Ibiza (Catalan: Eivissa) is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands. Major cities are Ibiza, Santa Eulària des Riu and Sant Antoni de Portmany.

Eivissa is the official Catalan name (), but the name in Spanish is Ibiza (usually pronounced using the Castilian variation [iˈβ̞iθa], often manifested by English speakers ) or ).

The island of Ibiza is well-known for its summer club parties which attract large numbers of tourists, but the island and the Spanish Tourist Office have been working to shed the prevailing "sex-and-alcohol" image in order to promote more family-oriented tourism. Noted clubs include Space, Pacha, Privilege (ex Ku), Amnesia, DC10, Eden and Es Paradis. It is also home to the 'West End' party district of Sant Antoni, a popular stop for many tourists.. It was later known to Romans as "Ebusus". The Greeks, who came to Ibiza during the time of the Phoenicians, were the first to call the two islands of Ibiza and Formentera the Pitiusas ("pine-covered islands"; a translation of the Phoenician name). With the decline of Phoenicia after the Assyrian invasions, Ibiza came under the control of Carthage, also a former Phoenician colony. The island produced dye, salt, fish sauce (garum), and wool.

A shrine with offerings to the goddess Tanit was established in the cave at Es Culleram, and the rest of the Balearic Islands entered Eivissa's commercial orbit after 400 BC. Ibiza was a major trading post along the Mediterranean routes. Ibiza began establishing its own trading stations along the nearby Balearic island of Mallorca such as Na Guardis, from which large quantities of renowned Balearic slingers were hired as mercenaries who fought for Carthage.

During the Second Punic War, the island was assaulted by the two Scipio brothers 209 BC but remained loyal to Carthage. With Carthaginian military luck running out on the Iberian mainland, Ibiza was last used by the fleeing Carthaginian General Mago to gather supplies and men before sailing to Menorca and then to Liguria. Ibiza negotiated a favorable treaty with the Romans, which spared Ibiza from further destruction and allowed it to continue its Carthaginian-Punic institutions well into the Empire days, when it became an official Roman municipality. For this reason, Ibiza today offers excellent examples of late Carthaginian-Punic civilization. During the Roman Empire, the island became a quiet imperial outpost, removed from the important trading routes of the time.

After the fall of the Roman empire and a brief period of first Vandal and then Byzantine rule, the island was conquered by the Moors, as well as much of the Iberian peninsula. Under Islamic rule, Ibiza came in close contact with the city of Dénia (the closest port in the nearby Iberian peninsula, located in the Land of Valencia) as the two areas were administered jointly by the same taifa. Moreover, the tribes who lived in Ibiza and Denia during the period 1060–1085 were Moorish tribes named Bno-Alaglab & Bano-Mujahed.

The island was put back in Christian hands by Aragonese King James I of Aragon in 1235. Since then, the island has had its own self-government in several forms but in 1715 King Philip V of Spain abolished the local government's autonomy. The arrival of democracy in the late seventies led to the Statute of Autonomy of the Balearic Islands. Today the island is part of the Balearic Autonomous Community, along with Mallorca, Minorca and Formentera.

Climate

The climate of Ibiza is Mediterranean and has milder winters but slightly cooler summers than Majorca. The winters are generally mild with temperatures around during the day and at night. The hottest time of the year is July and August with temperatures reaching most afternoons. The lowest recorded temperature in Ibiza is , the highest is .

Tourism

Ibiza is considered a popular tourist destination, especially due to its legendary and at times riotous nightlife centered around two areas: Ibiza Town, the island's capital on the eastern shore and Sant Antoni to the West.

However, any time other than summer, the whole island is empty of tourists and most clubs are not open (only Pacha is open all year round). Tourists who plan to travel to the island prior to June or after September should expect a quieter time with more unsettled weather.

El Vedrà can be seen from all over the island, and some claim it is the third most magnetic point on Earth (after the North Pole and the Bermuda Triangle).

Administration

Ibiza is administratively part of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, whose capital is Palma, on the island of Mallorca. Ibiza comprises five of the community's 67 municipalities. Clockwise from the south coast, these are:

• Sant Josep de sa Talaia
• Sant Antoni de Portmany
• Sant Joan de Labritja
• Santa Eulària des Riu
• Ibiza Town (Eivissa/Vila)

These municipalities had a total population of 88,076 inhabitants (as of the 2001 census) and have a land area of 572.56 km² (221.07 sq mi).

Music & Movies

There also exists a genre of dance music named after Ibiza dubbed Balearic Beat, similarly to the way Goa trance is named after Goa, India. The style tries to reflect the atmosphere of Ibiza. The atmosphere is brought on with the use of synthesized string instruments, the sound of waves, mandolins and guitars, and wispy vocals. Popular tracks in this genre include:

• Seven Cities (Solarstone)
• Offshore (Chicane)
• Spanish Fly (Wayne Numan)
• Beachball (Nalin & Kane)
• The Devil Went Down to Ibiza (Alabama 3)
• First State (First State)
• "Café del Mar" (Energy 52)
• Return to Ibiza (Brad Smith)
• This is Ibiza (Sander Kleinenberg)
• Ibiza (Delta Dreams)
• Seize-Strike (Ibiza 2007 Remix (Rachel loren)
• "We're Going to Ibiza" (Vengaboys)
• People from Ibiza (Sandy Marton)
• "Hold You" (ATB)
• " Ibiza Dreams DJ HMX

References

External links

sisterlinks Ibiza

• ibiza.com - A Directory About Ibiza
• Consell Insular d'Eivissa (local government)
• [http://www.ibiza.travel/en/ Official tourism portal of Ibiza - Consell Insular d'Eivissa'']
• Official City Council Site
• Map of Ibiza (Google Maps Mashup)
• 'Ibiza Belle - A complete expat's guide to living in Ibiza'
• A humorous Ibiza review site