Mallorca

The name derives from Classical Latin {{lang|la|insula maior}}, "larger island". Later, in Medieval Latin, this became {{lang|la|Maiorca}}, "the larger one", in comparison to Menorca, "the smaller one". This was then hypercorrected to {{lang|ca|Mallorca}} by central Catalan scribes, which later came to be accepted as the standard spelling.{{Cite web|url=https://dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=Mallorca|title=Diccionari català-valencià-balear|website=dcvb.iec.cat|access-date=24 May 2024|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920013725/https://dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?word=Mallorca|url-status=live}}

File:Talaiot.jpg

File:Porc Negre.JPG

The Balearic Islands were first colonised by humans during the 3rd millennium BC, around 2500–2300 BC from the Iberian Peninsula or southern France, by people associated with the Bell Beaker culture.{{Cite journal|last1=Fernandes|first1=Daniel M.|last2=Mittnik|first2=Alissa|last3=Olalde|first3=Iñigo|last4=Lazaridis|first4=Iosif|last5=Cheronet|first5=Olivia|last6=Rohland|first6=Nadin|last7=Mallick|first7=Swapan|last8=Bernardos|first8=Rebecca|last9=Broomandkhoshbacht|first9=Nasreen|last10=Carlsson|first10=Jens|last11=Culleton|first11=Brendan J.|date=1 March 2020|title=The spread of steppe and Iranian-related ancestry in the islands of the western Mediterranean|journal=Nature Ecology & Evolution|language=en|volume=4|issue=3|pages=334–345|doi=10.1038/s41559-020-1102-0|issn=2397-334X|pmc=7080320|pmid=32094539|bibcode=2020NatEE...4..334F }}{{Cite journal|last=Alcover|first=Josep Antoni|date=1 March 2008|title=The First Mallorcans: Prehistoric Colonization in the Western Mediterranean|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10963-008-9010-2|journal=Journal of World Prehistory|language=en|volume=21|issue=1|pages=19–84|doi=10.1007/s10963-008-9010-2|s2cid=161324792|issn=1573-7802|access-date=14 February 2022|archive-date=25 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025182536/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10963-008-9010-2|url-status=live}} The arrival of humans resulted in the rapid extinction of the three species of terrestrial mammals native to Mallorca, the dwarf goat-antelope Myotragus balearicus, the giant dormouse Hypnomys morpheus, and the shrew Nesiotites hidalgo, all three of which had been continuously present on Mallorca for over 5 million years.{{Cite journal|last1=Valenzuela|first1=Alejandro|last2=Torres-Roig|first2=Enric|last3=Zoboli|first3=Daniel|last4=Pillola|first4=Gian Luigi|last5=Alcover|first5=Josep Antoni|date=29 November 2021|title=Asynchronous ecological upheavals on the Western Mediterranean islands: New insights on the extinction of their autochthonous small mammals|url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09596836211060491|journal=The Holocene|volume=32|issue=3|language=en|pages=137–146|doi=10.1177/09596836211060491|s2cid=244763779|issn=0959-6836|access-date=23 January 2022|archive-date=23 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223095632/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09596836211060491|url-status=live}} The island's prehistoric settlements are called talaiots or talayots. The people of the islands raised Bronze Age megaliths as part of their Talaiotic culture.{{cite book|title=Mallorca|last=Tisdall|first=Nigel|publisher=Thomas Cook Publishing|date=2003|isbn=9781841573274|page=11}} A non-exhaustive list of settlements is the following:

• Capocorb Vell (Llucmajor municipality)
• Necròpoli de Son Real (east of Can Picafort, Santa Margalida municipality)
• Novetiforme Alemany (Magaluffa, Calvià, Miconio)
• Poblat Talaiòtic de S'Illot (S'Illot, Sant Llorenç des Cardassar municipality)
• Poblat Talaiòtic de Son Fornés (Montuïri municipality)
• Sa Canova de Morell (road to Colònia de Sant Pere, Artà municipality)
• Ses Païsses (Artà municipality)
• Ses Talaies de Can Jordi (Santanyí municipality)
• S'Hospitalet Vell (road to Cales de Mallorca, Manacor municipality)

File:Pollentia 34.jpg]]

The Phoenicians, a seafaring people from the Levant, arrived around the eighth century BC and established numerous colonies.{{Cite web|url=http://dlthede.net/LWT/Spain.html|title=Spain|website=dlthede.net|access-date=15 December 2017|archive-date=15 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215110917/http://dlthede.net/LWT/Spain.html|url-status=live|first=Linda Q.|last=Thede|year=2017}}{{SPS|date=December 2023}} The island eventually came under the control of Carthage in North Africa, which had become the principal Phoenician city. After the Second Punic War, Carthage lost all of its overseas possessions and the Romans took over.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

The island was occupied by the Romans in 123 BC under Quintus Caecilius Metellus Balearicus. It flourished under Roman rule, during which time the towns of Pollentia (Alcúdia), and Palmaria (Palma) were founded. In addition, the northern town of Bocchoris, dating back to pre-Roman times, was a federated city to Rome.[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0006:id=oppidum-bochoritanum Oppidum Bocchoritanum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816204710/https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0006:id=oppidum-bochoritanum |date=16 August 2021 }}. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites . The local economy was largely driven by olive cultivation, viticulture, and salt mining. Mallorcan soldiers were valued within the Roman legions for their skill with the sling (Balearic slingers).{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170318145033/http://www.northsouthguides.com/history_of_mallorca.html History of Mallorca]}}. North South Guides.

In 427, Gunderic and the Vandals captured the island. Geiseric, son of Gunderic, governed Mallorca and used it as his base to loot and plunder settlements around the Mediterranean[http://mallorcaincognita.com/historydarkages_english.html The Dark Ages in Mallorca] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207142841/http://www.mallorcaincognita.com/historydarkages_english.html |date=7 February 2012 }} mallorcaincognita.com, not dated until Roman rule was restored in 465.

In 534, Mallorca was recaptured from the Vandals by the Eastern Roman Empire, led by Apollinarius. Under Roman rule, Christianity thrived and numerous churches were built.

From 707, the island was increasingly attacked by Muslim raiders from North Africa. Recurrent invasions led the islanders to ask Charlemagne for help.

File:Arab baths in palma de mallorca.jpg]]

In 902, Issam al-Khawlani^(es)(ca) ({{langx|ar|عصام الخولاني}}) conquered the Balearic Islands, and they became part of the Emirate of Córdoba. The town of Palma was reshaped and expanded, and became known as Medina Mayurqa. Later on, with the Caliphate of Córdoba at its height, the Muslims improved agriculture with irrigation and developed local industries.

