Ibiza Cities & Towns
Places, Cities and Towns in Ibiza
The island of Ibiza is located in the Mediterranean Sea about 80km off the coast of Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands autonomous community. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands. Its largest cities are Ibiza Town, Santa Eularia de Riu and Sant Antoni de Portmany. 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 hard to promote more family-oriented tourism. Large portions of the island are registered as U.N. World Heritage Sites, and thus protected from the development and commercialization of the main cities. There is one operating golf course in Ibiza: “Club de Golf Roca Llisa”, which lies approximately 10km north east of Ibiza Town. There are over 60 beaches around the island, alternating between rocky coves and expansive sandy bays.
Ibiza Town
Ibiza is a city and municipality located on the southeast coast of the island of Ibiza in the Balearic Islands autonomous community. Although called Ibiza in Spanish, its official Catalan name is Eivissa (as restored in 1986) and its inhabitants call it Vila d’Eivissa or simply Vila. It’s divided into two main parts: the old town, called D’Alt Vila (literally “Upper Town”), located in the little mountain by the sea, and the modern part, called Eixample. On top of Dalt Vila there’s the cathedral of Santa Maria d’Eivissa (14th century). There’s also the punic necropolis of Puig des Molins.
The city, which has a population of 44,114 (2007), is the capital and most populous settlement of the island and of the Illes Pitiüses group (which includes Ibiza and Formentera).
It is widely known for its extravagant nightlife. Two of the island’s most luxurious nightclubs, Pacha and El Divino, are located in Ibiza Town itself whereas Space is located just south of the town, near the airport.
San Antonio (also Sant Antoni)
San Antonio is the second largest town in Ibiza, and is considered by British clubbers to be the clubbing capital of the world. It is situated on San Antonio Bay, on the west of Ibiza.
For two thousand years, San Antonio was a small fishing village, but it began to grow in the late 1950s when many hotels and tourist resorts were built as part of a mass tourism initiative which took place across Spain.
By the 1980s, San Antonio had acquired the stigma of being the holiday location of choice for British football hooligans, which lead to a decline in tourism in the area. However, it regained its popularity in the mid 1990s when it gained a reputation in Britain as having the best night clubs and DJs.
Young British clubbers make up the vast majority of visitors to the area, mostly attracted by programmes such as the Ibiza Uncovered series on Sky television.
Santa Eulària des Riu
Santa Eularia – pop.29,000 – is a city in Ibiza. Home of some of the islands greatest ‘fiestas’; like the centuries old ‘First Sunday in May’ (Catalan: Primer Duimenge d’ Mai), and the Easter Procession. It is home to a famous yacht harbour (small but enchanting and surrounded by shops and top-notch restaurants.
The 15th century mountan-top fortress church, Puig D’Missa overlooks the entire town and bay, and the same mountain is home of the living museum: ‘Can Ros’, which will give you an idea of how life was on the island (for centuries) before the tourist boom.
Santa Eulalia has long been home to artists and writers (see: author:Elliot Paul.1937-Title:”Life and Death of a Spanish Village”) and personalities from around the globe seeking tranquility and anonymity.
Municipalities of Ibiza and Formentera.
Ibiza is administratively part of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, whose capital is Palma, on the island of Majorca. 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
* Eivissa Ciudad (lit. “Ibiza City“, more commonly “Ibiza Town“; referred to as “Vila d’Eivissa” or “Vila” locally.)
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).
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