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History and Lifestyle of Ibiza
The islands of Ibiza and Formentera are steeped in a rich tapestry of history that spans back almost a thousand years, and are influenced by the cultures of the Romans, Moors and Spanish, and in later years following an influx of Germans and Brits, the islands have undergone a transformation of a different style.
The Romans called the islands the Pitiusas after the large amount of pine trees that grew on both Ibiza and its smaller sister Formentera, and though the name has dwindled in use over the centuries the evidence of the pine tress is still ever present.
Location
Located some fifty-six miles from the southern Spanish coast and Barcelona and
approximately 100 miles from the coast of Algeria’s in North Africa, and
is the smallest of the islands collectively known as the Balearics. Ibiza is
the largest of the two islands at 220 square miles, with her smaller sister
Formentera coming in at a mere 37 square miles in size, far smaller than Mallorca
and Menorca.
Ibiza has been called in recent years ‘The Jewel of the Mediterranean’, and rightly so, with miles of beautiful beaches, turquoise seas and wonderful countryside. It is little wonder that the islands became a haven for the hippy set during the 60’s, and many artists and poets have made both Ibiza and Formentera their home. In more recent years the influx of clubbers from Britain and Germany has led to the rise of the islands prominence as THE place to be if you are in the club scene, but in doing so has also left the island of Ibiza tarnished with a different brush entirely.
From the UK it takes on average 2 ½ hours to fly to Ibiza’s only airport, though it is possible to reach the island by road, travelling through France and Spain and then by car ferry to the islands major port of La Marina.
Climate
The Pitiusas are both quite flat and as such winds coming up from the coast
of North Africa bring with them warm currents and sweep over the islands, especially
the flatter Formentera, and as such both islands have a very warm and pleasant
climate all year round. Temperatures reach on average the high 90’s during
summer months and fall to around 35° C in winter months, with the wettest
and coldest months falling between January and March each year. Rainfall is
quite common during the winter months but still not as much as the southern
regions of Spain, and during the summer rain is all but none existent. It does
rain in the summer months, but often only during the night and by morning all
traces have all but vanished.
You will find that although Ibiza is hot during the summer months, its sister Formentera feels far hotter. This is due to the flatness of the smaller island the warm currents of air blowing over the island from the African coast. The difference means that people burn far easier on Formentera than on its larger sister so precautions must be taken.
Nature and Environment
Both Ibiza and Formentera are home to a vast array of wildlife of many varieties,
rich in both flora and fauna, some are indigenous to the islands and found nowhere
else on Earth.
As already stated above the islands have been nicknamed the Pitiuses and for good reason, several species of pine tree grow freely on both islands with the very sturdy Sabine being found on Formentera and are commonly used to build houses and repair fishing boats.
Fig and orange trees are common on Ibiza with large groves being found in the centre of the island, away from the tourist resorts, and in the foothills of the island there are many beautiful wild flowers growing, often by the roadside. Many herbs grow on both islands and form the basic ingredients of the local alcoholic beverages firgola and hierbas, both are very sweet to the taste. Other plants include heather, rosemary, thyme and numerous species of orchid. Please note that like many places in Europe the wild flowers that grow on both islands are protected by law and you could find yourself being prosecuted if you pick them.
Both islands are home to a large number of birds with the hoopoe (known locally as the puput or mensajero) being very common in even the most rural areas, as well as petrels, shags and puffins, and also an indigenous species of cormorant. Birds of prey are also common with the large eared owl often being spotted on Formentera along with kestrels and other hawks. It is also not an uncommon sight during summer and autumn months to see flamingos in the salt flats of Formentera.
Ibiza is also home to a strange variety of dogs that are believed to have come over from North Africa centuries ago. There are also a large number of stray cats on the islands that can be found in most towns.
One of the most common creatures to be found on both Ibiza and Formentera is the Ibizan wall lizard, those lovely little creatures are not shy when it comes to taking food from humans and are well known for scurrying across your feet. There are over 40 species of wall lizard living on the islands, varying in colouration and size, with the largest living on Formentera. A one time these lizards where popular pets with the local children, but now many are protected by law.
Sea life is abundant around the islands and for centuries fishermen have made their livings from the warm waters of the Mediterranean. Here are a vast number of varieties of fish from the tiny ones that swim around your feet when you paddle in sea, to huge sea bass and more. Sharks are very uncommon in these waters but not unheard of deep out to sea, and dolphins occasionally are to be found in the warmer waters that surround Formentera, a must-see for tourists.
Past History
The islands are steeped in history and due to the position in the Mediterranean
have been a strategic place for many cultures, from the Carthaginians and the
Moors, to the Vandals and finally the Spanish. One of the most famous of Ibiza’s
sons is perhaps Christopher Columbus who is reported to have been born and raised
in Sant Antonio, but many towns, cities and states in and around Spain have
made this claim. Even so there is a statue to Columbus at the entrance to Sant
Antonio known as ‘The Egg’ which celebrates its most famous (sic)
son.
