Minorca

Minorca, the second largest of the Balearic Isles (q.v.), lies 25 miles N.E. of Majorca. It is 28 miles long, by an average of 10 wide, and has an area of 284 sq. m. Pop. 34,173. Its coast is rocky and inaccessible, but broken by numerous inlets, and its surface low, undulating, and stony. Its productions and climate are similar to those of Majorca, though the soil is less fertile. The chief towns are Port Mahon (q.v.) and Ciudadela (8000). The island is remarkable for its great number of ancient megalithic remains (called talayots) and its stalactite caves (at Prella). See BYNG (JOHN); Bidwell's Balearic Isles (1876), and Sir R. L. Playfair, Mediterranean (3d ed. 1890, Murray's Guide-book series).