Naming singularities of the Pine Islands. The Mediterranean nature of an island landscape seen through geographical names

Abstract

This article continues an area of research undertaken and applied in Minorca and main aim is to verify how an analysis of names can provide an important source of geographical information. There has been a huge increase in naming or toponymy analysis in recent years. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the largest corpus of names in the Pine Islands (Ibiza and Formentera) confirms compliance with the principles of transparency and territorial significance with which the general characteristics and singularities of the island landscapes are described. The classification and systematisation of place names and their most frequent and genuine generics enables us to delve into the most representative features of the distinct historical and cultural identity of these Mediterranean islands. Both the methodology and results are suggested as a template and contribution to progress to geography as an innovative science that uses names (or toponymy) as a tool for territorial knowledge.