El Toro (Menorca)
mountain on Minorca, Spain

El Toro in Catalan, sometimes known by its Spanish name of Monte Toro, is the tallest hill of the island of Menorca, rising to an elevation of 358 m (1,175 ft) above mean sea level. The mountain is home to the Sanctuary of the Verge del Toro. The mountain's summit can be reached by car or on foot, from which there is a fantastic view of almost the entire island and even the mountains of Mallorca on a clear day.
El Toro is designated as an ANEI (protected natural area).
Etymology
The name "Toro" is an evolution, in part for the different languages and cultures that have passed in the island, of the Catalan (Menorquí) word "Turó", which means Hill. The name could also be derived from Arabic, coming from tor or al-tor which means 'height'. It does not come from, nor is it related to, the Spanish word for "bull".
Location
Monte Toro rises above the surrounding farmland and foothills approximately 2 miles (3km) east from the central town of Es Mercadal, in the centre of the island. It can be seen from places throughout the island and is instantly recognisable, due to the fact it is Menorca's only prominent summit.
Features
On a clear day, the whole of the island is visible, especially the northern region from Ciutadella to Fornells and the mountains of Mallorca.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “El Toro (Menorca)” as mountain on Minorca, Spain. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as mountain on Minorca, Spain. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q474901.
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This entry incorporates text from “El Toro (Menorca)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.