S'Espalmador (, es, Espalmador) is a small, privately owned uninhabited island located in the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...

Features

The island is just to the north of

Formentera Formentera (, ) is the smallest and most southerly island of the Pityusic Islands group (comprising Ibiza and Formentera, as well as various small islets), which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community (Spain). It covers an area of ...

, from which it is separated by a shallow sandbar. During

low tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...

, it is possible to wade between the two islands. The area is visited by canoeists and yachts heading between

Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...

and Formentera. The island has pristine beaches, freshwater springs and a mud-bath. To the north of the main island is Illa des Porcs (Pig Island) which was once used as a hideout and stronghold for pig smugglers. The En Pou

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

was built on the island in 1861 to mark the southern side of the ''Es Freus'' strait between the island and

. The island had been owned by the Cinnamond family who bought it for the equivalent of €252 in 1932. In March 2018, despite efforts at purchase by the Formentera government, Catalan architect Norman Cinnamond and his sister Rosy sold the island to two wealthy Belgian businessmen, brothers Christian Cigrang and Jean Cigrang for £16 million (~€18 million).
at The Guardian, 18 March 2018

Gallery

File:IllotsFormentera2.jpg , S'Espalmador is located just north of

File:Illa des Porcs.JPG, En Pou

, Illa des Porcs

References

Uninhabited islands of Spain Islands of the Balearic Islands {{Balearics-geo-stub