Minorca

About the island

Minorca is the second largest island in the Balearic archipelago. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea and belongs to Spain. Minorca covers an area of about 690 sq.km. Anyone who visits this island will be surprised by the variety of landscapes and beautiful sceneries. The Romans named this island. The translation of the name means “small” since it was necessary to distinguish it from the nearby larger island-Majorca. Minorca is often called “Green Island” because it has very lush vegetation due to its high humidity.

History

History of the island dates back to the 3rd century BC. The first inhabitants were immigrants from southern France. In the 2nd century BC there were hunters and gatherers of fruit. The evidence of that is the building without the defensive character. In 123 BC, the island was conquered by Cecillius Quintus Metellus, the ruler of the Roman Empire. Metellus actually gave the name to this island. In 427 BC, it became part of the North African kingdom.

However, Minorca today has influences of various conquerors such as the Vandals, Arabs, Catalans, Turks, English, French and Spanish. The traces can be found in the architecture, names of towns and villages, gastronomy and local way of life.

Biosphere Reserve

In1993, UNESCO World Heritage put the island in their list as unique biosphere reserve. Minorca was declared Biosphere Reserve due to its rich past. Here you will find the oldest known Talaioti building. These objects date from 1,500 BC and even today, they are in good condition.

Tourist Attractions

Among the best preserved megaliths is Torralba d’en Salord. This megalith is 2 meters high and weighs 25 tons. You can also visit other megaliths such as Torellonet Vell Torre d’en Gaumes, Talat d’en Dalt, Trepuco, Torelli, Curnia and many more.

Another attraction is the mountain Monte Toro. It is dedicated to the patron saint of the island. There are a few tourist attractions around the city such as Mahon, Ciutadella, Dragons Cave, Parc Natural de s’Albufera des Grau and Castle of Santa Agueda.

Minorca is also called “the windy island”. There is a legend which says that the winds of Minorca change people’s personality. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why tourists always come back to Minorca.

Beaches

The longest beach on the island is the Son Bou. Minorca is somehow separate and distinct from the other islands. There are many beaches and bays. On the south coast there are beautiful beaches surrounded by pine forests and lush vegetation. North Coast (La Tramuntana) is steeper and rocky, but it has exceptional beauty.