The caliphate was dismembered in 1015. Mallorca came under rule by the Taifa of Dénia, and from 1087 to 1114, was an independent Taifa. During that period, the island was visited by Ibn Hazm. However, an expedition of Pisans and Catalans in 1114–15, led by Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, overran the island, laying siege to Palma for eight months. After the city fell, the invaders retreated due to problems in their own lands. They were replaced by the Almoravides from North Africa, who ruled until 1176. The Almoravides were replaced by the Almohad dynasty until 1229. Abu Yahya was the last Moorish leader of Mallorca.[http://mallorcaincognita.com/historymoorish_english.html Moorish Mallorca] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207130604/http://www.mallorcaincognita.com/historymoorish_english.html |date=7 February 2012 }} mallorcaincognita.com, not dated.

{{Main|Conquest of Majorca}}

In the ensuing confusion and unrest, King James I of Aragon, also known as James the Conqueror, launched an invasion which landed at Santa Ponça, Mallorca, on 8–9 September 1229 with Catalan forces consisting of 15,000 men and 1,500 horses. His forces entered the city of Medina Mayurqa on 31 December 1229. In 1230, he annexed the island to his Crown of Aragon under the name Regnum Maioricae.

File:Insula Maioricae Vicentius Mut 1683.jpg]]

From 1479, the Crown of Aragon was in dynastic union with that of Castile. The Barbary corsairs of North Africa often attacked the Balearic Islands, and in response, the people built coastal watchtowers and fortified churches. In 1570, King Philip II of Spain and his advisors were considering complete evacuation of the Balearic islands.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120306063941/http://www.contemporarybalears.com/balears/index.php?section=blog&cmd=details&id=29 The Pillage People]}}, Contemporary Balears.

In the early 18th century, the War of the Spanish Succession resulted in the replacement of that dynastic union with a unified Spanish monarchy under the rule of the new Bourbon Dynasty. The last episode of the War of Spanish Succession was the conquest of the island of Mallorca. It took place on 2 July 1715 when the island capitulated to the arrival of a Bourbon fleet. In 1716, the Nueva Planta decrees made Mallorca part of the Spanish province of Baleares, roughly the same to present-day Illes Balears province and autonomous community.

A Nationalist stronghold at the start of the Spanish Civil War, Mallorca was subjected to an amphibious landing, on 16 August 1936, aimed at driving the Nationalists from Mallorca and reclaiming the island for the Republic. Although the Republicans heavily outnumbered their opponents and managed to push {{convert|12|km|mi|abbr=on}} inland, superior Nationalist air power, provided mainly by Fascist Italy as part of the Italian occupation of Majorca, forced the Republicans to retreat and to leave the island completely by 12 September. Those events became known as the Battle of Majorca.The Spanish Civil War, Hugh Thomas (2001)

Since the 1950s, the advent of mass tourism has transformed the island into a destination for foreign visitors and attracted many service workers from mainland Spain. The boom in tourism caused Palma to grow significantly.

In the 21st century, urban redevelopment, under the so‑called Pla Mirall (English "Mirror Plan"), attracted groups of immigrant workers from outside the European Union, especially from Africa and South America.[http://themallorca.net/2009/01/15/large-rise-in-number-of-foreign-nationals/ "Large rise in number of foreign nationals"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726150037/http://themallorca.net/2009/01/15/large-rise-in-number-of-foreign-nationals/ |date=26 July 2009 }}. The Mallorca. 15 January 2009.

In September 2019, A 3,200-year-old well-preserved Bronze Age sword was discovered by archaeologists under the leadership of Jaume Deya and Pablo Galera on the Mallorca Island in the Puigpunyent from the stone megaliths site called Talaiot.Emblematic objects for societies in transition. An archaeological and archaeometric study of the sword of Serral de ses Abelles (Puigpunyent, Mallorca). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports Volume 40, Part A, December 2021, 103201 Specialists assumed that the weapon was made when the Talaiotic culture was in critical decline. The sword will be on display at the nearby Majorca Museum.{{Cite web|url=https://allthatsinteresting.com/talayot-sword-mallorca|title=3,200-Year-Old Bronze Age Sword Unearthed On Spanish Island Of Mallorca|last=Margaritoff|first=Marco|date=20 September 2019|website=All That's Interesting|language=en-US|access-date=30 October 2019|archive-date=30 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030182936/https://allthatsinteresting.com/talayot-sword-mallorca|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Palma de Mallorca}}

The capital of Mallorca, Palma, was founded as a Roman camp called Palmaria upon the remains of a Talaiotic settlement. The turbulent history of the city had it subject to several Vandal sackings during the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It was later reconquered by the Byzantines, established by the Moors (who called it Medina Mayurqa), and finally occupied by James I of Aragon. In 1983, Palma became the capital of the autonomous region of the Balearic Islands. Palma has a famous tourist attraction, the cathedral, Catedral-Basílica de Santa María de Mallorca, standing in the heart of the City looking out over the sea.{{Cite web|url=https://www.majorcadailybulletin.com/news/local/2019/05/03/55325/fantastic-views-from-the-top-palma-cathedral.html|title=Fantastic views from the top of Palma Cathedral|date=3 May 2019|website=Majorca Daily Bulletin|language=en|access-date=29 January 2020|archive-date=29 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129113321/https://www.majorcadailybulletin.com/news/local/2019/05/03/55325/fantastic-views-from-the-top-palma-cathedral.html|url-status=live}}

Mallorca has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa), with mild and relatively wet winters and hot, bright, dry summers. Precipitation in the Serra de Tramuntana is markedly higher. Summers are hot in the plains, and winters are mild, getting colder and wetter in the Tramuntana range, where brief episodes of snow during the winter are not unusual, especially in the Puig Major. The two wettest months in Mallorca are October and November. Storms and heavy rain are not uncommon during the autumn.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc-mallorca.com/weather/|title=Weather Mallorca - All about Mallorca|website=abcMallorca|access-date=15 September 2018|archive-date=15 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915192529/https://www.abc-mallorca.com/weather/|url-status=live}}

{{Weather box

| location = Palma de Mallorca, Port (1991–2020), extremes since 1978 ([http://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Palma,_Majorca¶ms=39_33_N_2_37_E_region:ES_type:city Satellite view])

