Everything about Ibiza totally explained
Ibiza (
Catalan:
Eivissa) is one of the
Balearic Islands located in the
Mediterranean Sea, belonging to
Spain. With
Formentera, it's 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 has been well-known for its summer club parties which attract large numbers of tourists, but the island and the Spanish Tourist Office has 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 15° during the day
Celsius (60°
Fahrenheit) and 8 at night. The hottest time of the year is July and August with temperatures reaching 30°C (85°F) most afternoons. The lowest recorded temperature in Ibiza is -5, the highest is 37.
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Avg high °C | 15.8 |
16.1 |
18.2 |
20.4 |
23.3 |
27.6 |
29.8 |
30.4 |
27.7 |
24.3 |
19.3 |
16.6
|
| Avg high °F | 60.44 |
60.98 |
64.76 |
68.72 |
73.94 |
81.68 |
85.64 |
86.72 |
81.86 |
75.74 |
66.74 |
61.88
|
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's 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:
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 HMXFurther Information
Get more info on 'Ibiza'.
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