Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

located in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

. Its capital is Maó, situated on the island's eastern end, although Menorca is not a province and forms a political union with the other islands in the archipelago. Ciutadella and Maó are the main ports and largest towns. Menorca had a population of 102,477 at the Census of 1 January 2025, Its highest point, called El Toro (from Catalan "''turó''" meaning ''hill''), roughly in the middle of the island, is

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

History

The island is known for its collection of

megalithic A megalith is a large Rock (geology), stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging ...

stone monuments: ''navetes'', ''taules'' and ''

talaiot A talaiot, or talayot (), is a Bronze Age megalith found on the islands of Menorca and Majorca forming part of the Talaiotic Culture or Talaiotic Period. Talaiots date back to the late second millennium and early first millennium BC. There are ...

s'', which indicate very early

prehistoric Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

human activity. Some of the earliest culture on Menorca was influenced by other

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

cultures, including the Greek

Minoan The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age culture which was centered on the island of Crete. Known for its monumental architecture and Minoan art, energetic art, it is often regarded as the first civilization in Europe. The ruins of the Minoan pa ...

s of

ancient Crete The history of Crete goes back to the 7th millennium BC, preceding the ancient Minoan civilization by more than four millennia. The Minoan civilization was the first civilization in Europe. During the Iron Age, Crete developed an Ancient Greece-i ...

(see also

Gymnesian Islands The Gymnesians ( , ), or Gymnesic Islands (), is a collective name given to the two largest (and easternmost) Balearic Islands, Mallorca and Menorca, distinguishing them from the Pityuses (; ), or Pine Islands, Ibiza and Formentera. Etymology ...

). For example, the use of inverted plastered timber columns at

Knossos Knossos (; , ; Linear B: ''Ko-no-so'') is a Bronze Age archaeological site in Crete. The site was a major centre of the Minoan civilization and is known for its association with the Greek myth of Theseus and the minotaur. It is located on th ...

is thought to have influenced early peoples of Menorca in imitating this practice. The end of the

Punic wars The Punic Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Ancient Carthage, Carthaginian Empire during the period 264 to 146BC. Three such wars took place, involving a total of forty-three years of warfare on both land and ...

saw an increase in piracy in the western Mediterranean. The

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

occupation of

Hispania Hispania was the Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two Roman province, provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divide ...

had meant a growth of maritime trade between the Iberian and Italian peninsulas. Pirates took advantage of the strategic location of the Balearic Islands to raid Roman commerce, using both Menorca and

as bases. In reaction to this, the Romans invaded Menorca. By 123 BC, both islands were fully under Roman control, later being incorporated into the province of

Hispania Citerior Hispania Citerior (English: "Hither Iberia", or "Nearer Iberia") was a Roman province in Hispania during the Roman Republic. It was on the eastern coast of Iberia down to the town of Cartago Nova, today's Cartagena in the autonomous community of ...

. In 13 BC, Roman emperor

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

reorganised the provincial system and the

became part of the

Tarraconensis Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the northern, eastern and central territories of modern Spain along with modern northern Portugal. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia, was t ...

imperial province. The ancient town of Mago was transformed from a

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( ) usually refers to the civilisation of ancient Carthage. It may also refer to: * Punic people, the Semitic-speaking people of Carthage * Punic language The Punic language, also called Phoenicio-Punic or Carthaginian, i ...

town to a Roman town.

Jews of Menorca

The island had a Jewish population.Elukin, Jonathan M. (2007). ''Living Together, Living Apart: Rethinking Jewish-Christian Relations in the Middle Ages''. Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern World. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. The ''Letter on the Conversion of the Jews'' by a fifth-century bishop named Severus tells of the

forced conversion Forced conversion is the adoption of a religion or irreligion under duress. Someone who has been forced to convert to a different religion or irreligion may continue, covertly, to adhere to the beliefs and practices which were originally held, w ...