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| width=auto

| Jan record high C = 24.2

| Feb record high C = 24.4

| Mar record high C = 26.6

| Apr record high C = 28.0

| May record high C = 32.0

| Jun record high C = 36.5

| Jul record high C = 38.0

| Aug record high C = 37.8

| Sep record high C = 35.5

| Oct record high C = 31.2

| Nov record high C = 27.6

| Dec record high C = 23.4

| year record high C = 38.0

| Jan high C = 16.5

| Feb high C = 16.5

| Mar high C = 18.3

| Apr high C = 20.3

| May high C = 23.5

| Jun high C = 27.3

| Jul high C = 29.9

| Aug high C = 30.4

| Sep high C = 27.8

| Oct high C = 24.4

| Nov high C = 20.1

| Dec high C = 18.3

| year high C =

| Jan mean C = 12.7

| Feb mean C = 12.6

| Mar mean C = 14.3

| Apr mean C = 16.4

| May mean C = 19.5

| Jun mean C = 23.3

| Jul mean C = 26.0

| Aug mean C = 26.6

| Sep mean C = 23.8

| Oct mean C = 20.6

| Nov mean C = 16.3

| Dec mean C = 13.8

| year mean C =

| Jan low C = 8.9

| Feb low C = 8.7

| Mar low C = 10.2

| Apr low C = 12.4

| May low C = 15.5

| Jun low C = 19.3

| Jul low C = 22.1

| Aug low C = 22.7

| Sep low C = 20.0

| Oct low C = 16.8

| Nov low C = 12.6

| Dec low C = 10.1

| year low C =

| Jan record low C = 0.0

| Feb record low C = -0.1

| Mar record low C = 1.6

| Apr record low C = 4.4

| May record low C = 8.0

| Jun record low C = 11.0

| Jul record low C = 16.4

| Aug record low C = 15.8

| Sep record low C = 10.0

| Oct record low C = 8.4

| Nov record low C = 3.8

| Dec record low C = 2.5

| year record low C = -0.1

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 44.4

| Feb precipitation mm = 36.7

| Mar precipitation mm = 29.1

| Apr precipitation mm = 37.5

| May precipitation mm = 31.6

| Jun precipitation mm = 13.9

| Jul precipitation mm = 5.1

| Aug precipitation mm = 21.7

| Sep precipitation mm = 58.2

| Oct precipitation mm = 72.6

| Nov precipitation mm = 67.8

| Dec precipitation mm = 49.3

| year precipitation mm =

| unit precipitation days = 1 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 6.2

| Feb precipitation days = 5.9

| Mar precipitation days = 4.6

| Apr precipitation days = 4.7

| May precipitation days = 3.1

| Jun precipitation days = 1.9

| Jul precipitation days = 0.6

| Aug precipitation days = 1.8

| Sep precipitation days = 5.3

| Oct precipitation days = 6.3

| Nov precipitation days = 7.2

| Dec precipitation days = 5.9

| year precipitation days =

| Jan sun = 170

| Feb sun = 176

| Mar sun = 218

| Apr sun = 250

| May sun = 300

| Jun sun = 329

| Jul sun = 356

| Aug sun = 323

| Sep sun = 238

| Oct sun = 211

| Nov sun = 165

| Dec sun = 157

| year sun =

| source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

|url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Spain/CSV/PALMAPUERTO_8301.csv

|title=WMO Normals Spain 1991–2020, Palma Puerto (Excel)

|publisher=NOAA

|access-date=7 October 2023

|archive-date=16 October 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016115347/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Spain/CSV/PALMAPUERTO_8301.csv

|url-status=live

}}

| source 2 = AEMET{{cite web

|url=https://www.aemet.es/en/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/efemerides_extremos?w=0&k=bal&l=B228&datos=det |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016115347/https://www.aemet.es/en/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/efemerides_extremos?w=0&k=bal&l=B228&datos=det |archive-date=16 October 2023 | title=Extreme values: Palma, Puerto - Absolute extreme values - Selector - State Meteorological Agency - AEMET - Spanish Government }}

|title=Extreme values: Palma, Puerto

|publisher=AEMET

|accessdate=7 October 2023

}}

{{Weather box

|width=auto

|location = Palma de Mallorca Airport (1991–2020), extremes since 1954 ([http://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Palma,_Majorca¶ms=39_34_N_2_44_E_region:ES_type:city Satellite view])

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

| Jan record high C = 22.5

| Feb record high C = 24.0

| Mar record high C = 28.6

| Apr record high C = 30.1

| May record high C = 35.0

| Jun record high C = 41.4

| Jul record high C = 40.6

| Aug record high C = 40.2

| Sep record high C = 38.2

| Oct record high C = 33.6

| Nov record high C = 27.2

| Dec record high C = 23.8

| year record high C =

|Jan high C = 15.8

|Feb high C = 15.9

|Mar high C = 18.2

|Apr high C = 20.7

|May high C = 24.4

|Jun high C = 28.7

|Jul high C = 31.6

|Aug high C = 31.8

|Sep high C = 28.2

|Oct high C = 24.3

|Nov high C = 19.4

|Dec high C = 16.8

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = 10.3

|Feb mean C = 10.3

|Mar mean C = 12.2

|Apr mean C = 14.6

|May mean C = 18.3

|Jun mean C = 22.4

|Jul mean C = 25.3

|Aug mean C = 25.7

|Sep mean C = 22.6

|Oct mean C = 18.9

|Nov mean C = 14.2

|Dec mean C = 11.5

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = 4.7

|Feb low C = 4.7

|Mar low C = 6.2

|Apr low C = 8.6

|May low C = 12.1

|Jun low C = 16.1

|Jul low C = 19.0

|Aug low C = 19.7

|Sep low C = 17.0

|Oct low C = 13.6

|Nov low C = 9.0

|Dec low C = 6.2

|year low C =

|Jan record low C = -6.0

|Feb record low C = -10.0

|Mar record low C = -4.2

|Apr record low C = -2.0

|May record low C = 1.6

|Jun record low C = 6.0

|Jul record low C = 11.0

|Aug record low C = 10.8

|Sep record low C = 5.6

|Oct record low C = 0.0

|Nov record low C = -3.0

|Dec record low C = -3.1

|year record low C =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 40.0

|Feb precipitation mm = 32.4

|Mar precipitation mm = 23.1

|Apr precipitation mm = 32.3

|May precipitation mm = 28.5

|Jun precipitation mm = 13.3

|Jul precipitation mm = 3.7

|Aug precipitation mm = 16.2

|Sep precipitation mm = 56.9

|Oct precipitation mm = 67.0

|Nov precipitation mm = 61.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 46.9

|year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 1 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 6.0

|Feb precipitation days = 5.3

|Mar precipitation days = 4.1

|Apr precipitation days = 4.4

|May precipitation days = 3.3

|Jun precipitation days = 2.0

|Jul precipitation days = 0.5

|Aug precipitation days = 1.7

|Sep precipitation days = 5.1

|Oct precipitation days = 6.0

|Nov precipitation days = 6.7

|Dec precipitation days = 5.8

|year precipitation days =

|Jan sun = 160

|Feb sun = 168

|Mar sun = 212

|Apr sun = 246

|May sun = 292

|Jun sun = 325

|Jul sun = 349

|Aug sun = 317

|Sep sun = 231

|Oct sun = 202

|Nov sun = 159

|Dec sun = 150

|year sun =

|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

|url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Spain/CSV/PALMADEMALLORCASONSANJUAN_8306.csv

|title=WMO Normals Spain 1991–2020, Palma Aeropuerto (Excel)

|publisher=NOAA

|access-date=7 October 2023

|archive-date=16 October 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016115352/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Spain/CSV/PALMADEMALLORCASONSANJUAN_8306.csv

