Geography of Ibiza
If the four main islands of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera have a total area of nearly 5,000 km2, Ibiza alone represents a little more than a tenth of this area. It is in fact the third largest island of the Balearic Islands with 570 km². The most western of the Mediterranean islands, it is located a little less than a hundred kilometers from the coast of Valencia, on the peninsula. From the Cape of La Nau, on a clear day, you can see its outlines on the horizon. Ibiza is also quite close to the African continent: the island is located at equal distance from Algiers and Barcelona, a much shorter distance than that which separates it from Madrid.
But how was Ibiza born? Just like the Gymesias (Mallorca and Menorca), Sardinia or Corsica, it is the result of the detachment of an imposing piece of land to the south of the Iberian plate, which took place some 30 million years ago. This piece of land then fragmented: its northeastern part split in two and served as a support land for Corsica and Sardinia. The other part of the lamella - the southernmost - drifted further south, and then also fragmented, giving rise to the Pityuses and Gymesias islands. The main reason for this difference in the migration of the geological terrain is the formation of the Gulf of Lions (Provençal basin).
Geologically, Ibiza is particularly rich. The island is home to almost all the types of rocks found on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar and the Balearic Islands). Its history dates back some 6 million years, when Ibiza and Formentera formed a single mountain emerging from 4,000 meters below the sea. This submarine geological past explains the essentially sedimentary composition of the island's rocks, and consequently that of its flora: the island's plants feed on the calcium present in the soil.
From a topographical point of view, Ibiza is 40 km long and 20 km wide. It has an extremely mountainous territory and is covered by a primitive pine forest, the trees that gave their name to the archipelago. There are few plains punctuated by mountainous massifs such as the Serra de Cala Molí, dominated by Mount Sa Talaiassa (475 m), more commonly known as Sa Talaia and the highest point of the island. Apart from this massif, located a few kilometers from Sant Josep, the other mountain ranges, made up of limestone dating from the Cretaceous period, are those of Serra dels Mussols (347 m), Serra Grossa (398 m) and Mala Costa (410 m). All these lands are mainly composed of limestone, dating from the Cretaceous or Jurassic for those located at higher altitudes, and marly rock dating back to the geological era known as the Triassic. The reliefs have nevertheless been transformed and softened by episodes of heavy rains, and then by the hand of man: agricultural and pastoral practices have strongly contributed to the composition of the current physiognomy of Ibiza.
On the sea side, Ibiza has a total of just over 150 km of coastline. Sometimes made of long beaches or creeks (the famous "calas") of white and fine sand, sometimes composed of majestic cliffs or rocky corners, the coastline of Ibiza is as splendid as varied. The island is also attached to its neighbor Formentera by a series of rocks and islets. The two islands are separated by a strait of 3 km dotted with islets classified as a nature reserve: the Natural Park of Ses Salines, renowned for the richness of its seabed where the posidonia meadows flourish.
