Ibiza is an island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza Town (Catalan:Vila d'Eivissa or simply Vila), Santa Eulària des Riu and Sant Antoni de Portmany.
Eivissa is the official Catalan name (Catalan pronunciation: [əiˈβisə], locally [əiˈvisə]). The name in Spanish is Ibiza [iˈβiθa]. In British English, the name is usually pronounced in an approximation of the Spanish (/ɪˈbiːθə, ɪˈviːθə/), while in American English the pronunciation is more anglicized (/ɪˈbiːzə/, /iːˈbiːsə/).
The island is well-known for its summer club parties which attract large numbers of tourists, but the island and the Spanish Tourist Office have been working to shed the prevailing "sex-and-alcohol" image in order to promote more family-oriented tourism. Noted clubs include Space, Pacha, Privilege (ex Ku), Amnesia, DC10, Eden, Es Paradis, and Café del Mar. It is also home to the 'West End' party district of Sant Antoni, a popular stop for many tourists.
The climate of Ibiza is Mediterranean and has milder winters but slightly cooler summers than Majorca. The winters are generally mild with temperatures around 15 °C (60 °F) during the day and 8 °C (46 °F) at night. The hottest time of the year is July and August with temperatures reaching 30 °C (90 °F) most afternoons. The lowest recorded temperature in Ibiza is −5 °C (20 °F), the highest is 37 °C (100 °F)
While Catalan and Spanish are the official languages of Ibiza, a "dialectal variation [of Catalan]...called Eivissenc or Ibicenco is more readily spoken by both the residents and those of Formentera." Additionally, because of the influence of tourism (see below) and expatriates living in or maintaining residences on the island other, atypical languages, such as English, German and Russian are also spoken. Polylinguality is the norm, not the exception.