of the island's 540 Jewish men and women in AD 418. Several Jews, including Theodore, a rich representative Jew who stood high in the estimation of his coreligionists and of Christians alike, underwent baptism. The act of conversion brought about, within a previously peaceful coexisting community, the expulsion of the ruling Jewish elite into the bleak hinterlands, the burning of synagogues, and the gradual reinstatement of certain Jewish families after the forced acceptance of Christianity, allowing the survival of those Jewish families who had not already perished. Many Jews secretly retained their Jewish faith while outwardly professing Christian beliefs. Some of these Jews form part of the

Xueta The Xuetes (; singular , also known as and spelled as ) are a social group on the Spanish island of Majorca, in the Mediterranean Sea, who are descendants of Majorcan Jews that either were conversos (forcible converts to Christianity) or were C ...

community. When Menorca became a British possession in 1713, they actively encouraged the immigration of foreign non-Catholics, which included Jews who were not accepted by the predominantly Christian inhabitants. When the Jewish community in Mahon requested the use of a room as a synagogue, their request was refused, and they were denounced by the clergy. In 1781, when Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, duc de Mahon invaded Menorca, he ordered all Jews to leave in four days. At that time, the Jewish community consisted of about 500 people and they were transported from Menorca in four Spanish ships to the port of

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

Middle Ages

The

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

easily conquered the island in the fifth century. The

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

recovered it in 534. Following the

Umayyad conquest of Hispania The Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula (; 711–720s), also known as the Arab conquest of Spain, was the Umayyad Caliphate, Umayyad conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom, Visigothic Kingdom of Hispania in the early 8th century. The conquest re ...

, Menorca was annexed to the

Caliphate of Córdoba A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

in 903, with many

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

s emigrating to the island. ''Manûrqa'' () was the Arabicized name given to the island by the

s from its annexation to the

Caliphate of Cordoba A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the enti ...

by 'Isâm al-Khawlânî in 903 until the rule of the last Muslim ra'îs, Abû 'Umar ibn Sa'îd in 1287. The only urban centre of the island was ''Madînat al Jazîra'' or ''al Manûrqa'' (modern Ciutadella). Most of the population lived in small farm communities organized under a

tribal The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

structure. In 1231, after Christian forces took Mallorca, Menorca chose to become an independent Islamic state, albeit one tributary to King

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conqueridor''; ; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1 ...

. The island was ruled first by Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd Hakam al Qurashi (1234–1282), and following his death by his son, Abû 'Umar ibn Sa'îd (1282–1287). A Catalan-Aragonese invasion, led by Alfonso III (also known as

Count of Barcelona The count of Barcelona (, , , ) was the ruler of the County of Barcelona and also, by extension and according with the Usages of Barcelona, Usages and Catalan constitutions, of the Principality of Catalonia as Prince#Prince as generic for ruler, p ...

Alfons II), came on 17 January 1287; its anniversary is now celebrated as Menorca's national day. Once the island was captured, most of its Muslim inhabitants were enslaved and sold in the

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

markets of Eivissa,

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

and

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, while others became Christians. After the Christian conquest of 1287, the island was part of the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon (, ) ;, ; ; . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (later Principality of Catalonia) and ended as a consequence of the War of the Sp ...

. For some time it was ceded to the

Kingdom of Mallorca The Kingdom of Majorca (, ; ; ; ) was an insular realm off the east coast of modern day Spain, which included the islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The islands were conquered from the Almohad Caliphate by James I of Aragon, and ...

, a vassal state of the Crown, but it was retaken by the king of Aragon in 1343. Eventually the

merged with the

Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingd ...

, and so Menorca became part of Spain. During the 16th century, Turkish naval attacks destroyed Mahon, and the then capital, Ciutadella. In Mahon,

Barbary pirates The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...

from North Africa took considerable booty and as many as 6,000 slaves. Various Spanish kings, including Philip III and Philip IV, styled themselves "King of Minorca" as a subsidiary title.

British rule

Captured by Britain's Royal Navy in 1708 during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, Minorca became a British possession. It was formally ceded to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

in 1713, under the terms of Article XI of the

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...

