Menorca


Menorca or Minorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the island's eastern end, although Menorca is not a province and forms a political union with the other islands in the archipelago. Ciutadella de Menorca and Maó are the main ports and largest towns.
Per the Census of 1 January 2025, Menorca had a population of 102,477. Its highest point, a hill in the middle of the island named El Toro, is above sea level.

History

The island is known for its collection of megalithic stone monuments: navetes, taules and talaiots, which indicate very early prehistoric human activity. Some of the earliest culture on Menorca was influenced by other Mediterranean cultures, including the Greek Minoans of ancient Crete. For example, the use of inverted plastered timber columns at Knossos is thought to have influenced early peoples of Menorca in imitating this practice.
The end of the Punic Wars saw an increase in piracy in the western Mediterranean. The Roman occupation of Hispania had meant a growth of maritime trade between the Iberian and Italian peninsulas. Pirates took advantage of the strategic location of the Balearic Islands to raid Roman commerce, using both Menorca and Mallorca as bases. In reaction to this, the Romans invaded Menorca. By 123 BC, both islands were fully under Roman control, later being incorporated into the province of Hispania Citerior.
In 13 BC, Roman emperor Augustus reorganised the provincial system and the Balearic Islands became part of the Tarraconensis imperial province. The ancient town of Mago was transformed from a Carthaginian to a Roman town.

Jews of Menorca

The island had a Jewish population. The Letter on the Conversion of the Jews by a fifth-century bishop named Severus tells of the forced conversion of the island's 540 Jewish men and women in AD 418. Several Jews, including Theodore, a rich representative Jew who stood high in the estimation of his coreligionists and of Christians alike, underwent baptism. The act of conversion brought about, within a previously peaceful coexisting community, the expulsion of the ruling Jewish elite into the bleak hinterlands, the burning of synagogues, and the gradual reinstatement of certain Jewish families after the forced acceptance of Christianity, allowing the survival of those Jewish families who had not already perished. Many Jews secretly retained their Jewish faith while outwardly professing Christian beliefs. Some of these Jews form part of the Xueta community.
When Menorca became a British possession in 1713, they actively encouraged the immigration of foreign non-Catholics, which included Jews who were not accepted by the predominantly Christian inhabitants. When the Jewish community in Mahon requested the use of a room as a synagogue, their request was refused, and they were denounced by the clergy. In 1781, when Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, duc de Mahon invaded Menorca, he ordered all Jews to leave in four days. At that time, the local, around 500-strong, Jewish community was transported from Menorca in four Spanish ships to the port of Marseille.

Middle Ages

The Vandals easily conquered the island in the fifth century. The Byzantine Empire recovered it in 534. Following the Umayyad conquest of Hispania, Menorca was annexed to the Caliphate of Córdoba in 903, with many Muslims emigrating to the island.
Manûrqa was the Arabicized name given to the island by the Muslims from its annexation to the Caliphate of Cordoba by 'Isâm al-Khawlânî in 903 until the rule of the last Muslim ra'îs, Abû 'Umar ibn Sa'îd in 1287. The only urban centre of the island was Madînat al Jazîra or al Manûrqa. Most of the population lived in small farm communities organized under a tribal structure.
In 1231, after Christian forces took Mallorca, Menorca chose to become an independent Islamic state, albeit one tributary to King James I of Aragon. The island was ruled first by Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd Hakam al Qurashi, and following his death by his son, Abû 'Umar ibn Sa'îd.
A Catalan-Aragonese invasion, led by Alfonso III, came on 17 January 1287; its anniversary is now celebrated as Menorca's national day. Once the island was captured, most of its Muslim inhabitants were enslaved and sold in the slave markets of Eivissa, Valencia and Barcelona, while others became Christians.
After the Christian conquest of 1287, the island was part of the Crown of Aragon. For some time it was ceded to the Kingdom of Mallorca, a vassal state of the Crown, but it was retaken by the king of Aragon in 1343. Eventually the Crown of Aragon merged with the Crown of Castile, and so Menorca became part of Spain.
During the 16th century, Turkish naval attacks destroyed Mahon, and the then capital, Ciutadella. In Mahon, Barbary pirates from North Africa took considerable booty and as many as 6,000 slaves. Various Spanish kings, including Philip III and Philip IV, styled themselves "King of Minorca" as a subsidiary title.

