Las Islas Columbretes

When I told you about the Atlantic Islands of Galicia, I told you that in Spain there are several small archipelagos, not very well known, but home to an extraordinary representation of wildlife. It is fascinating to see how in very small territories there can be species that are unique in the world. Today I am going to tell you about another of these tiny archipelagos, but of an importance that far exceeds their minuscule size: the Columbretes Islands.

Volcanoes in the Western Mediterranean

The archipelago of the Columbretes Islands is located in the Western Mediterranean, just fifty kilometres away from the port of Castellón, in the province of the same name in the Valencian Community. It consists of 24 islets divided into four groups, each of which is named after its main islet. From north to south: Columbrete Grande (L’Illa Grossa in Valencian), Perrera (Ferrera), Horadada (Foradada) and El Bergantín (El Carallot). The emerged area occupies 19 hectares.

Location of the Columbretes Islands

As its name indicates, the Isla Grossa is the largest of them all, and the highest of them all, at 67 metres above sea level. This island also clearly shows the volcanic origin of the archipelago, as it has the shape of an almost perfect semi-submerged volcanic caldera, very similar to the famous Greek island of Santorini. The appearance of these islands is parched and cliffy. But appearances are deceptive, and these volcanic islets hold many surprises.

The first of these is their very origin. It is a very unusual example of Quaternary volcanism, whose activity began between three and a million years ago and ended about 30,000 years ago. The islands arise from a volcanic field measuring 90 x 40 kilometres in size, with average depths of 80 to 90 metres. There, as a result of the pressure exerted by the African tectonic plate on the Eurasian plate, a north-south fault arose along which the magma rose, raising the volcanic edifices that make up the Columbretes.

History of the Columbretes.

Snakes and smugglers. History of the Columbretes.

These islands are old acquaintances of the Greek and Roman navigators of classical times. This is not surprising, as the Mediterranean held no secrets for them. The islands are named in Strabo’s Geographica (1st century BC), and he gives them the name of Ophiusa Island, because they were infested with poisonous snakes. Two hundred years later, it was Pliny and Mela who spoke of these islands, giving them the name of “Colubrarias Islands”, because the infestation of snakes continued, and from this name derives the current name of “Columbretes”.

When I tell you about the terrestrial fauna of the islands, I will tell you more about these snakes, but for now it is enough to know that they were the decisive factor why the islands remained uninhabited for many centuries, becoming a refuge for pirates, smugglers and outlaws.

As is always the case, it was British seafarers who first paid closer attention to these islands, and in 1823 Royal Navy Captain W.H. Smyth took up his position and published his observations and research in The Journal of the Geographical Society of London in 1831. It was probably on seeing the British interest in this tiny archipelago, but strategically located as an aircraft carrier off the Valencian coast, that the Government of Isabella II decided to organise an act of sovereignty, just in case, and between 1856 and 1860 the lighthouse was built that today crowns the Isla Grossa. To achieve this, the dangerous vipers that infested the islands had to be exterminated. For this purpose, fire and raids carried out by convicts were used extensively. Scorpions, which were also very abundant, were fought by means of the chickens brought by the lighthouse keepers and their families, although they have not been exterminated. The people who tended the lighthouse were the only inhabitants of the island until the time of its automation in 1975.

Isla Grossa or Columbrete Grande. The lighthouse can be seen in the background.

Illa Foradada

In 1895, the islands were visited by a unique personage: Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Habsburg. Born in what is now Bohemia, he travelled around the Mediterranean making all kinds of scientific and ethnographic observations. Settled in Mallorca, he was the pioneer of tourism in these islands and explored the Columbretes, making the most exhaustive study of them to date. He published his research in the book Las Columbretes, which was published in Prague.

Between 1975 and 1982 the islands were used as a firing range for the US and Spanish navies. Such barbarity was contested from the nearby mainland with continuous demonstrations and initiatives to stop this abuse. And finally, in 1988, the Columbretes Islands Natural Park was decreed, managed by the Valencian Community.

Illa Foradada

Two years later, in 1990, the Marine Reserve was created, managed by the State. This may come as a surprise to you, but this is precisely where one of the most impressive riches lies, not only of the Columbretes, but of all Iberian Nature: the sea beds of the Columbretes are, without doubt, among the richest in the Mediterranean. We will talk about it below.

Volcanoes in the Western Mediterranean

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