. Under the governorship of General Richard Kane, this period saw the island's capital moved to Port Mahon and a naval base established in that town's harbour. In 1756, during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, France captured the island after the Siege of Fort St Philip and a failed British relief attempt. The 1763 Treaty of Paris enabled the British to return to the island after Britain's victory in the Seven Years' War. In 1781, during the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, the British were defeated for a second time, in this instance by a combination of French and Spanish forces, and on 5 January 1782 the Spanish regained control of the island, after a long siege of St. Philip's Castle in Port Mahon. The British ceded the island back to Spain the next year in the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...

. Menorca was invaded by the British once again in 1798, during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

, but it was finally repossessed by Spain by the terms of the

Treaty of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France, the Spanish Empire, and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it set t ...

in 1802. The British influence can still be seen in local architecture, with elements such as

sash windows A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes". The individual sashes are traditionally paned window (architecture), paned windows, but can now contain an individual sheet (or sheets, in the case of double gla ...

Renewed Spanish rule

As with the rest of the Balearic Islands, Menorca was not occupied by the French during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

, as it was successfully protected by the Royal Navy, this time allied to Spain. A quarantine station (

lazaretto A lazaretto ( ), sometimes lazaret or lazarette ( ), is a quarantine station for maritime travelers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. In some lazarets, postal items were also disinfected, usu ...

), Llatzaret (Catalan), was constructed from 1793 to 1807 next to the entrance to the Port Mahon. It served ships from North Africa wishing to reach the Iberian Peninsula or the ports of the Balearic Islands. Lazarettos confined the crews of ships that were suspected of carrying infectious diseases, such as the plague. The crew needed to spend up to 40 days within its walls until it was clear there was no infection or until the sick recovered. It is now a national monument and can only be reached as part of an official tour. From 1815 until the mid-19th century, the U.S. Navy developed its Mediterranean headquarters at Port Mahon, leaving behind the English Cemetery, which was restored by the

Spanish government The government of Spain () is the central government which leads the executive branch and the General State Administration of the Kingdom of Spain. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers; the prime minister has the o ...

in 2008 and is maintained in the 21st century.

Since 1900

During the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, Menorca stayed loyal to the Republican Spanish Government, while the rest of the Balearic Islands supported the Spanish

Nationalists Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, Id ...

. The island did not see ground combat, but it was a target of aerial bombing by the pro-Nationalist Italians of the

Corpo Truppe Volontarie The Corps of Volunteer Troops () was a Fascist Italian expeditionary force of military volunteers, which was sent to Spain to support the Nationalist forces under General Francisco Franco against the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil ...

Air Force. Many Menorcans were also killed when taking part in a failed invasion of Mallorca. During the Pedro Marqués Barber era (July–December 1936) some Mallorcans and a priest were executed on the island. After the Nationalist victory in the Battle of Minorca in February 1939, the British Navy assisted in a

peaceful transfer of power A peaceful transition or transfer of power is a concept important to democratic governments in which the leadership of a government peacefully hands over control of government to a newly elected leadership. This may be after elections or during t ...

in Menorca and the evacuation of some political refugees aboard . In October 1993, Menorca was designated by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

as a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. In July 2005, the island's application to become the 25th member of the

International Island Games Association The International Island Games Association (IIGA) is the organising body for the Island Games, a friendly biennial multi-sport competition between teams from several European islands and other small territories (24 members from 8 nations). The ...

was approved.

Climate

As the major part of Balearic Islands, Menorca has a

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: '' Csa''), with mild winters and hot summers. Menorca is generally wetter than Mallorca, with rainfall peaking in late autumn. Average annual highs range between in winter to in summer. Due to its offshore position and the small size of the island, temperatures are generally quite stable.

Culture

The location of Menorca in the middle of the western Mediterranean was a staging point for the different cultures since prehistoric times. This Balearic Island has a mix of colonial and local architecture. The ''festes'' take place throughout the summer in different towns around the island, and have their origins in the early 14th century. The international opera week and international organ festival in Mahón, and the summer music festival and Capella Davidica concerts in Ciutadella are the main events of the island. Menorca's cuisine is dominated by the

Mediterranean diet The Mediterranean diet is a concept first proposed in 1975 by the American biologist Ancel Keys and chemist Margaret Keys. The diet took inspiration from the eating habits and traditional food typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and s ...

