Ibiza is well known for itsnightlife andelectronic dance music club scene in the summer, which attract large numbers of tourists. The island's government and the Spanish Tourist Office have worked toward promoting more family-oriented tourism.[3][4]
Ibiza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[5] Ibiza and the nearby island ofFormentera to its south are called the Pine Islands, or "Pityuses".
Phoenician colonists called the islandIbossim orIboshim (cf. Hebrew אִי־בּוֹשֵׂם, "Fragrance Island"), likely due the abundance of aromatic plants on the island. Other speculation is (Phoenician:𐤀𐤉𐤁𐤔𐤌,ʾYBŠM,[11] "Dedicated toBes").[12][13] It was later known to Romans asEbusus.
TheGreeks called the two islands of Ibiza andFormentera thePityoûssai (Πιτυοῦσσαι, probably meaning "Pine-Covered Islands").[14] The Catalan namePitiüses and the Spanish namePitiusas retain this Greek root.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the island was known to the British and especially to theRoyal Navy asIvica, possibly from an older Spanish orthography with⟨ç⟩.[15]
Ancient Greekaryballoi found in the necropolis of Puig des Molins. Museu de Puig des Molins, Ibiza
In 654 BC,Phoenician settlersfounded a port on Ibiza. With the decline of Phoenicia after theAssyrian invasions, Ibiza came under the control ofCarthage, also a former Phoenician colony. The island produced dye, salt, fish sauce (garum) and wool.
A shrine with offerings to the goddessTanit was established in the cave at Es Cuieram, 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 ofMallorca (Majorca), such asNa Guardis, and "Na Galera" where numerous Balearic mercenaries hired on, no doubt asslingers,[a] to fight for Carthage.
During theSecond Punic War, the island was assaulted by the two Scipio brothers (Publius andGnaeus) in 217 BC but remained loyal to Carthage. With the Carthaginian military failing on theIberian mainland, Ibiza was last used, 205 B.C, by the fleeing Carthaginian general Mago to gather supplies and men before sailing toMenorca and then toLiguria. Ibiza negotiated a favorable treaty (Foedus) with theRomans, which spared Ibiza from further destruction and allowed it to continue its Carthaginian-Punic institutions, traditions and even coinage well into the Empire days, when it became an official Roman municipality.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire and a brief period of firstVandal and thenByzantine rule, the island was conquered by theMuslims in 902. The few remaining locals converted to Islam and Berber settlers came in. Under Islamic rule, Ibiza (Yabisah) came in close contact with the city ofDénia—the closest port in the nearby Iberian peninsula, located in theValencian Community—and the two areas were administered jointly by theTaifa of Dénia for some time (11th century).
The island wasconquered for theCrown of Aragon in 1235.[18] The local Muslim population was deported, as was the case with neighboring Mallorca and elsewhere, and Christians arrived from Girona. The island maintained its own self-government in several forms until 1715, when KingPhilip V of Spain abolished the local government's autonomy. The arrival of democracy in the late 1970s led to theStatute of Autonomy of the Balearic Islands. Today, the island is part of the Balearic Autonomous Community, along with Mallorca,Menorca andFormentera.
Though primarily known for its party scene, large portions of the island are registered as UNESCOWorld Heritage Sites.[19]
A notable example includes the Renaissance walls of the old town of Ibiza City, which were awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1999. They are one of the world's few Renaissance walls that were not demolished, and part of the medieval wall is still visible. There are some Ibizan cultural sites, such as the remains of the first Phoenician settlement atSa Caleta. Other sites are still under threat from the developers, such asSes Feixes Wetlands, but this site has now been recognised as a threatened environment, and it is expected that steps will be taken to preserve this wetland. The oceanic plantPosidonia oceanica is also part of UNESCO's World Heritage.
Ibiza is a rock island covering an area of 572.56 square kilometres (221.07 sq mi), almost one-sixth the size of Mallorca, but over five times larger thanMykonos in theGreek Isles, or 10 times larger thanManhattan in New York City.
Ibiza is the larger of a group of the western Balearic archipelago called thePityusic Islands (Pitiusas) or "Pine Islands" composed of itself andFormentera. The Balearic island chain includes over 50 islands, many of which are uninhabited. The highest point of the island isSa Talaiassa, also known as Sa Talaia or Sa Talaia de Sant Josep at 475 metres (1,558 ft).
At the2001 census these municipalities had a total population of 88,076 inhabitants, which had risen to an officially estimated total of 159,180 at the start of 2023,[21] and have a land area of 572.56 km2 (221.07 sq mi).
