Ciudadela, city and small port on the west coast of the Spanish island of Minorca, easternmost of the Islas Baleares, off the eastern coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. Ciudadela is situated at the head of a narrow and shallow arm of the sea, surrounded by flat, arid land. The area contains many stone reminders of the prehistoric people who once occupied Minorca and other islands in the western Mediterranean.
Ciudadela was founded about 450 BC. Its walls, of which only vestiges remain, were built by Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, and Moors. In 1558 the city was sacked by Turkish pirates. In the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), Spain ceded Minorca, and therefore Ciudadela, to the British, but in 1756 the island was occupied by the French. The English regained possession of the island in 1763, but lost it to Spanish forces in 1782. Retaken by the British in 1788, Minorca was awarded to Spain by the Treaty of Amiens (1802). Ciudadela has been a bishopric since 1787, and it is part of the archbishopric of Valencia, Spain. Population (1998 estimate) 21,785.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Ciudadela Information info
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