It constitutes the minor surface autonomy of Spain. It is formed by the islands called Gimnesias (Majorca and Minorca) and Pitiusas (Ibiza and Formentera) and others of minor size.

There exist abundant vestiges of the Bronze Age (taulas, talayots and small drawers). Baliarídes or Balearídes seems to be the name of an indigenous people who inhabited them. The Phoenicians occupied Ibiza in the 7th century to. C. passing to be later a Roman colony stopping this way the piracy that from here was exercised. In the 5th century they were invaded by the Vandal ones and later by the Byzantine ones, going on in the year 902 to Moslem domination for three centuries up to being liberated and annexed to the Wreath of Aragon. The pests that destroyed the islands between the centuries XIV and XVII forced to repopulate them with Catalans.

They possess diversity of landscapes on having constituted the last spurs of the Andalusian formations in the Mediterranean. They owe to it big depths in the sea in some points. The north coasts are abrupt and with cliffs, whereas the southern offers softer landscapes. The limy materials have allowed the formation of some grottos, as the Drach caves in Majorca.

Majorca: It has three units: the Tramontana mountain range, the most important of the island, the mountain ranges of The Levant that make a detour to the central depression of the Plá, which constitutes the third unit.

Minorca: Great contrast between the north, with clay predominance, and the south where they predominate over the limy materials. Alpine orogenia comes from the old massive Catalan - balear-sardo broken in.

Ibiza and Formentera: they have flat topography not overcoming in any case all 500 m.

Mediterranean smoothed by the sea action. The most rainy islands are placed more in the northern part, and inside in the northern coasts. The maximum rainfall is given in autumn. The summer drought can be top to the three months. The temperature increases from north to south. The thermal daily extent does not overcome the 10 º C.

The most important winds are the Tramontana of north direction and great force, the sirocco of SE direction dry and warmly takes in suspension sands of the African desert and normally blows in summer and the llebeig that comes from the SO and is warm and humid

Mediterranean with predominance of the aleppo pine in sunlights and arid areas and the oak in fresher and humid zones. The sotobosque consists of rosemary, rockroses, lavenders, juniper, heather, tree srtawberry, etc. The reed-grass and the asphodel is in mountainous zones where the forest has disappeared. In arid zones the palmetto appears and in the most humid the rushes.

37 % of the hectares of this Autonomy is protected natural spaces what supposes 7 % of the surface protected in Spain. Cabrera's island was declared, in 1991, National maritime - terrestrial Park, which major importance rests on the coastal zone and the continental platform.

They are characterized for being seasonal and its wealths are most of the year stony and dry. The underground waters, which come from the limy lands, add wealth and in occasions overflow on the rainy station. The phreatic waters take advantage by means of wells