, which is known to be very healthy. While many of the locals have adopted modern attitudes they still uphold certain old traditions.

Traditional celebrations

Menorca is especially well known for its traditional summer "festes", which intrigue many visitors. The Saint John's Feast is held annually in

Ciutadella de Menorca Ciutadella de Menorca () or simply Ciutadella is a town and a municipalities of Spain, municipality in the western end of Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands (Spain). It is one of the two primary cities in the island, along with Maó. History ...

, during 23–25 June. The festes last for three days. On the first day, a man bears a well-groomed sheep upon his shoulders and parades around the local streets. In the late evening, main streets are closed, and bonfires held upon them. On the second day, locally bred black horses are dressed with ribbons and rosettes. The riders, or "caixers", ride the horses through the streets and, along with a tumultuous crowd of people, encourage them to rear up on their hind legs. The brave can be found running underneath them in an attempt to touch the horses hearts for good luck. The third day sees intense competition between the riders in a harmless form of jousting that involves spearing a suspended ring with a lance at considerable speed. The festes are brought to a close with a firework display.

Sports

As a small island, Menorca offers limited opportunities to see top-level sport competitions. Football in Menorca is played at the fifth level of the Spanish football pyramid. There are currently 11 clubs contesting the

Regional Preferente de Menorca In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

, the champion of which progresses to the

Tercera División Tercera División () was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Until 1977, it was the third tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segund ...

Grupo XI playoffs. The winner of this playoff is promoted to Tercera División; the last Menorquí club to do so was

CF Sporting Mahonés Club de Fútbol Sporting Mahonés was a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football team based in Mahón, Menorca, in the autonomous community of Balearic Islands prior to its 2012 dissolution. History C.F. Sporting Mahonés resulted from ...

in 2009.

CV Ciutadella Club Voleibol Ciutadella, also known as Avarca Menorca for sponsorship reasons, is a Spanish volleyball club from Ciutadella de Menorca in the Balearic Islands. Founded in 1985 merge of the teams of several local schools, it is best known for its ...

are a professional women's volleyball club who play in the Superliga Femenina, the top league of Spanish volleyball, having won the league championship in 2011 and 2012. They play at Pavelló Municipal d'Esports in Ciutadella. A semi-professional basketball club,

CB Menorca Club Bàsquet Menorca is a Spanish basketball club based in Mahón, Balearic Islands. History Bàsquet Menorca was founded in 2016 with the aim to reach again the professional basketball after the dissolution of former Liga ACB team Menorca Bàs ...

, play in the

LEB Plata The Segunda FEB, formerly known as LEB 2 and LEB Plata, is the third basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system and the second basketball division organized by the Spanish Basketball Federation. Since 2019, three teams are promote ...

, the third level of Spanish basketball. Their home court is

Pavelló Menorca Pavelló Menorca (''Pabellón Menorca'' in Spanish Language, Spanish) is an arena in Menorca in the area of Binitaufa, Mahón, Spain. It is primarily used for basketball and the home arena of Menorca Bàsquet. The arena holds 5,115 people and ...

in the Bintaufa neighborhood just outside of Maó. In recent years, some sporting events that gather hundreds of participants have been successfully held on a yearly basis, such as the triathlon race Extreme Man Menorca and the single-staged ultramarathon race Trail Menorca Camí de Cavalls. In 2014, it was announced that the island would host the 18th editions of the

Island Games The Island Games (currently known as the NatWest International Island Games for sponsorship reasons) are biennial international multi-sports events organised by the International Island Games Association (IIGA). Competitor teams each represent ...

in 2019; however, Menorca later pulled out of hosting the event, citing a change of government as the main reason.