|url-status=live

}}

|source 2 = AEMET{{cite web

|url=https://www.aemet.es/en/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/efemerides_extremos?w=0&k=bal&l=B278&datos=det

|title=Extreme values: Palma de Mallorca, Aeropuerto

|publisher=AEMET

|access-date=7 October 2023

|archive-date=16 October 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016115348/https://www.aemet.es/en/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/efemerides_extremos?w=0&k=bal&l=B278&datos=det

|url-status=live

}}

}}

File:Mallorca sentinel2.jpg

Mallorca and the other Balearic Islands are geologically an extension of the fold mountains of the Betic Cordillera of Andalusia. They consist primarily of sediments deposited in the Tethys Sea during the Mesozoic era. These marine deposits have given rise to calcareous rocks which are often fossiliferous. The folding of the Betic Cordillera and Mallorcan ranges resulted from subduction of the African Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate with eventual collision.{{Cite web |url=http://online-media.uni-marburg.de/biologie/botex/mallorca05/marc/entstehung.html |title=Entstehung Mallorcas [German] |access-date=13 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528123554/http://online-media.uni-marburg.de/biologie/botex/mallorca05/marc/entstehung.html |archive-date=28 May 2012 |url-status=dead }} Tectonic movements led to different elevation and lowering zones in the late Tertiary period, which is why the connection to the mainland has been severed at the current sea level.

The limestones, which predominate throughout Mallorca, are readily water-soluble, and have given rise to extensive areas of karst. In addition to limestone, dolomitic rocks are mainly present in the mountainous regions of Mallorca; the Serra de Tramuntana and the Serres de Llevant. The Serres de Llevant also contain marl, the more rapid erosion of which has resulted in the lower elevations of the island's southeastern mountains. Marl is limestone with a high proportion of clay minerals. The eroded material was washed into the sea or deposited in the interior of the island of the Pla de Mallorca, bright marls in the north-east of the island and ferrous clays in the middle of Mallorca, which gives the soil its characteristic reddish colour."Ein Felsen, der aus dem Meer gewachsen ist" [German], interview with geologist Rosa Mateos in Mallorca Magazin 13/2009, pp. 62-63.

Mallorca features a landscape characterised by a series of mountain ranges. The highest peak, Puig Major, stands at approximately 1,445 meters (4,741 feet) above sea level.{{Cite web |title=Puig de Massanella : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost |url=https://www.summitpost.org/puig-de-massanella/150864 |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.summitpost.org}} Other notable peaks include Puig de Massanella, Puig Tomir, Puig de l'Ofre, and Puig des Teix, all exceeding 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) in elevation.{{Cite web |title=Climb to the highest mountains of Mallorca (Mallorca) |url=https://www.illesbalears.travel/en/mallorca/climb-to-the-highest-mountains-of-mallorca |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=illesbalears.travel |language=en}} These mountains are part of the Serra de Tramuntana range with numerous peaks over 1,000 meters, offering opportunities for hiking and exploration with views of the Mediterranean. While not towering in comparison to some mountain ranges globally, the Mallorcan mountains provide visitors with diverse outdoor experiences and panoramic views of the island's rugged terrain and coastline.

File:Mallorca topo.png

Mallorca is the largest island of Spain by area and second most populated (after Tenerife in the Canary Islands).Cifra de población referida al 1 January 2009 según el Instituto Nacional de Estadística{{cite web|title=The Largest Islands Of Spain By Size|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-largest-islands-of-spain-by-size.html|website=worldatlas.com|access-date=8 January 2017|archive-date=8 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108233501/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-largest-islands-of-spain-by-size.html|url-status=live}}

Mallorca has two mountainous regions, the Serra de Tramuntana and Serres de Llevant. Both are about {{convert|70|km|0|abbr=on}} in length and occupy the northwestern and eastern parts of the island respectively.

The highest peak in Mallorca is Puig Major, at {{convert|1445|m|0|abbr=on}}, in the Serra de Tramuntana.{{cite book|title=Mallorca|last=Tisdall|first=Nigel|publisher=Thomas Cook Publishing|date=2003|isbn=9781841573274|page=6|work=Reference to Puig Major and its height above sea level}} As this is a military zone, the neighbouring peak at Puig de Massanella is the highest accessible peak at {{convert|1364|m|0|abbr=on}}. The northeast coast comprises two bays: the Badia de Pollença and the larger Badia d'Alcúdia.

The northern coast is rugged and has many cliffs. The central zone, extending from Palma, is a generally flat, fertile plain known as Es Pla. The island has a variety of caves both above and below the sea – two of the caves, the above sea level Coves dels Hams and the Coves del Drach, also contain underground lakes and are open to tours. Both are located near the eastern coastal town of Porto Cristo. Small uninhabited islands lie off the southern and western coasts; the Cabrera Archipelago is administratively grouped with Mallorca (in the municipality of Palma), while Dragonara is administratively included in the municipality of Andratx. Other notable areas include the Alfabia Mountains, Es Cornadors and Cap de Formentor. The Cap de Formentor is one of the places where the tourists can enjoy the pleasure of its beach which is golden and very thin.{{cite web |title=Las playas menos famosas de la isla de Mallorca |url=https://www.vipealo.com/blog/las-playas-de-mallorca-menos-conocidas/ |website=Vipealo |date=3 December 2020 |access-date=3 December 2020 |archive-date=15 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815100144/https://www.vipealo.com/blog/las-playas-de-mallorca-menos-conocidas/ |url-status=live }}

The Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1371 |title=Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana – UNESCO World Heritage Centre |website=Unesco |date=27 June 2011 |access-date=26 March 2013 |archive-date=13 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513001241/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1371 |url-status=live }}

File:Mapa camarques2.jpg

File:Mallorca2021OSM.png

The island (including the small offshore islands of Cabrera and Dragonera) is administratively divided into 53 municipalities. The areas and populations of the municipalities (according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Spain) are:

File:Karte Serra de Tramuntana 2022.png|Serra de Tramuntana

File:Karte Raiguer 2022.png|Raiguer

File:Karte Pla de Mallorca 2022.png|Pla de Mallorca

File:Karte Llevant 2022.png|Llevant

File:Karte Migjorn 2022.png|Migjorn

File:Karte Palma 2022.png|Palma

Mallorca is the most populous island in the Balearic Islands and the second most populous island in Spain, after Tenerife,{{cite web |title=Real Decreto 1458/2018, de 14 de diciembre, por el que se declaran oficiales las cifras de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal referidas al 1 de enero de 2018 |language=es |trans-title=Royal Decree 1458/2018, of 14 December, by which the population numbers resulting from the review of the municipal register as of 01 January 2018 are declared official |url=https://boe.es/boe/dias/2018/12/29/pdfs/BOE-A-2018-18083.pdf |year=2018 |publisher=Ministerio de Economía y Empresa |access-date=18 July 2019 |archive-date=30 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230030249/https://boe.es/boe/dias/2018/12/29/pdfs/BOE-A-2018-18083.pdf |url-status=live }} in the Canary Islands, being also the fourth most populous island in the Mediterranean after Sicily, Sardinia and Cyprus.[https://es.ripleybelieves.com/most-populated-islands-in-mediterranean-sea-9649 Mallorca, cuarta isla más poblada del Mediterráneo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901121102/https://es.ripleybelieves.com/most-populated-islands-in-mediterranean-sea-9649 |date=1 September 2019 }}, ver 1 January 2016 It had a Census population of 920,605 inhabitants at the start of 2021,Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Madrid, 2021. and an official estimate of 940,332 at the start of 2023.Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Madrid, 2023.

