Balearic Islands (autonomous community)

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Group of Mediterranean islands forming an autonomous region (since 1983) and province of Spain, comprising Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Cabrera, and Formentera; area 5,014 sq km/1,936 sq mi; population (2001 est) 878,600. The capital is Palma de Mallorca. Noted for their scenery and mild climate, the islands attract many visitors, making tourism a mainstay of the economy; agriculture and fishing are the chief economic activities, while limited quantities of coal, iron, and slate are mined. Exports include oranges, figs and other fruits, olive oil, wine, brandy, majolica ware, leather goods, and silver filigree. Both Castilian and Catalan are spoken.

History
The islands were inhabited since prehistoric times, as is attested by numerous megalithic remains (especially in Menorca). Occupied successively by Iberians, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians, the islands became a Roman colony from 123 BC, and an independent Moorish kingdom from AD 1009 until James I of Aragón conquered the islands (1229–35). They were included in the independent kingdom of Majorca 1276–1343, then incorporated into the Christian Spanish kingdom of Aragón in 1349. Majorca and Ibiza were seized by insurgent forces at the beginning of the Spanish civil war (1936), Majorca becoming a base of the Italian fleet; Menorca, on the other hand, remained in the hands of the Republicans until 1939.