Es Pantaleu ( Catalan) or El Pantaleu (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

) is an uninhabited

islet An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...

in the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, located just off the west coast of

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

. It is currently a natural park, part of the natural park of its neighboring island

Dragonera Dragonera (; ; "Dragon Island"), also called Sa Dragonera, is an uninhabited islet in the Balearic Islands, Spain, located just off the west coast of Majorca. It is currently a natural park, Parc Natural Sa Dragonera. Geography Geologically spe ...

. It has an area of 2,4 ha and its highest point is 26 m

AMSL Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level v ...

Geography

Geologically speaking, Pantaleu is an emerged part of the geologic system running southwest–northeast in the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

. This runs from the

Province of Málaga The province of Málaga ( ) is located in Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and by the provinces of Cádiz to the west, Seville to the northwest, Córdoba to the north, and Granada to the east. The province ...

through

Cap de la Nau The Cap de la Nau () or Cabo de la Nao (), literally Cape of the Ship, is a headland located central-eastern coastal Spain on the Gulf of Valencia, Mediterranean Sea. In English, it is also known as Cape Nao. Geography Cap de la Nau is in t ...

and then gets submerged under the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. It surfaces again to form the island of

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

, the Tramuntana Range in the island of Majorca and Pantaleu itself. The island is a part of the municipality of

Andratx Andratx () is a municipality on Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands, along the Mediterranean east coast of Spain. It is located on the western tip of the island. Port d'Andratx, located a few miles south of Andratx, is an exclusive resort. His ...

, which is, along with

Sant Elm Sant Elm () is a town on the south-west coast of Majorca in the Balearic Islands of Spain. It lies in the municipality of Andratx. It is a picturesque fishing village at the far Southwest corner of Majorca, only a short drive from Andratx and Por ...

(both in nearby Majorca), the closest towns to the island.

History

This islet gained historical importance in 1229 when

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conqueridor''; ; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1 ...

in September of this year dropped anchor by this island in order to protect his ships from the storm. They explored the coast of Majorca from here and chose the strand near today's

Santa Ponça Santa Ponsa ( Catalan and officially: ''Santa Ponça'') is a small town in the southwest of Mallorca. Located in the municipality of Calvià, it is 18 kilometres from the capital Palma. History It was long believed that the name Santa Ponsa w ...

as an ideal landing point for the Crusaders to start the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

of the

. The gulf of Sant Elm proved to be a good place for defense. Lying about 300 m from the strand of Sant Elm, the island is a popular destination for good swimmers. Since 1998 it belongs to the Dragonera nature reserve and must not be entered.

References

External links

{{commons, : Pantaleu, Pantaleu
Photo and description of Pantaleu islet
Islets of Mallorca Landforms of Mallorca Natural parks of Spain Protected areas of the Balearic Islands Uninhabited islands of Spain