File:Cala Llombards 04.jpg

File:0.5. Mar Mediterrània - Serra de Tramuntana. Torrent de Pareis. (Escorca, Mallorca).jpg (Serra de Tramuntana).]]

Since the 1950s, Mallorca has become a major tourist destination, and the tourism business has become the main source of revenue for the island.{{cite book|title=Landslide Science and Practice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yea9BAAAQBAJ|volume=7: Social and Economic Impact and Policies|first1=Claudio|last1=Margottini|first2=Paolo|last2=Canuti|first3=Kyoji|last3=Sassa|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|year=2013|isbn=9783642313134|page=105|access-date=9 April 2018|archive-date=25 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025182533/https://books.google.com/books?id=Yea9BAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}

The island's popularity as a tourist destination has steadily grown since the 1950s, with many artists and academics choosing to visit and live on the island. The number of visitors to Mallorca continued to increase with holiday makers in the 1970s approaching 3 million a year. In 2010 over 6 million visitors came to Mallorca. In 2013, Mallorca was visited by nearly 9.5 million tourists, and the Balearic Islands as a whole reached 13 million tourists.{{cite web |url=http://www.ibestat.cat/ibestat/estadistiques/per-territori/1/ef88f7cf-8e0b-44e0-b897-85c2f85775ec/es/I208002_3001.px |title=Flujo de turistas (FRONTUR) |date=2014 |website=ibestat.cat |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230143103/http://www.ibestat.cat/ibestat/estadistiques/per-territori/1/ef88f7cf-8e0b-44e0-b897-85c2f85775ec/es/I208002_3001.px |archive-date=30 December 2014}} In 2017, ten million tourists visited the island.{{Cite web|url=https://www.interregeurope.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/tx_tevprojects/library/file_1508251726.pdf|title=BALEARIC ISLANDS REGIONAL CONTEXT SURVEY|last=Balearic Islands Tourism Board|date=24 July 2017|access-date=20 November 2019|archive-date=21 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721052646/https://www.interregeurope.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/tx_tevprojects/library/file_1508251726.pdf|url-status=live}} The rapid growth of the tourism industry has led to some locals protesting the effects of mass tourism on the island.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cntraveler.com/story/mallorca-protests-the-spanish-island-telling-tourists-to-stay-home|title=Spanish Island Tells Tourists to Stay Home|last=Florio|first=Erin|website=Condé Nast Traveler|date=19 July 2018|language=en|access-date=20 November 2019|archive-date=15 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215142841/https://www.cntraveler.com/story/mallorca-protests-the-spanish-island-telling-tourists-to-stay-home|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://cafebabel.com/en/article/mass-tourism-in-mallorca-trouble-in-paradise-5ae00bf4f723b35a145e8195/|title=Mass tourism in Mallorca: Trouble in paradise|last=Yoeli-Rimmer|first=Orr|website=Cafébabel|date=31 October 2017|language=en|access-date=20 November 2019|archive-date=21 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421054638/https://cafebabel.com/en/article/mass-tourism-in-mallorca-trouble-in-paradise-5ae00bf4f723b35a145e8195/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/mallorca-aims-for-refined-cocktails-not-party-tourism/a-48369234|title=Mallorca aims for refined cocktails, not party tourism {{!}} DW {{!}} 18 April 2019|website=DW.COM|language=en-GB|access-date=20 November 2019|archive-date=14 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614145629/https://www.dw.com/en/mallorca-aims-for-refined-cocktails-not-party-tourism/a-48369234|url-status=live}}

Mallorca has been jokingly referred to as the 17th Federal State of Germany, due to the high number of German tourists,{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/reise/europa/100-jahre-mallorca-tourismus-das-17-deutsche-bundesland-a-362532.html |title=100 Jahre Mallorca-Tourismus: Das 17. deutsche Bundesland |work=Spiegel Online |date=29 June 2005 |trans-title=100 Years Majorca Tourism: The 17th German Federal State |language=de |access-date=29 December 2014 |archive-date=18 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018153433/http://www.spiegel.de/reise/europa/100-jahre-mallorca-tourismus-das-17-deutsche-bundesland-a-362532.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |author=Emilio Rappold |date=29 July 2014 |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.de/2014/07/29/mallorca-17-bundesland_n_5629329.html |title=Mallorca ist das 17. Bundesland |language=de |trans-title=Mallorca is the 17th federal state |website=HuffingtonPost.de |access-date=29 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151206191518/http://www.huffingtonpost.de/2014/07/29/mallorca-17-bundesland_n_5629329.html |archive-date=6 December 2015 |url-status=dead }} although people from the island reject this label and deem it "an insult".{{Cite web |last=Martín |first=Mercedes Rodríguez |date=2024-07-26 |title=Los lemas antituristas en el "paraíso" de Mallorca resuenan en Alemania: "Vuelos asesinos" |url=https://www.libremercado.com/2024-07-26/los-lemas-antituristas-en-el-paraiso-de-mallorca-resuenan-en-alemania-vuelos-asesinos-7150537/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=Libre Mercado |language=es-ES}}

Due to a high number of expats choosing to settle down in the area, Mallorca has recently also become a business hub economy of its own, due to a high number of particularly foreign enterprises choosing to either relocate, or expand, to the island.

