Spanish Islas Baleares
Archipelago, (pop., 2001: 841,669), western Mediterranean Sea, constituting an autonomous community and province of Spain.
It occupies an area of 1,927 sq mi (4,992 sq km); its capital is Majorca , Minorca, Ibiza, Formentera, and Cabrera. Long inhabited, the islands were ruled by Carthage in the 5th century BC, by Rome from с 120 BC, and by the Byzantine Empire from AD 534. Raided by the Arabs, the area was conquered in the 10th century by the Umayyad dynasty at Córdoba . It was reconquered by the Spanish and united with the kingdom of Aragon in 1344. Fought over in the 18th century by the Spanish, British, and French, the islands came under Spanish rule in 1802. Their modern economy is fueled by tourism.