Tabarca settled here. The islet was renamed Nova Tabarca ("New Tabarca" in both Valencian and Latin). Thus a settlement was created by royal edict on this uninhabited island which the North African corsaries had previously used as a platform for raids on the Levantine coast. On their arrival, the Genoese were first moved to Alicante, where they lived temporarily in the Jesuit School, empty after the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain. Finally, the Genoese were moved to the island together with a Spanish garrison. The military engineer Fernando Méndez Ras planned a fortified town and walls, bulwarks, warehouses and barracks
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