Attempts to build illegally caused a scandal in 2006 in Port Andratx that the newspaper El País named "caso Andratx".{{cite news |title=La investigación del 'caso Andratx' descubre un 'pelotazo' de 10 millones en suelo rústico |language=es |url=http://elpais.com/diario/2006/11/30/espana/1164841216_850215.html |access-date=1 July 2015 |work=El País |trans-title=The investigation of the 'Andratx case' discovers a 'pelotazo' of 10 million on the ground |date=30 November 2006 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304050328/http://elpais.com/diario/2006/11/30/espana/1164841216_850215.html |url-status=live }} A main reason for illegal building permits, corruption and black market construction is that communities have few ways to finance themselves other than through permits.{{cite web |author1=Johannes Höflich, Jo Angerer |title=Bedrohte Paradiese (2/3): Mallorca und die Balearen – Ferienparadies am Abgrund |trans-title=Threatened Paradises (2/3): Majorca and the Balearic Islands – holiday paradise on the brink |url=http://presse.phoenix.de/dokumentationen/2011/02/20110207_Bedrohte_Paradiese_2/20110207_Bedrohte_Paradiese_2_Mallorca.phtml |website=phoenix |publisher=WDR |access-date=1 July 2015 |language=de |format=documentary |date=2010 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304130027/http://presse.phoenix.de/dokumentationen/2011/02/20110207_Bedrohte_Paradiese_2/20110207_Bedrohte_Paradiese_2_Mallorca.phtml |url-status=live }} The former mayor was incarcerated in 2009 after being prosecuted for taking bribes to permit illegal house building.{{cite news |title=El ex alcalde de Andratx y un ex director general entran en prisión |url=http://elpais.com/diario/2009/12/29/espana/1262041201_850215.html |access-date=1 July 2015 |work=El País |language=es |author=Andreu Manresa |trans-title=The former mayor of Andratx and a former director general enter a rustic prison |date=29 December 2009 |archive-date=28 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028005519/http://elpais.com/diario/2009/12/29/espana/1262041201_850215.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |author1=Patrick Sawer |title=Scott gives evidence in holiday homes affair |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/4743639/Scott-gives-evidence-in-holiday-homes-affair.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/4743639/Scott-gives-evidence-in-holiday-homes-affair.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=1 July 2015 |work=Telegraph |date=21 February 2009}}{{cbignore}}

Data from Institute of Statistics of Balearic Islands{{cite web|title=Turistas con destino principal las Illes Balears por periodo, isla y país de residencia|trans-title=Tourists with the Balearic Islands as their main destination by period, island and country of residence|language=es|url=http://www.ibestat.cat/ibestat/estadistiques/per-territori/1/ef88f7cf-8e0b-44e0-b897-85c2f85775ec/es/I208002_3001.px|publisher=Institut d'Estadistica de les Illes Balears|access-date=8 September 2017|archive-date=30 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230143103/http://www.ibestat.cat/ibestat/estadistiques/per-territori/1/ef88f7cf-8e0b-44e0-b897-85c2f85775ec/es/I208002_3001.px|url-status=live}}

File:Official Emblem of the Mallorca Island Council.svg

{{See also|Government of Marga Prohens}}

The Balearic Islands, of which Mallorca forms part, are one of the autonomous communities of Spain. As a whole, they are currently governed by the People's Party of the Balearic Islands (PP), with Marga Prohens as their President.{{cite journal |publisher=Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado |journal=Boletín Oficial del Estado |issue=161 |date=7 July 2023 |language=es |title=Real Decreto 603/2023, de 6 de julio, por el que se nombra Presidenta de las Illes Balears a doña Margarita Prohens Rigo |url=https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2023/07/07/pdfs/BOE-A-2023-15738.pdf |issn=0212-033X |page=96063 |access-date=29 September 2023 |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707165137/https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2023/07/07/pdfs/BOE-A-2023-15738.pdf |url-status=live }}

The specific government institution for the island is the {{ill|Insular Council of Mallorca|ca|Consell Insular de Mallorca}} commonly known as Council of Mallorca, created in 1978.{{Cite journal|title=Consejos insulares y diputaciones provinciales|first=Avelino|last=Blasco Esteve|journal=Documentación Administrativa|issue=3|year=2016|publisher=Instituto Nacional de Administración Pública|issn=1989-8983|location=Madrid|doi=10.24965/da.v0i3.10371|url=https://revistasonline.inap.es/index.php/DA/article/view/10371/10977|doi-access=free|access-date=20 July 2020|archive-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720103855/https://revistasonline.inap.es/index.php/DA/article/view/10371/10977|url-status=live}}

It is responsible for culture, roads, railways (see Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca) and municipal administration. As of September 2023, {{ill|Llorenç Galmés|es}} (PP) serves as president of the Insular Council.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cope.es/actualidad/espana/noticias/llorenc-galmes-nuevo-presidente-del-consell-mallorca-coalicion-con-vox-20230708_2804085 |title=Llorenç Galmés (PP), nuevo presidente del Consell de Mallorca en coalición con Vox |date=8 July 2023 |access-date=29 September 2023 |archive-date=15 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715015424/https://www.cope.es/actualidad/espana/noticias/llorenc-galmes-nuevo-presidente-del-consell-mallorca-coalicion-con-vox-20230708_2804085 |url-status=live }}

Elections are held every four years concurrently with local elections. From 1983 to 2007, councilors were indirectly elected from the results of the election to Parliament of the Balearic Islands for the constituency of Mallorca. Since 2007, however, separate direct elections are held to elect the Council.

| Jeroni Albertí (UCD) {{small|(1979-1982)}}

| rowspan="2" style="background:{{party color|Union of the Democratic Centre (Spain)}};"|

|-

| {{ill|Maximilià Morales|ca|Maximilià Morales Gómez|es|Maximiliano Morales}} (UCD) {{small|(1982-1983)}}

|-

| align=center|1983

|

| Jeroni Albertí (UM)

| style="background:{{party color|Majorcan Union}};"|

|-

| align=center|1987

|

| rowspan="2" | {{ill|Joan Verger|ca|Joan Verger Pocoví|es}} (PP)

| rowspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's Party of the Balearic Islands}};"|

|-

| align=center|1991

|

|-

| align=center|1995

|

| rowspan="3" | {{ill|Maria Antònia Munar|ca|Maria Antònia Munar i Riutort|es}} (UM)

| rowspan="3" style="background:{{party color|Majorcan Union}};"|

|-

| align=center|1999

|

|-

| align=center|2003

|

|-

| align=center|2007

|

| Francina Armengol (PSIB–PSOE)

| style="background:{{party color|Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands}};"|

|-

| align=center|2011

|

| {{ill|Maria Salom|ca|Maria Salom Coll|es}} (PP)

| style="background:{{party color|People's Party of the Balearic Islands}};"|

|-

| align=center|2015

|

| Miquel Ensenyat (MÉS)

| style="background:{{party color|Més per Mallorca}};"|

|-

| align=center|2019

|

| {{ill|Catalina Cladera|ca|Catalina Cladera Crespí|es}} (PSIB–PSOE)

| style="background:{{party color|Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands}};"|

|-

| align=center|2023

|

| {{ill|Llorenç Galmés|ca|Llorenç Galmés Verger|es}} (PP)

| style="background:{{party color|People's Party of the Balearic Islands}};"|

|}

File:192 Monument a l'arxiduc Lluís Salvador, jardins de la Cartoixa (Valldemossa).jpg

Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria ({{langx|ca|Arxiduc Lluís Salvador}}) was a pioneer of tourism in the Balearic Islands. He first arrived on the island in 1867, travelling under his title "Count of Neuendorf". He later settled in Mallorca, buying up wild areas of land in order to preserve and enjoy them. Nowadays, a number of hiking routes are named after him.{{cite web |url=http://www.mallorcaaventura.com/mallorca-trekking/article/cami-de-l-arxiduc |title=Camí de l'Arxiduc |language=ca |trans-title=Path of the Archduke |website=Mallorca Aventura |access-date=28 September 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130128030528/http://www.mallorcaaventura.com/mallorca-trekking/article/cami-de-l-arxiduc |archive-date=28 January 2013 |url-status=dead }}

Ludwig Salvator loved the island of Mallorca. He became fluent in Catalan, carried out research into the island's flora and fauna, history, and culture to produce his main work, Die Balearen, a comprehensive collection of books about the Balearic Islands, consisting of 7 volumes. It took him 22 years to complete.{{cite web |url=http://www.ludwig-salvator.com/balearen.htm |title=Die Balearen in Wort und Bild |language=de |trans-title=The Balearic Islands in words and pictures |access-date=29 December 2014 |archive-date=29 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229203000/http://www.ludwig-salvator.com/balearen.htm |url-status=live }}

Nowadays, several streets or buildings on the island are named after him (i.e., Arxiduc Lluís Salvador).

