Balearic Islands

Balearic Islands or Baleares (Spanish Islas Baleares), group of islands, comprising an autonomous region and province of eastern Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea. The group's eleven islets and the four large islands of Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza, and Formentera constitute the group; the capital is the city of Palma on Mallorca, the largest of the islands. Fishing and farming are the main occupations. Citrus fruit, grapes, olives, wheat, figs, vegetables, and almonds are grown, and fruit, wine, olive oil, and hogs are exported. The chief industries are the manufacture of shoes and majolica pottery. The islands are well-known resort areas. First inhabited by the Iberians, the islands were later occupied successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, and Byzantines. In the 8th century the islands were conquered by the Moors and became a base for pirates preying on the ships in the Mediterranean. James I, king of Aragón, expelled the Moors in 1229. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Mallorca and Ibiza sided with the Nationalists and Minorca the Loyalists. Area, 4,992 sq km (1,927 sq mi); population (2003) 947,361.