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Balearic Islands
General Information
The Mediterranean Islands. The islands form an autonomous province in themselves. They can be found just off the east coast of Valencia. The closest island lies 85 km from the mainland, whilst the furthest lies 333 km away.
This group of islands known as the Balearic Islands has a smooth coast line which is dominated by various bays, coves and capes. Nevertheless, there are a few rugged landscapes and cliffs. Majorca has the largest mountains of the islands, some summits reaching 1,445 metres (Puig Major) and 1,340 metres (Puig de Massanella). There are no large rivers on the islands due to the moderate rainfall, the permeable soil and the actual size of the islands themselves. Its waterways are dominated by watercourses and torrents. The subsoil, however, houses important aquifers that have given rise to major caves of extraordinary beauty, that include the Drach and the Arta caves in Majorca, and Xoroi cave in Minorca.
Transportation
Network Connections. The autonomous region of the Balearic Islands is well connected by air and by sea. The road and rail networks are less developed given the size and type of landscape of the region.
The Balearic Islands main ports are Palma, Mahon, Ciutadella, Alcúdia and Eivissa (Ibiza) that are linked with the Spanish mainland. There are daily sea routes linking Palma de Majorca and Eivissa (Ibiza) with the ports of Barcelona and Valencia, as well as the routes linking the port of Denia with Palma de Majorca and Eivissa (Ibiza). The major airport of the region is that of Palma de Majorca. The ports and airports are well equipped to cope with the sheer amount of traffic and passengers that pass through them all year round.
Administration
The Government of the Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands form a one province autonomous region. Comprising of the islands of Majorca, Minorca, Eivissa -Ibiza-, Formentera, Cabrera and various other small islands. The Autonomy Statute of the Balearic Islands was approved in 1983. The Regional Government of the Balearic Islands is made up of the presidency and various regional ministries.
Population
More than 950,000 inhabitants. The population of this autonomous region according to figures from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) as of the 1st of January 2004, after having reviewed the Inhabitants register is 955,045. The main cities on the Balearic islands are Palma de Majorca (with 368,924 inhabitants), Calvia (with 42,614), Eivissa (with 40,991) and Manacor (with 35,512).