File:Fryderyk Chopin Valldemosa.jpg, Mallorca]]

The Polish composer and pianist Frédéric Chopin, together with French writer Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin (pseudonym: George Sand), resided in Valldemossa in the winter of 1838–39. Apparently, Chopin's health had already deteriorated and his doctor recommended that he go to the Balearic Islands to recuperate, where he still spent a rather miserable winter.{{cite web |author=Nigel Tisdall |website=Travel |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/spain/majorca/6905136/Majorca-sun-sand-and-Chopin.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/spain/majorca/6905136/Majorca-sun-sand-and-Chopin.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Majorca: sun, sand and Chopin |date=29 December 2009 |access-date=29 December 2014}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/george-sands-mallorca-a-hilltop-escape-that-dazzles-ndash-but-wrap-up-warm-2202358.html |title=George Sand's Mallorca |website=Independent |date=5 February 2011 |author=Mary Ann Sieghart |access-date=29 December 2014 |archive-date=17 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417000044/http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/george-sands-mallorca-a-hilltop-escape-that-dazzles-ndash-but-wrap-up-warm-2202358.html |url-status=live }}

Nonetheless, his time in Mallorca was a productive period for Chopin. He managed to finish the Preludes, Op. 28, that he started writing in 1835. He was also able to undertake work on his Ballade No. 2, Op. 38; two Polonaises, Op. 40; and the Scherzo No. 3, Op. 39.Zamoyski (2010), p. 168 (loc. 2646).

French writer Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin (pseudonym: George Sand), at that time in a relationship with Chopin, described her stay in Mallorca in A Winter in Majorca, published in 1855. Other famous writers used Mallorca as the setting for their works. While on the island, the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío started writing the novel El oro de Mallorca, and wrote several poems, such as La isla de oro.{{cite web |url=http://cvc.cervantes.es/literatura/aih/pdf/03/aih_03_1_079.pdf |title=Rubén Darío en Mallorca |language=es |website=Centro Virtual Cervantes |access-date=30 December 2014 |archive-date=30 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230134125/http://cvc.cervantes.es/literatura/aih/pdf/03/aih_03_1_079.pdf |url-status=live }}

The poet Miquel Costa i Llobera wrote in 1875 his famous ode, the Pine of Formentor, as well as other poems concerning old Mallorcan traditions and fantasies. Many of the works of Baltasar Porcel take place in Mallorca.

File:Pollenca, lápida casa natal Miquel Costa I LLobera.jpg]]

Agatha Christie visited the island in the early 20th century and stayed in Palma and Port de Pollença.{{cite web |url=http://www.illesbalears.es/ing/majorca/home2.jsp?SEC=HOM&lang=0004&id=00002046 |title=Agatha Christie: inspired by Mallorca – Illes Balears |publisher=Govern de les Illes Balears |access-date=30 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230143751/http://www.illesbalears.es/ing/majorca/home2.jsp?SEC=HOM&lang=0004&id=00002046 |archive-date=30 December 2014}} She would later write the book Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories, a collection of short stories, of which the first one takes place in Port de Pollença, starring Parker Pyne.

Jorge Luis Borges visited Mallorca twice, accompanied by his family.{{cite web|url=http://balearsculturaltour.net/sabiasque_det.php?idioma=en&id=41&cod=103|title=Jorge Luis Borges and Mallorca|website=Balearsculturaltour|access-date=28 September 2017|archive-date=28 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928005316/http://balearsculturaltour.net/sabiasque_det.php?idioma=en&id=41&cod=103|url-status=live}} He published his poems La estrella (1920) and Catedral (1921) in the regional magazine Baleares.{{cite web |publisher=Argentine Cultural Ephemerides |url=http://www.me.gov.ar/efeme/jlborges/revistas.html |title=Jorge Luis Borges — Revistas y Diarios |language=es |trans-title=Jorge Luis Borges — Journals and Diaries |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230193948/http://www.me.gov.ar/efeme/jlborges/revistas.html |archive-date=30 December 2014}} The latter poem shows his admiration for the monumental Cathedral of Palma.{{cite web |url=http://cvc.cervantes.es/actcult/borges/espaarge/02e2.htm |title=Borges y España — Mallorca en Borges |language=es |trans-title=Borges and Spain — Mallorca in Borges |website=Centro Virtual Cervantes |author=Carlos Meneses |access-date=28 September 2017 |archive-date=2 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502071226/http://cvc.cervantes.es/actcult/borges/espaarge/02e2.htm |url-status=live }}

Nobel Prize winner Camilo José Cela came to Mallorca in 1954, visiting Pollença, and then moving to Palma, where he settled permanently.{{cite magazine |language=es |trans-title=Captives on the island: In the death of Camilo José Cela |url=http://www.elcultural.com/revista/especial/Cautivos-en-la-isla/21976 |title=Cautivos en la isla: En la muerte de Camilo José Cela |author=José Carlos Llop |date=17 January 2002 |magazine=EL Cultural |access-date=3 January 2017 |archive-date=4 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104162423/http://www.elcultural.com/revista/especial/Cautivos-en-la-isla/21976 |url-status=live }} In 1956, Cela founded the magazine Papeles de Son Armadans.{{cite web |url=http://www.papelesdesonarmadans.com/Revista.htm |title=El nacimiento de Papeles de Son Armadans |language=es |trans-title=The birth of Papeles de Son Armadans |website=Papeles de Son Armadans |access-date=28 September 2017 |archive-date=18 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518153432/http://www.papelesdesonarmadans.com/Revista.htm |url-status=dead }} He is also credited as founder of Alfaguara.

File:Lápida Robert Graves.jpg

The English writer and poet Robert Graves moved to Mallorca with his family in 1946. The house is now a museum. He died in 1985 and was buried in the small churchyard on a hill at Deià.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/oct/27/robert-graves-simon-gough-go-between|title='I didn't just bury the past, I buried it alive'|first=Patrick|last=Barkham|date=27 October 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=10 October 2018|archive-date=10 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010213505/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/oct/27/robert-graves-simon-gough-go-between|url-status=live}} Ira Levin set part of his dystopian novel This Perfect Day in Mallorca, making the island a centre of resistance in a world otherwise dominated by a computer.

