Why go
The two island groups are a useful way to read a map and understand why nearby islands did not develop identical wildlife. Cabrera belongs with Mallorca and Menorca; Ibiza and Formentera form the Pitiüses. Smaller islands such as Dragonera, Es Vedrà and S'Espalmador give each main island a different coastal setting.
The full story
Mallorca, Menorca and Cabrera are traditionally grouped as the Gymnesian Islands. Ibiza and Formentera form the Pityusic Islands, or Illes Pitiüses in Catalan. The division is more than a naming convention. During periods of lower sea level in the Ice Age, Mallorca and Menorca were joined, as were Ibiza and Formentera. A broad channel still separated the two groups, limiting the movement of land animals between them. This long separation helps explain why their past plant and animal communities differed. The natural-history account describes holm oak and Balearic box on the Gymnesian side, and a different, more open ancient vegetation on the Pityusic side. The islands also have endemic species, meaning species native to a limited area: the Balearic midwife toad and different island lizards are examples. These facts are a reason to notice the landscape as well as the coast, without assuming that every small islet has the same ecology or visitor access.