Why go
This structure matters when you move between islands or read local notices. An island council covers a whole island and its nearby islets; a municipality names a more local area. Formentera is an unusual case because the island and municipality share one council. On Ibiza and Formentera, older village divisions also survive in place names.
The full story
The Balearic Islands are one autonomous community, but their local geography is organized island by island. Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera each have an island council. Below that level are municipalities, which are the names most likely to help you identify a town or local district. Mallorca also has comarques, or larger districts made up of municipalities. Formentera is a special case: its island council and municipality cover the same island. On Ibiza and Formentera, you may encounter the term vénda in an address or a local name. It refers to a traditional rural division grouping nearby settlements and land, rather than a separate municipality. Older parish names can also mark local areas. Those layers make more sense when read as a record of settlement, farming and community ties than as extra islands or towns on a map.