Illa Grossa

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Illa Grossa, meaning “Large Island,” is the largest island in Spain’s Columbretes archipelago in the Mediterranean, about 60 km off the Costa del Azahar. It covers about 14 hectares (0.05 square miles) and sits on basalt-rich volcanic rocks formed from a chain of craters. The island is roughly one kilometer across and has two main hills, with the highest point in the north called Mount Colibrí. It is part of the Columbretes Islands Natural Reserve and, with the other islands, lies within a Marine Reserve of more than 4,400 hectares. In its history it was a refuge for pirates and smugglers; in the mid-1800s a fire was set to exterminate a large population of native snakes. A lighthouse was built in 1859, 67 meters above sea level, and was automated in 1975. Ludwig von Salvator described its flora and fauna in 1895. Naval bombardments by Spain and the United States occurred in the late 1970s and ended in 1982 after protests. Today Illa Grossa is uninhabited except for guards and is home to the endemic Columbretes lizard (Podarcis atrata) and endangered seabirds such as Eleonora’s falcon and Audouin’s gull.