Language

The two official languages are Catalan and Spanish. Natives to the island speak the variety of Catalan called ''Menorquí'', and Spanish as well; many residents originating from the mainland are monolingual in Spanish. The language of education and of government is Catalan, with Spanish taught alongside it. A 2014 survey carried out by the government of the Balearic Islands found that 53.5% of participants identified themselves as Catalan speakers, 36.7% as Spanish speakers, and 7.7% as bilingual speakers. The Catalan spoken in Menorca is a variety known as ''Menorquí''. Between ''Menorquí'' and standard Catalan, as with most

Balearic dialect Balearic ( ) is the group of dialects of Catalan language, Catalan spoken in the Balearic Islands: in Mallorca, in Ibiza and Menorcan, ''menorquí'' in Menorca. At the 2011 census, 861,232 respondents in the Balearic Islands claimed to be a ...

s, the most distinctive difference is the word used for the article "the", where ''Menorquí'' uses "es" for masculine and "sa" for feminine. Menorquí thus shares the source of its article with many Sardinian varieties (masc. sing. ''su'', fem sing. ''sa''), rather than the standard Catalan "el" and "la", similar to other Romance languages (e.g. Spanish ''el'', ''la'', Italian ''il'', ''la''), corresponding to a form which was historically used along the

Costa Brava The Costa Brava (; ; "Wild Coast" or "Rough Coast") is a coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Sources differ on the exact definition of the Costa Brava. Usually it can be regarded as stretching from the town of Blanes, northeas ...

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, from where it is supposed that the islands were repopulated after being conquered from the

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

. Menorquí also has a few English

loan word A loanword (also a loan word, loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language (the recipient or target language), through the process of borrowing (linguistics), borrowing. Borrowing ...

s dating back to the period of British rule, such as "grevi", "xumaquer", "boinder" and "xoc" taken from "gravy", "shoemaker", "bow window" and "chalk", respectively.

Food and drink

Wine production has been known on the island since ancient times, but it went into a heavy decline over the last century. Now, several new, small wineries have started up, producing wines locally. Lingering British influence is seen in the Menorcans' taste for

gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...

, which during local ''festes'' honoring towns'

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

s is mixed with lemonade (or

bitter lemon Bitter lemon is a bitter lemon flavoured soft drink. Its signature taste is a result of inherently bitter lemon pith being reinforced by the bitter alkaloid quinine. The principal difference between tonic water and bitter lemon is the lemon ...

) to make a golden liquid known as ''Pomada''. Gin from Menorca is not derived from grain alcohol but from wine alcohol ( eau de vie de vin), making it more akin to brandy. It has the distinction to have geographical identity protection. Probably the best known gin is Gin Xoriguer which is named after the typical Menorcan windmill which was used to make the first gin. One of the reasons it is also known as Gin de Minorca or Gin de Mahón.

Mayonnaise Mayonnaise (), colloquially referred to as "mayo" (), is a thick, creamy sauce with a rich and tangy taste that is commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, Salad#Bound salads, bound salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various o ...

is thought to take its name from the capital of the island. According to this theory, it was first prepared by a French chef in 1756 as part of a victory feast after capturing Port Mahon, Minorca. In those days, sauces were prepared by combining cream and eggs. The French chef needed cream to prepare a sauce, but the cream was nowhere to be found. Therefore, he replaced it with olive oil, creating mayonnaise. The name mayonnaise originates from the capital of the island,

Mahón Mahón (), officially Maó (, ; formerly spelled ''Mahó''), and also written as Mahon or Port Mahon in English, is the capital and second largest city of Menorca. The city is located on the eastern coast of the island, which is part of the ar ...

. Also famous is Mahón cheese, "formatge de Maó", a cheese typical of the island. Sweets known as flaons are one of the typical gastronomic products of Menorca.

Wildlife

Flowers

Menorca is rich in wild flowers with over 900 species of flowering plants recorded. Many are those typical of the Mediterranean, but some are endemic. There are 24 or 25 species of orchid found and of these most flower early in the year in late March, April and May.

