What you need to know about Menorca...

Thanks to its geographical location in the centre of the western Mediterranean, Menorca has been a coveted passageway for many different peoples since prehistoric times.

Human presence dates back at least to the Bronze Age (2000 BC), as attested by the many archaeological sites on the island. The indigenous population very soon received external influences from expanding trading peoples such as the Carthaginians, who settled on Ibiza.

In 213 BC, Minorca was annexed by the Roman Empire and incorporated into the Hispania Citerior. A lesser-known period of its history followed, until it was conquered by the Moors from 903 to 1287. On 17 January 1287, Menorca’s national day, an Aragonese invasion was led by Alfonso III and the island became part of the unified kingdom of Spain.

During the 16th century, pirate raids and Turkish naval attacks destroyed the ports of Mahon and Ciutadella, leading to the virtual disappearance of the island’s population.

In 1708, during the War of Succession to the Spanish Throne, the English captured Menorca. For the next hundred years, the island was ruled by the English, apart from a few brief periods of French and Spanish domination during the battles between them in the Seven Years’ War.

In 1802, Minorca was definitively returned to the Spanish under the Treaty of Amiens.

In the 19th century, the French established a military hospital and supply base in Mahon during the expedition to Algeria. As a result of the economic depression on the island caused by poor harvests, the inhabitants of Menorca were strongly encouraged to emigrate to Algeria, and the island experienced a major exodus.

During the Spanish Civil War, which began in 1936, Menorca remained loyal to the Republican government. When Franco came to power in 1939 and remained in power until his death in 1975, the island was abandoned by Franco’s government. As a result, among other things, the island did not experience the uncontrolled development of tourism in Spain in the 60s and 70s.

Since the 1980s, tourism development on Menorca has been gradual, preserving as much of the island’s natural beauty and beaches as possible. In 1993, Menorca was recognised by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve, thus further enhancing its environmental protection.