British rule

Anglo-Dutch forces captured Menorca in 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The island became a British possession and was formally ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Peace of Utrecht. Governed by a succession of British Army officers, during the period of British rule Menorca's capital was moved to Mahón and a Royal Navy base established in the town's harbour. Menorca remained a British possession until 1756, when French forces captured it during the Seven Years' War after repulsing a British relief attempt. However, Britain's victory in the war led the island to be ceded back to them in the 1763 Treaty of Paris. In 1782, Franco-Spanish forces captured the island during the American Revolutionary War, and Britain ceded the island back to Spain in the 1783 Peace of Paris. The British once again captured Menorca in 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars, though they ceded it back to Spain in 1802 Treaty of Amiens.

Renewed Spanish rule

As with the rest of the Balearic Islands, Menorca was not occupied by the French during the Peninsular War, as it was successfully protected by the Royal Navy, this time allied to Spain.
A quarantine station, Llatzaret, was constructed from 1793 to 1807 next to the entrance to the Port Mahon. It served ships from North Africa wishing to reach the Iberian Peninsula or the ports of the Balearic Islands. Lazarettos confined the crews of ships that were suspected of carrying infectious diseases, such as the plague. The crew needed to spend up to 40 days within its walls until it was clear there was no infection or until the sick recovered. It is now a national monument and can only be reached as part of an official tour.
From 1815 until the mid-19th century, the U.S. Navy developed its Mediterranean headquarters at Port Mahon, leaving behind the English Cemetery, which was restored by the Spanish government in 2008 and is maintained in the 21st century.

Since 1900

During the Spanish Civil War, Menorca stayed loyal to the Second Spanish Republic, while the rest of the Balearic Islands supported the Spanish Nationalists. The island did not see ground combat, but it was a target of aerial bombing by the pro-Nationalist Italian Corpo Truppe Volontarie. Many Menorcans were also killed when taking part in a failed invasion of Mallorca. During the Pedro Marqués Barber era some Mallorcans and a priest were executed on the island. After the Nationalist victory in the Battle of Minorca in February 1939, the Royal Navy assisted in a peaceful transition of power in Menorca and the evacuation of some political refugees aboard.
In October 1993, Menorca was designated by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve. In July 2005, the island's application to become the 25th member of the International Island Games Association was approved.

Climate

As the major part of Balearic Islands, Menorca has a mediterranean climate, with mild winters and hot summers. Menorca is generally wetter than Mallorca, with rainfall peaking in late autumn. Average annual highs range between in winter to in summer. Due to its offshore position and the small size of the island, temperatures are generally quite stable.
Climate data for Menorca-------------
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Average sea temperature °C 14.6
13.8
14.1
15.7
18.7
22.2
24.4
25.8
25.1
22.9
20.4
17.1
19.4
Average Ultraviolet index2356899864225.3
Source #1: seatemperature.org-------------
Source #2: Weather Atlas-------------

Culture

The location of Menorca in the middle of the western Mediterranean was a staging point for the different cultures since prehistoric times. This Balearic Island has a mix of colonial and local architecture.
The festes take place throughout the summer in different towns around the island, and have their origins in the early 14th century. The international opera week and international organ festival in Mahón, and the summer music festival and Capella Davidica concerts in Ciutadella are the main events of the island.
Menorca's cuisine is dominated by the Mediterranean diet, which is known to be very healthy. While many of the locals have adopted modern attitudes they still uphold certain old traditions.