Did you know? · Menorca
Menorca fun facts
Things you might not know about Menorca. Every fact comes from an official or primary source, named alongside it.
Updated October 2026
An island with two UNESCO titles
UNESCO designated Menorca a Biosphere Reserve on 8 October 1993. In 2023 the World Heritage Committee inscribed “Talayotic Menorca – A cyclopean island odyssey”, nine component parts across the island (unesco.org; whc.unesco.org).
An opera house from 1829
The Teatre Principal de Maó opened in 1829; in its own words it is the oldest opera house still in use in Spain, a horseshoe theatre built by the Italian impresario Giovanni Palagi (teatremao.com).
Gin on the harbour
Xoriguer has made gin in Maó since 1945, in copper stills heated over a wood fire (xoriguer.es).
All the way round
The Camí de Cavalls circles the island along its coast: 185 km, in the words of the Consell Insular de Menorca, and waymarked as the GR 223 (cime.es).
An island for a lizard
On Illa del Rei in Maó harbour, no animals are allowed except guide dogs, to protect the native lizard Podarcis lilfordi (Hauser & Wirth).
Questions and answers
When did Menorca become a Biosphere Reserve?
On 8 October 1993 (UNESCO).
Is there a World Heritage Site in Menorca?
Yes: Talayotic Menorca, inscribed in 2023 (UNESCO).