I.

Introduction

Balearic Islands or Baleares (Spanish, Islas Baleares), group of islands, comprising an autonomous region and province of eastern Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea. The group's 11 islets and the 4 large islands of Majorca (Mallorca), Minorca (Menorca), Ibiza (Eivissa), and Formentera constitute the group. The islands have a total area of 5,014 sq km (1,936 sq mi) and constitute the smallest of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions.