Tabarca Island (Alicante)
Tabarca Island is located in the Mediterranean Sea, about 22 kilometres from Alicante, and is the largest island in the Valencian community as well as the only inhabited one, with a population of just over 50 inhabitants. The island covers an approximate area of 30 hectares, with a length of about 1,800 meters and a width of only 450 meters.
It is a small islet, but it is also a place of enormous tourist interest thanks to its archaeological ruins, which attest to the presence of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Later, during the 15th century, Tabarca gained importance as a vital geostrategic point. A fortified defensive system was built in 1427 with the intention of preventing the entry from Algiers of Berber corsairs who used the island as a storage centre to attack Alicante and the rest of the Valencian coast.
By the year 1770, what is currently the town of Tabarca was established when the first houses were built, most of them for fishermen. However, the island did not acquire importance until the 1980s, when the old town was restored and its services modernized.
In addition to its archaeological attraction, which includes the old wall, the Puerta de Levante, the Roman ruins and the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Tabarca Island is a place of great tourist attraction due to its Mediterranean climate, its gastronomy and the hospitality of its people. It receives up to 3,000 tourists a day during the summer months.
It is a small islet, but it is also a place of enormous tourist interest thanks to its archaeological ruins, which attest to the presence of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Later, during the 15th century, Tabarca gained importance as a vital geostrategic point. A fortified defensive system was built in 1427 with the intention of preventing the entry from Algiers of Berber corsairs who used the island as a storage centre to attack Alicante and the rest of the Valencian coast.
By the year 1770, what is currently the town of Tabarca was established when the first houses were built, most of them for fishermen. However, the island did not acquire importance until the 1980s, when the old town was restored and its services modernized.
In addition to its archaeological attraction, which includes the old wall, the Puerta de Levante, the Roman ruins and the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Tabarca Island is a place of great tourist attraction due to its Mediterranean climate, its gastronomy and the hospitality of its people. It receives up to 3,000 tourists a day during the summer months.
Location
What to see in Alicante
