All About Mallorca
Everything you need to know about Mallorca
Majorca (Spanish and Catalan: Mallorca) is the largest island of Spain. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea and part of the Balearic Islands archipelago. The name derives from Latin insula maior, "larger island"; later Maiorica. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera archipelago is administratively grouped with Majorca (in the municipality of Palma). The anthem of Majorca is La Balanguera. Like the other Balearic Islands of Ibiza, Formentera, and Minorca, the island is a popular tourist destination. In Germany, the United Kingdom and to a lesser extent, Ireland, where package tourism to the island started in May 1952, Majorca has remained a popular destination.
AROUND THE ISLAND A-Z
Welcome to our Mallorca A-Z section where we have listed all of the main tourist destinations in Mallorca in alphabetical order. For further details, particulary on municipalities, please visit our Mallorca Administration section. Here you will find a brief description of each location including links to information about restaurants, hotels & nightlife. The great thing about Mallorca is that it is an island, which means that you can easily explore all of these areas within just a few days. This is best accomplished by car & we highly recommend that you hire a car for at least a few days & get out & about instead of staying in just one location.
MALLORCA HISTORY
The first colonies in the Balearic Islands were believed to be from the Iberian Penisula in the 5thBC, however a cave in Mallorca known as Canet proved that there were colonies on the Island as far back as the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages. In the year 123BC Quinto Cecilio Metelo invaded the Island for the Romans, there were many other invasions from various states all the way up to the year 902 when the Arabs dictated the Island. The Island was conquered by King James I of Aragon and populated by people from Catalan, after his death James II created the independent kingdom of Mallorca.
MALLORCA CULTURE
The Mallorquins, as they are known inhabit the Island of Mallorca. Ibizencos, Menorquins and Formenterans inhabit the other Balearic Islands and they do not always see eye to eye however they all have roots that have developed over the centuries and give us the Mallorca and Balearic islands of today. The population of the island has doubled since the early 1950’s and there are a large number of expatriates on the island mainly from Germany and the UK. The island itself still maintains many of the old cultures in the towns hidden around the many beauty spots...
RELIGION AND LANGUAGES
On the island there are two official spoken languages, Catalan and Spanish, Catalan is a dialect spoken on the island. You will find nearly 60% of the island will have a good understanding of English. If you visit the many tourist spots this increases to 90%. Mallorca is a Catholic island and was ruled by the church; however since the death of Franco in 1975 the churches influence over the island has declined. With the influx of expatriates certain traditions have swayed, however most families and schools still teach a strong church related catholic upbringing...
MALLORCA ECONOMY
The islands economy revolves around Tourism. In 1966 1 million tourists visited the island and by the year 2006 over 9 million were visiting the island. 38% of these visitors were German and 28% were British. The islands GDP is more than 50% above the Spanish average, with over two thirds of the islanders working in the tourist industry.
MALLORCA GEOGRAPHY
Majorca has two mountainous regions each about 70 km in length. These occupy the north-western (Serra de Tramuntana or Tramuntana range) and eastern thirds of the island. The highest peak on Majorca is Puig Major (1,445 m) in the Serra de Tramuntana. As this is a military zone, the neighbouring peak at Puig de Massanella is considered the highest accessible peak (1,364 m). The northeast coast comprises two sweeping bays: the Badia de Pollença and the larger Badia d'Alcúdia.
MALLORCA PEOPLE
Famous Majorcans include writer and philosopher Ramon Llull and Junípero Serra, the Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California. From the 19th century, the military commander, Joaquin Jovellar y Soler, and two time Spanish Prime Minister, Antonio Maura Montaner. More recently, sportsmen from the island include basketball player Rudy Fernández, as well as top tennis players Rafael Nadal and Carlos Moyà. Rafael Nadal's uncle is the former Spanish international footballer, Miguel Ángel Nadal. In 2006, Majorca's Jorge Lorenzo won the world 250cc motor cycling title.
MALLORCA POLITICS
The Balearic Islands, of which Majorca forms part, is one of the Spanish autonomous communities. It is currently governed by a coalition of five different leftist and nationalist parties headed by the Partit Socialista (PSOE) under Francesc Antich. There is a specific government for the island which is called Consell Insular de Mallorca (Majorca Insular Council) with competences in culture, roads, railways and municipal administration. As of 2008, the president of the institution is Francina Armengol from PSIB-PSOE.
MALLORCA CUISINE
In 2005, there were over 2,400 restaurants on the island of Majorca according to the Majorcan Tourist Board. They ranged from small bars to full scale restaurants. Despite Majorca's location in the Mediterranean, seafood is often imported. Olives and almonds are typical of the Majorcan diet. The island now has over 4 million almond and olive trees. Among the food items that can be truly stated as being Majorcan are sobrassada, arros brut -saffron rice cooked with chicken, pork and vegetables- and, the sweet pastry, ensaïmada.
MALLORCA ADMINISTRATION
The island is administratively divided into 54 municipalities. This article contains a full breakdown of each one & includes a brief description of each municipality.
MALLORCA INFORMATION
The local currency is the Euro. Most banks can be found in the major towns and all cash points will accept major credit/debit cards. Most businesses operate between 9am-1.30pm and 4.30pm-7pm. This time scale fluctuates in the tourist resorts. Banks open Mon-Thurs 8.30am-4.30pm and Friday 8.30am-2pm. Some main branches will open on a Saturday 8.30am-1pm. EU Citizens/USA/Canada/New Zealand and Japan who hold valid passports do not require visas to visit the island for less than 90 days. Should you be from another state please contact the Spanish Consulate.