Formentera is known as the last Mediterranean paradise because it has been able to combine tourism with environmental protection.
The struggle of various generations of Formenterans has made possible the conservation of an island whose beaches, transparent waters and climate make it a little jewel in Mare Nostrum. Formentera can only be reached by boat from Ibiza, but this inaccessibility makes it a peaceful place where you can flee from stress and overcrowding; enjoying the island on a cycle ride or swimming from its more than 20km of beaches of white sand and infinitely transparent water, where it is possible to do all kinds of water sports. The secret of the existence of a crystalline sea and Formentera's long beaches, which mark it out from the rest of the Mediterranean, is the posidonea prairie that surrounds the island, a natural treatment plant that cleans the water and makes it possible for sand to be deposited on the coast. It is a real underwater jungle, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. The tourist success of the island, loved as much by residents as by visitors, is rooted in the fact that people still find something a bit different in Formentera. The difference is marked by respect for nature, the survival of its own culture and the vision of achieving exclusivity through protecting the environment. Other facts differentiating Formentera are the freedom and its light, which, since the '70s, has made it attractive for artists and artisans, who are nowadays part of the island's differential heritage. Their designs in clothes, accessories, jewellery and their works of art are powerful attractions for Formentera.
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