The island's self-government institution is the Ibiza Island Council (Consell Insular d'Eivissa). Prior to its split in 2007,Formentera was part of the council.[22]
Elections are held every four years concurrently withlocal elections. From 1983 to 2007, councilors were indirectly elected from the results of the election toParliament of the Balearic Islands for the constituencies ofIbiza andFormentera (then forming a single Island council, with Ibiza sending 12 councilors and Formentera a single one). Since 2007, however, separate direct elections are held to elect the Island Council of Ibiza, which has kept 13 as the number of seats (despite sending 12 to the Balearic Parliament).
Results of the elections to the former Island Council of Ibiza and Formentera
Ibiza has ahot semi-arid climate (Köppen:BSh). The average annual temperature of Ibiza is 18.3 °C (65 °F), being warm and mild throughout the whole year. Ibiza lies at the same latitude asAtlantic City, yet it is much warmer for its location in theMediterranean Basin. The climate of Ibiza is typically warm, sunny and dry, with low variation between highs and lows. The sunshine hours of Ibiza are 2700-2800 per year, while the yearly rain amount ranges from 400 to 450 millimetres (16 to 18 in). The average high temperature is 22.3 °C (72 °F), while the average low is 14.2 °C (58 °F). Winters are slightly rainy and mild, from November to April normally the whole island turns green for the seasonal rains. Summers are hot and fairly humid, which contributes to highdew points and muggy weather, increasing theheat index, although with very little rainfall. The few rainy days are often accompanied by thunderstorms. During the coldest month, January, the average high temperature is 15.8 °C (60 °F), while the average low is 7.9 °C (46 °F). In the warmest month, August, the average high temperature is 30.4 °C (87 °F), while the low is 22.2 °C (72 °F). Extreme temperatures are rare for the influence of the sea. The average temperature of the sea in Ibiza is 19.7 °C (67 °F)[24] and beach weather usually lasts 7 months, from May to November. The highest temperature ever recorded on Ibiza Airport is 41 °C (106 °F) on 13 August 2022.
Climate data for Eivissa Airport 6 metres (20 feet) (1991–2010), extremes (1953-present)
Demographically, Ibiza displays a very peculiar configuration, as census agencies diverge on exact figures. According to the 2001 national census, Ibiza had 88,076 inhabitants (against 76,000 in 1991, 64,000 in 1981, 45,000 in 1971, and 38,000 in 1961). However, by the 2011 national census, this had grown to 133,594, and at the Census of 2021 had reached 154,186. This rapid growth stems from the amnesty which incorporated a number of unregistered foreign migrants. In terms of origin, about 55 percent of island residents were born in Ibiza; 35 percent are domestic migrants from mainland Spain (mostly working-class families from Andalusia, and the remainder from Catalonia, Valencia and Castile); and the remaining 10 to 15 per cent are foreign, dual and multi-national citizens of the EU and abroad (Govern de les Illes Balears – IBAE 1996). In decreasing order, the most commonly visiting foreigners areGerman,British,Latin American,French,Italian andDutch.
Eivissenc is the native dialect ofCatalan that is spoken on Ibiza and nearbyFormentera. Catalan shares co-official status withSpanish. Additionally, because of the influence of tourism andimmigrants living in or maintaining residences on the island, other languages, such as English, French, German and Italian, are widely spoken.[36]
Sunset at Café del Mar, Sant Antoni de Portmany, seen here in 2023
The nightclubs of Ibiza are internationally renowned, seen here atSpace nightclub in 2015
O Beach Ibiza is popular day club for pool parties, seen here with headlinerAndres Larin in 2023
Ibiza is considered to be a popular tourist destination, especially due to its well-known and at times riotousnightclub-based nightlife centred on two areas:Ibiza Town, the island's capital on the southern shore, andSant Antoni to the west. Ibiza has garnered the reputation as the "Party Capital of the world".[37][38]
Nightlife in Ibiza has undergone several changes since the island's opening to international tourism in the late 1950s. Origins of today's club culture may be traced back tohippie gatherings held during the 1960s and 1970s.[citation needed] During these, people of various nationalities sharing the hippie ethos would regroup, talk, play music and occasionally takerecreational drugs. These would most often happen on beaches during the day, with nude bathing a common sight, and in rented country estates in the evenings or at nights. Apart from this confidential scene, which nevertheless attracted many foreigners to the island, local venues during the 1960s consisted mostly of bars, which would be the meeting points for Ibicencos, ex-pats, seafarers and tourists. The Estrella bar on the port and La Tierra in the old city of Eivissa were favourites.[39]
During the 1970s, a decade that saw the emergence of the contemporary nightclub, several venues opened and made a lasting impact on Ibiza's nightlife.[citation needed] Three of these original clubs are still in operation today:Pacha,Amnesia and Es Paradís.[clarification needed] These four clubs mainly defined nightlife on the White Island, which has evolved and developed from several distinctive elements: open-air parties (Es Paradis, Privilege, Amnesia), held in isolated places, eventually old fincas (Pacha, Amnesia), that mixed in nudity and costume party (Es Paradis, Privilege, Pacha) and enabled people from various backgrounds to blend (all). The hippie ethos served as a common factor that infused all these venues and catalyzed the experience of a certain kind of freedom, accentuated by the holiday nature of most of the stays on the White Island.[citation needed]
