Formigues Islands

The Formigues Islands, in Catalan Illes Formigues, are an archipelago of 16 small islands about three miles off the coast of Palamos in Girona Province, Catalonia, Spain, facing the beaches of Calella and Cap Roig. The largest island, Formiga Gran, carries a lighthouse, and the islands are composed mostly of calcareous rock riddled with caves and crags holding rich marine vegetation, especially multicolored sea fans, in waters ranging from 9 to more than 45 meters deep. Uninhabited and split administratively between Palamos and Palafrugell, they were the site of the 1285 Battle of Les Formigues, and in 2009 the Spanish environmental ministry proposed a 420 hectare fishing ban and nature reserve there, though budget constraints stalled the plan. Their name comes from the Catalan word for ant, a reference to their small size. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/