Pityusic Islands
| Native name: Illes Pitiüses | |
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Flag of Ibiza
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| Etymology | Greek: Πιτυοῦσσαι, Pityûssai: pine-covered (islands) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Mediterranean Sea |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 38°42′N 1°27′E / 38.700°N 1.450°E |
| Archipelago | Balearic Islands |
| Area | 655.8 km2 (253.2 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 476 m (1,562 ft) |
| Highest point | Talaia, Ibiza |
| Administration | |
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Spain
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| Autonomous Community | Balearic Islands |
| Province | Balearic Islands |
| Largest settlement | Ibiza (pop. 37,408) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 142,599 (1 January 2010) |
| Pop. density | 217.44 /km2 (563.17 /sq mi) |
The Pityusic Islands, often referenced simply as the Pityuses (Catalan: Pitiüses [pitiˈuzəs], Spanish: Pitiusas; from the Greek πιτύα pitýa, pine tree), or commonly but informally (and ambiguously) as the Pine Islands, is the name given collectively to the Balearic islands of Ibiza (Catalan: Eivissa), Formentera, S'Espalmador and other small islets in the Mediterranean Sea.
The islands are situated approximately 100 kilometres (62 miles) southwest of the island of Majorca, and approximately 80 km (50 mi) east of the Cap de la Nau in the Iberian Peninsula.
In antiquity they were known as the Pityusa islands, listed in Claudius Ptolemy's Geography, under the names Ophiusis and Ebyssus, which had a town of the same name. The islands were used by Cilician pirates as a base. The Roman general Annius drove them out with a large fleet and with them the Roman renegade general Quintus Sertorius, who was seeking refuge there.
The Pine Islands are sometimes grouped together as part of the Balearic Islands, or else considered separate with the Balearics proper being Majorca and Minorca (which together with their islets form the Gymnesian Islands). Politically, they are part of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands.
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Wikipedia