During the 1980s, the music played in these clubs gained in reputation and became known asBalearic beat, a precursor of the Britishacid house scene. Asrave parties blossomed all over Europe, a DJ-driven club culture took hold of Ibizenca nightlife. It was at that time thatSpace opened, thanks to Pepe Rosello, which found a niche in the after-hour parties.[40] The club would close at 18:00 and open again at 07:00, when all the other clubs were still closed, enabling party-goers to flock from the other clubs to Space and continue dancing in broad daylight.[40]
At the end of the 1990s, the after-hour parties took firm root on the island. In 1999, theCircoloco parties made their debut atDC10, with some of the original elements of Ibiza nightlife at the forefront.[citation needed]
In recent years, during the summer, top producers andDJs in dance music come to the island and play at the various clubs, in between touring to other international destinations. Some of the most famous DJs run their own weekly nights around the island. Many of these DJs use Ibiza as an outlet for presenting new songs within thehouse,trance andtechno genres ofelectronic dance music. The island has achieved fame as a cultural centre forhouse andtrance in particular, with its name often being used as a partialmetonym for the particular flavour of electronic music originating there, much likeGoa in India.[citation needed]
The season now traditionally begins at the end of April, where Opening Parties take place at Ibiza's clubs over the course of a three-week period. Opening Parties normally coincide with the culmination of theInternational Music Summit, a three-day conference promoting the electronic music industry, featuring speakers, masterclasses and performances, and co-hosted by Pete Tong and Jaguar. IMS has taken place on the island annually since 2007 and holds its closing party at the top of Dalt Vila.[43][44] The first clubs that host opening parties are normally Ushuaïa, Hï, Amnesia, and Pacha.[45] The first parties take place at the end of April, starting with the Hï and Ushuaïa Opening Parties, and the last parties occur around mid-October, usually being the Amnesia and Pacha Closing Parties.[46] Ibiza has recently won numerous awards globally for its world class nightlife venues.[47] The new super clubs including Hi and Ushuaïa, are two of the most notable as of 2024.[48]
The island's government is in the process of making policy changes[when?] to encourage a more family-friendly and quieter tourism scene. These include rules such as the closing of all nightclubs by 06:00 at the latest and requiring all new hotels to be 5-star.[49] The administration wants to attract a more international mixture of tourists.[50][clarification needed][needs update]
The island's tourism is not always characterized by its nightlife. Visitors can take a hot-air balloon ride, surf, visit the Cave Can Mark, or go to Cap Blanc's Aquarium.[51]
Abandoned Festival Club lies in the hills above San José
Since the early days of mass tourism on the island, there have been a large number of development projects ranging from successful ventures, such as the super clubs atSpace andPrivilege, to failed development projects, such asJosep Lluís Sert's abandoned hotel complex at Cala D'en Serra,[52] the half-completed and now demolished "Idea" nightclub inSant Antoni,[53] and the ruins of a huge restaurant/nightclub in the hills nearSant Josep called "Festival Club" that only operated for three summer seasons in the early 1970s.[54] The transient nature of club-oriented tourism is most obvious in these ruins scattered all over the island. Local artist Irene de Andrès has tackled the difficult issue of the impact of mass tourism on the island local landscapes, both natural and cultural, in an ongoing project called "Donde nada ocurre" (Where nothing happens).[55] In 2013, Ibiza property prices generally remained above market value, and many of the development projects on the island have now been completed or continue, as well as some new projects announced at the end of 2012. Since 2009, Ibiza has received an increase in the number of tourists every year, with nearly 6 million people travelling throughIbiza Airport in 2012. The summer season has become concentrated between June and September, focusing on the "clubbing calendar"[56] which is currently booming. In recent years, the luxury market has dramatically improved, with new restaurants, clubs, and improvements to the marina in Ibiza Town.[57]
Ibiza's increased popularity has led to problems with potable water shortages and overrun infrastructure.[58] This has led to the imposition of a "Sustainable Tourism Tax" which went into effect on 1 July 2016.[59] Minister of Tourism Vincente Torres stated in an interview in 2016 that the government has instituted a moratorium on building in certain areas. He said that with almost 100,000 legal tourist beds and about 132,000 inhabitants on the island's 572 square kilometres (221 sq mi), not much more tourism can be supported.[59]
Map of roads andIbiza Airport (on southern point) and water routes (click map to enlarge).