Insects

30 species of butterflies have been recorded on Menorca and most are on the wing from March to late September. The species that occur include the

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

, Lang's short tailed blue and the two-tailed pasha.
Despite not having many large wetlands dragonflies abound on Menorca. Seventeen species have been recorded including the emperor dragonfly. *

List of butterflies of Menorca {{short description, None Menorca is a small island in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain, with a population of approximately 88,000. It is located 39°47' to 40°00'N, 3°52' to 4°24'E. There is good data on the butterflies of Menorca altho ...

* List of dragonflies of Menorca

Reptiles and amphibians

There are three species of amphibians: green toad (''Bufo viridis''),

marsh frog The marsh frog (''Pelophylax ridibundus'') is a species of water frog native to Europe and parts of western Asia. Description The marsh frog is the largest type of frog in most of its range, with males growing to a size around 100 mm (3.9 ...

and stripeless tree frog (''Hyla meridionalis''). The common lizard seen all over the island is the

Italian wall lizard The Italian wall lizard or ruin lizard (''Podarcis siculus'', from the Greek meaning ''foot'' and ''agile''), is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. ''P. siculus'' is native to southern and southeastern Europe, but has also been introdu ...

(''Podarcis siculus'') although the Moroccan rock lizard (''Scelaris perspicillata'') also occurs. The Balearic endemic

Lilford's wall lizard Lilford's wall lizard (''Podarcis lilfordi)'' is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Gymnesian Islands, the easternmost of the Balearic Islands, Spain. There are 27 subspecies that are recognized as being v ...

(''Podarcis lilfordi'') can be found on many of the offshore islands. Two species of

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

can be found on Menorca, the

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

(''Tarentola mauritanica'') and the Turkish (''Hemidactylus turcicus'') also called the Mediterranean house gecko. Four species of snake occur: the viperine snake (''Natrix maura''),

grass snake The grass snake (''Natrix natrix''), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian semi-aquatic non- venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians. Subspecies Many subspecie ...

, false smooth snake (''Macroprotodon cucullatus'') and the

ladder snake The ladder snake (''Zamenis scalaris'') is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to southwestern Europe. Distribution The geographic range of the ladder snake includes Portugal, Spain, southern France a ...

(''Rhinechis scalaris'').

Hermann's tortoise The Hermann's tortoise (''Testudo hermanni)'' is a species of tortoise native to Europe. Etymology The specific epithet, ''hermanni'', honors French naturalist Johann Hermann. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Epo ...

(''Testudo hermanni'') is quite common and can be found all over the island. Two terrapin species are also found, the native European pond terrapin (''Emys orbicularis'') and the introduced American

red-eared slider The red-eared slider or red-eared terrapin (''Trachemys scripta elegans'') is a subspecies of the pond slider (''Trachemys scripta''), a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the Family (biology), family Emydidae. Native to the southern United States ...

'' (Trachemys scripta'').

Birds

The birdlife of Menorca is very well known. Menorca is a well watched island which is on the migration route of many species and good number of passage migrants can be seen in spring. Residents include

Audouin's gull Audouin's gull (''Ichthyaetus audouinii'') is a large gull restricted to the Mediterranean and the western coast of Saharan Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''ikhthus'', "fish", and ''aetos'', "eagle", and t ...

, blue rock thrush and Thekla lark.

Booted eagle The booted eagle (''Hieraaetus pennatus'', also classified as ''Aquila pennata'') is a medium-sized mostly migratory bird of prey with a wide distribution in the Palearctic and southern Asia, wintering in the tropics of Africa and Asia, with a ...

and

red kite The red kite (''Milvus milvus'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other Diurnality, diurnal Bird of prey, raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harrier (bird), harriers. The species currently breeds only i ...

are easy to see as is

Egyptian vulture The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture in the monotypic genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa ...

in the right habitat. In summer there are bee-eaters and Menorca has major colonies of

Cory's shearwater Cory's shearwater (''Calonectris borealis'') is a large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It breeds colonially on the archipelago of the Azores in the eastern Atlantic. Outside the breeding season it ranges widely in the Atlantic. ...

and

Balearic shearwater The Balearic shearwater (''Puffinus mauretanicus'') is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family ''Procellariidae''. ''Puffinus'' is a Neo-Latin loanword based on the English "puffin" and its variants, that referred to the cured carcass of ...