Over the centuries the islands of both Ibiza and Formentera have been witness to many visitors, not all of them friendly at all and evidence of attacks from the Moors is still present even today in the 21st Century.
Moorish buildings are dotted all over the islands and on the headland into Formentera one passes a very impressive Moorish watchtower that dates back to the 9th Century.
Formentera has even older evidence dating back to Neolithic times and several areas around the island have been excavated over the years and have produced amazing finds of what life was like on this white sanded paradise thousands of years ago.
The Romans also claimed a stake in the history of the island, leaving many influences behind in their wake, but perhaps the greatest invader to the islands was that of Spaniards from mainland Spain who brought with them Catholicism which still remains the predominate religion on the islands today.
Pirates once used the many coves of both Ibiza and Formentera to hide illicit
goods, or make raids into nearby Algeria, plying the shipping routes.
The walled town of Eivissa (commonly known as Ibiza Old Town by tourists and locals alike) is a striking edifice that can be seen from most of the eastern side of the island and on a clear day from Formentera. Eivissa rises up out of the rock bed of the island and is an impressive sight, and thanks to its walls that run all around its circumference it has been highly defendable, even as recently as the early 20th Century.
Ibiza Today
There is a rich tapestry of life on the islands and as such it boasts more millionaires
than Monte Carlo or San Tropez, with some of the most expensive villas and yachts
in the Mediterranean. Many of the rich and famous names in Spanish high society
have made Ibiza a regular home from home, including artists such as Salvador
Dali, and Princess Caroline of Monaco, and a large number of very famous movie
stars often visit the islands when not working.
In the late part of the fifties and early sixties, Ibiza was re-discovered by the hippies who settled in Es Canar and on Formentera and would define the look of the island for generations to come. What was once seen as degenerates who were a drain on local resources, has since become a mainstream source of income due to the amount of revenue their weekly markets bring into the coffers of the islands government and now the hippies are treated with respect, though there are few of them left as most are now successful businessmen and women.
The most recent invasion of Ibiza took place in the early 1990’s when clubbers from both Britain and Germany began to travel there each summer and soon a thriving ‘dance’ culture grew up and some of the worlds most successful nightclubs opened, drawing in hundreds of thousands of clubbers each month. The first and one would say most popular nightclub on Ibiza was Pacha which opened back in the mid sixties and was at one time a popular haunt for movie stars such as Jack Nicholson. Now there are dozens of nightclubs open during the main season (May to October) with millions of euros up for grabs. Now names such as SPACE, Manumission, Es Paradis are big money and each club pays host to thousands of clubbers from all over Europe each season.
The popularity of the Ibiza dance culture led to the islands becoming the focus of a number of television programmes such as Ibiza Uncovered, The Villa and Holiday Reps: Uncut during the late 90’s and into the early 21st Century. These programmes painted a much different picture of the peaceful paradise and the islands came across as a haven for drunken yobs, sex crazed teens and drugged out revellers. It is not sure how much damage these television shows actually caused over the years, but for many at home this was their first and perhaps only experience of life on the islands.
Several big budget movies have been shot on both Ibiza and Formentera with perhaps the most famous being the 1956 movie South Pacific which had segments filmed in the northern area of Ibiza known as Portinax. One of the most famous scenes in a movie was also shot on Ibiza when a very young Burt Lancaster and Debra Carr rolled over in the seaweed on the beach of Figueretes in the classic From Here to Eternity.
Formentera has also appeared in movies during the past few years most noticeably the erotically charged Lucia y el sexo known in English as Sex and Lucia which was almost filmed entirely on the island. Sections of the remake of The Pit and the Pendulum were also filmed on Formentera and Ibiza in the early 90s, but perhaps the most famous of the recent movies are Is Harry on the Boat and Kevin and Perry go Large, both filmed almost exclusively on Ibiza.
In recent years Ibiza has come under a great deal of criticism over the lager lout image that has tarnished the island, with some tour companies actively promoting the drink till you drop culture, though steps have been taken to combat this by the government of Ibiza.
The one good thing about the influx of tourists, both young and old has had on the island is the improvement on the lives of the locals, with everything from housing to sewage being vastly improved for the better. As recently as the early 90’s many areas of Ibiza were under privileged and even the capital of Eivissa had sections that were little more than a shanty town, more akin with the third world than 20th Century Europe.
Now the 90,000 or so inhabitants of Ibiza live in decent standard housing, have excellent education and their roads have been vastly improved, bringing them up to date. Now its possible to access the Internet from the myriad of cyber cafes that dot the island, and connection to mainland Spain is only 40 minutes away, with both regular flights from the islands only airport, and ferry or hydrofoil trips from the port in Eivissa!
The dance culture is still present in Ibiza, but over the past four or five
years many clubbers have abandoned the white isles in favour of other more exotic
climes such as Cuba. Still Ibiza remains an excellent holiday destination that
has far more to offer than just 24 hour drinking and causal sex.
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