Tabarca Tabarca Tabarca (, ) also known in Valencian as "Nova Tabarca" and "Illa Plana", and in Spanish as "Nueva Tabarca" and "Isla Plana", is an islet located in the Mediterranean Sea, close to the town of Santa Pola, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain. Tabarca is the smallest permanently inhabited islet in Spain and it is currently known for its marine reserve. Despite being much more socially and economically related to the fishing port of Santa Pola, the tiny island of Tabarca is a part of the city of Alicante. Administratively, it is managed as a rural district
Tabarca of Alicante, jointly with el Palmeral, Aiguamarga and Urbanova. The local census (2011) counted 68 inhabitants and its postal code is 03138. The islet is long, with a maximum breadth of and absolutely flat. Almost next to the main islet lie the islets of "la Nau", "la Galera" and "la Cantera". It lies approximately south-southeast from Alicante and east-southeast from Santa Pola. Tourism is the main economical activity, especially during the summer. There are several boats connecting Tabarca with Alicante, Santa Pola and Torrevieja, with higher frequencies during summer time. Before 1700, the island was known as "Illa de Sant