 200 years later.

Formentera today

The island was in the 1960s and 1970s, very popular with hippies, who came over from Ibiza. This is also felt today. Among other things, Formentera is associated with Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Bob Dylan in the Connection, the latter is said to have lived for six months in an abandoned mill on the high plains of La Mola. Chris Rea also lived there, and the music video for his song “On The Beach” was filmed here.

Remnant of this time is the hippie cult pub with restaurant Fonda Pepe and the craft market (Hippie Market) on Wednesdays and Sundays at El Pilar de la Mola. Now living on the island writer Niklaus Schmid has written about the era of the 1960s and 1970s that has become a cult book: “Formentera – an island on its way to legend.”

The film Lucia y el sexo by the Spanish director Julio Medem was filmed in 2000 at Formentera. In the film however, the name of the island is never mentioned, it refers to it only as ‘The Island’. Even on the cinema poster of the film, you can see in the background, the lighthouse at Cap de Barbaria.

Climate

Formentera has a temperate subtropical climate and it is the warmest and driest of the Balearic Islands, with an annual average of over 18 ° C and a total rainfall of 450 mm / year. In the north of the island it is often measured as less than 300 mm / year.

Tourism

Since the 1980s, Formentera has lost much of its original contemplation. To date, the beaches are not blocked and it is focused largely on the tourism infrastructure of the town of Es Pujols and a few plants on Platja de Mitjorn. Given the short distances it is well suited for excursions by bike, and includes the beaches of Formentera, with its bright sand and the turquoise and crystal clear waters of the most beautiful waters of the Mediterranean.

The island in the main tourist months of July and August is usually close to 100 percent booked, so the number of accommodations is limited. In spite of mass tourism in Formentera there is tranquillity to be found.

Agriculture

The vineyards on the island stretch over 60 hectares and accounts for approximately 12.5% of total agricultural acreage. The first records of grape and wine are found in the feud Charter (La carta de enfeudacion de la isla de Formentera).

The traditional grape variety is used in the manufacture of wine from the region of Formentera: Grape Varieties: Fogoneu; Tempranillo; Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. White varieties: Malvasia; White Prensal; Chardonnay and Viognier. Since 11th March 1996 the authority checks for the “wine of the region Formentera” is by the Department for Agriculture (Consell d’Agricultura).

The wine from the region of Formentera is only bottled and sold locally and bears an official control number assigned by the Chief Department for Agriculture (Direccio General d’Agricultura). Each year the Pagesos (farmers of the island), hold a competition to find the best wine. Today it is one of the most important wine-growing agricultural sectors in Formentera.

Ferry

The port of La Savina after enlargement in 1984 has seen a significant increase in maritime traffic, more than 5,000 ships and about 450,000 passengers per year. The ferries to and from Ibiza town make connections from the mainland.

They were the only public connection to the island from the outside world. Not least because of the somewhat awkward arrival of tourism in Formentera, it is not quite as pronounced as in the rest of the Balearic Islands .The time of crossing to Ibiza Town is approximately 30 minutes.