Mammals

Menorca has no large native mammals. There are some small mammals including rabbits, bats, rats, mice,

pine marten The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red Lis ...

s and a subspecies of

North African hedgehog The North African hedgehog (''Atelerix algirus'') or Algerian hedgehog, is a mammal species in the family Erinaceidae native to Algeria, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia. Little is known about this hedgehog, even though the most common b ...

Municipalities

The major towns are Port Mahon and

. The island is administratively divided into eight municipalities (from west to east): *

(or just ''Ciutadella'' locally) – the ancient capital of Menorca until 1722. *

Ferreries Ferreries () is a municipality on the island of Menorca, in the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. Covering approximately , it forms a natural transition between the island’s northern cliffs and southern sandy coves and beaches ...

* Es Mercadal ** Fornells, which belongs to the municipality of Es Mercadal. Famous for its lobster stew (''caldereta''). * Es Migjorn Gran (or ''Es Mitjorn Gran'') – hometown of supercentarian Joan Riudavets. * Alaior ** Cala En Porter – a tourist and residential area * Port Mahon (officially ''Maó'' in Catalan, ''Mahón'' in Spanish) – became the capital in 1722 during British rule due to its strategic natural harbour. **Llucmassanes – a small

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

which belongs to the municipality of Maó. **Sant Climent, which belongs to the municipality of Maó. *

Es Castell Es Castell () is a small municipality in eastern Menorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain. The town was founded in 1771 by British Col. Patrick Mackellar and was originally called ''Georgetown'' in honour of King George III George III (Georg ...

– Founded by the British and originally named as Georgetown. *

Sant Lluís Sant Lluís (, in Spanish: San Luis) is a municipality on the tip of south-east Menorca in the Spanish Balearic Islands. The area is most noteworthy for its varied coastline, with fine sand beaches and cliffs, and the beautiful coves of Binissaf� ...

– Founded by the French and originally named Saint-Louis. The areas and populations of the municipalities (according to the ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística'', Spain) are:

Politics and government

Insular government

Results of the elections to the Island Council of Menorca

Elections are held every four years concurrently with

local elections Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

. From 1983 to 2007, councilors were indirectly elected from the results of the election to

Parliament of the Balearic Islands The Parliament of the Balearic Islands (Catalan language, Catalan: ''Parlament de les Illes Balears''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Parlamento de las Islas Baleares'') is the unicameral List of Spanish regional legislatures, autonomous parliament ...

for the constituency of

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the isl ...

. Since 2007, however, separate direct elections are held to elect the Council.

Transport

Menorca has several roads that go around the island, the most important one being Me-1 road (Spain), which goes from the island's capital, Mahón, to Ciutadella. Menorca also has many bus lines, most of them only operated in the summer due to tourism. The most important line is line 01, which goes through Me-1 passing through all municipalities except Es Castell and Sant Lluís.

Gallery

File:Taula-Menorca.jpg, Taula from the site of Talatí de Dalt about west of Maó. File:Cales Coves.jpg, ''Cales Coves'' of Menorca. Note the hand-hewn entrances to the caves. File:Minorcancountryside.JPG, Menorcan countryside File:Cala Trebalúger.JPG, Cala Trebalúger File:Alcaufar 2.jpg,

Martello tower Martello towers are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand up to high (with two floors) and typica ...

, Alcaufar with Illa de l'aire lighthouse in the distance. File:Cala Galdana (30097216346).jpg, Cala Galdana File:Arenal 2018.jpg, Arenal d'en Castell

Notes

References

External links

UNESCO's Minorca Biosphere Reserve

Talayotic Menorca
UNESCO Collection on Google Arts and Culture
Manûrqa's society at the Ecomuseum Cap de Cavalleria of Menorca
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