Ibiza has its ownairport, which has many international flights during the summer tourist season, especially from the European Union and the United Kingdom.
There are alsoferries from the harbour of Sant Antoni and Ibiza Town toBarcelona, Mallorca,Dénia, andValencia. There are also ferries to Formentera leaving Sant Antoni Harbour (normally every Wednesday), and daily from Ibiza Town, Santa Eulària, and Figueretes–Platja d'en Bossa.[60]
Several public buses also travel between Sant Antoni and Ibiza Town, every 15 minutes in summer and every half-hour in winter. In addition, there are buses from Sant Antoni to Cala Bassa, Cala Conta and Cala Tarida, and to the airport. From Ibiza there are buses to the Platja d'en Bossa, Ses Salines, the airport and Santa Eulària.[61] The late night bus line that stops at the various clubs is locally known as the Disco Bus.[62]
A number of novels and other books have been written using Ibiza as the setting, including: "The Life Impossible" by Matt Haig, "The Canticle of Ibiza" by Justin Kurian, "The White Island" by Stephen Armstrong,Joshua Then and Now byMordecai Richler,Soma Blues byRobert Sheckley,[63]Vacation in Ibiza byLawrence Schimel,[64]A Short Life on a Sunny Isle: An Alphonse Dantan Mystery byHannah Blank,[65]They Are Ruining Ibiza by A. C. Greene,[66] andThe Python Project byVictor Canning.[67] Books includingIbiza Bohemia,[68] which was published byAssouline, have explored the island itself with both photography and text, while other such asMemes Eivissencs have registered the traditions of their residents and their history in social media.
InMonty Python's Flying Circus, the opening sketch of Episode 33 features the pilot Biggles. His secretary teasingly calls him "Señor Biggles", and Biggles protests, saying, "I've never even been to Spain." The secretary responds, "You went to Ibiza last year." Biggles counters, "That's still not grounds for calling me señor, or Don Beeg-les for that matter."[71]
Vengaboys' 1999 single "We're Going to Ibiza" reached number one on the singles chart in United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The song saw a resurgence in Austria in 2019 due to theIbiza affair.
The island is shown as the home of notorious art forger, Elmyr de Hory, in the 1973 docudramaF for Fake byOrson Welles.
The fourth track off ofThe Prodigy’s sixth studio albumThe Day Is My Enemy is titled Ibiza. The song has fast rapping and electronic beats. The rapping is performed by the band’s frontmanKeith Flint (died 2019).
In popular music, American singer-songwriterMike Posner released "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" (alternatively known as "In Ibiza", or its clean title "I Took a Plane to Ibiza") in April 2015, as single on hisVevo account and in the exclusiveThe Truth EP; it was later released onAt Night, Alone in May 2016. Originally an acoustic guitar-basedfolk pop song, it was remixed by the Norwegian duoSeeB as atropical housedance pop song, and released digitally as a single in the United States on 24 July 2015. "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" peaked at #4 on theBillboard Hot 100 in the U.S.,[72] and reached #1 on seventeen other charts. Tourism officials in Ibiza were reportedly "annoyed" by the song's apparent reinforcement of drug culture associated with Ibiza in the past, and Tourism Director Vicent Ferrer subsequently invited Posner to witness the island's culture and how it contrasts with the party "typecast".[73]
^"The Rhodians, like the Baleares, were celebrated slingers." (Latin:Iam cui Tlepolemus sator, et cui Lindus origo, Funda bella ferens Balearis et alite plumbo.)[16]
^Kuhbier, Heinrich; Alcover, Josep Antoni; Guerau d'Arellano Tur, Cristòfol, eds. (1984).Biogeography and Ecology of the Pityusic Islands. Monographiae Biologicae, Volume 52. The Hague, The Netherlands: Dr. W. Junk (Kluwer). p. 1.ISBN978-90-6193-105-8.
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