The Ball dels Cossiers is the island's traditional dance. It is believed to have been imported from Catalonia in the 13th or 14th century, after the Aragonese conquest of the island under King Jaime I.{{cite web|title=Ritual made dance: the Ball dels Cossiers|url=http://www.illesbalears.travel/article/en/mallorca/ritual-made-dance-the-ball-dels-cossiers|website=Illes Balears|access-date=6 April 2018|archive-date=6 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406230949/http://www.illesbalears.travel/article/en/mallorca/ritual-made-dance-the-ball-dels-cossiers|url-status=live}} In the dance, three pairs of dancers, who are typically male, defend a "Lady," who is played by a man or a woman, from a demon or devil. Another Mallorcan dance is Correfoc, an elaborate festival of dance and pyrotechnics that is also of Catalan origin. The island's folk music strongly resembles that of Catalonia, and is centered around traditional instruments like the xeremies (bagpipe) and guitarra de canya (a reed or bone xylophone-like instrument suspended from the neck).{{cite web|title=Traditional music and dance in Mallorca|url=https://www.myguidemallorca.com/regionalinfo/traditional-music-and-dance-in-mallorca|website=My Guide Mallorca|access-date=6 April 2018|date=9 September 2016|archive-date=1 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001090732/https://www.myguidemallorca.com/regionalinfo/traditional-music-and-dance-in-mallorca|url-status=live}} While folk music is still played and enjoyed by many on the island, a number of other musical traditions have become popular in Mallorca in the 21st century, including electronic dance music, classical music, and jazz, all of which have annual festivals on the island.{{cite web|title=Music Scene in Mallorca|url=https://www.seemallorca.com/music/guide|website=See Majorca|access-date=6 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626221158/https://www.seemallorca.com/music/guide|archive-date=26 June 2017|url-status=dead}}

Joan Miró, a Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist, had close ties to the island throughout his life. He married Pilar Juncosa in Palma in 1929 and settled permanently in Mallorca in 1954.{{cite web |language=es |url=http://miro.palmademallorca.es/pagina.php?Cod_fam=3 |website=Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró a Mallorca |title=Joan Miró en Mallorca |access-date=4 November 2012 |archive-date=1 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101233035/http://miro.palmademallorca.es/pagina.php?Cod_fam=3 |url-status=live }} The Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró in Mallorca has a collection of his works. Es Baluard in Palma is a museum of modern and contemporary art which exhibits the work of Balearic artists and artists related to the Balearic Islands.

The Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival is the fastest growing Mediterranean film festival and has taken place annually every November since 2011, attracting filmmakers, producers, and directors globally. It is hosted at the Teatro Principal in Palma de Mallorca.{{cite web |website=abcMallorca |url=http://www.abc-mallorca.com/film-festival-mallorca/ |title=Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival |access-date=10 October 2015 |archive-date=7 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107234034/http://www.abc-mallorca.com/film-festival-mallorca/ |url-status=live }}{{better source needed|date=October 2015}}

{{Main|Majorcan cartographic school}}

File:Majorca and Minorca by Piri Reis.jpg admiral Piri Reis]]

Mallorca has a long history of seafaring. The Majorcan cartographic school or the "Catalan school" refers to a collection of cartographers, cosmographers, and navigational instrument makers who flourished in Mallorca and partly in mainland Catalonia in the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. Mallorcan cosmographers and cartographers developed breakthroughs in cartographic techniques, namely the "normal portolan chart", which was fine-tuned for navigational use and the plotting by compass of navigational routes, prerequisites for the discovery of the New World.

File:Ensaimada.JPG, a type of Mallorcan pastry]]

In 2005, there were over 2,400 restaurants on the island of Mallorca according to the Mallorcan Tourist Board, ranging from small bars to full restaurants.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}} Olives and almonds are typical of the Mallorcan diet. Among the foods that are typical from Mallorca are sobrassada, arròs brut (saffron rice cooked with chicken, pork and vegetables), and the sweet pastry ensaïmada. Also Pa amb oli is a popular dish.{{cite web|url=http://www.infomallorca.net/?te=sec&e=16983|title=Restaurants|publisher=Consell de Mallorca|website=Infomallorca|access-date=15 September 2018|archive-date=25 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025182634/https://www.mallorca.es/ca/?te=sec&e=16983|url-status=live}}

Herbs de Majorca is a herbal liqueur.

The two official languages of Mallorca are Catalan and Spanish,Article 4 of the {{cite web|year=2007|title=Estatut d'autonomia de les Illes Balears|trans-title=Statute of Autonomy of the Balearic Islands|url=http://web.parlamentib.es/RecursosWeb/DOCS/EstatutAutonomiaIB.pdf|language=ca|quote=Catalan language, Balearic Islands' own language, will have, together with the Spanish language, the character of official language.|access-date=10 June 2014|archive-date=30 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530180759/http://web.parlamentib.es/RecursosWeb/DOCS/EstatutAutonomiaIB.pdf|url-status=live}} a dialect of the former being the indigenous language of Mallorca.{{Cite journal|last1=Bruyèl-Olmedo|first1=Antonio|last2=Juan-Garau|first2=Maria|date=19 September 2015|title=Minority languages in the linguistic landscape of tourism: the case of Catalan in Mallorca|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01434632.2014.979832|journal=Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development|language=en|volume=36|issue=6|pages=598–619|doi=10.1080/01434632.2014.979832|s2cid=145220830|issn=0143-4632|access-date=17 February 2022|archive-date=2 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802105812/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01434632.2014.979832|url-status=live}} The local dialect of Catalan spoken in the island is Mallorquí, with slightly different variants in most villages. Education is bilingual in Catalan and Spanish, with some teaching of English.{{cite web|url=https://www.majorcanvillas.com/majorcainfo-history.asp|title=History of Majorca|website=Majorcan Villas|access-date=15 September 2018|archive-date=15 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915192418/https://www.majorcanvillas.com/majorcainfo-history.asp|url-status=live}}

In 2012, the then-governing People's Party announced its intention to end preferential treatment for Catalan in the island's schools to bring parity to the two languages of the island. It was said that this could lead Mallorcan Catalan to become extinct in the fairly near future, as it was being used in a situation of diglossia in favour of the Spanish language.{{cite news |author=Andreu Manresa |work=El País |language=es |url=https://politica.elpais.com/politica/2012/07/17/actualidad/1342553811_770801.html |title=El PP recorta el peso oficial del catalán en Baleares |trans-title=The PP reduces the official standing of Catalan in the Balearic Islands |date=17 July 2012 |access-date=26 March 2013 |archive-date=26 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526214633/http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2012/07/17/actualidad/1342553811_770801.html |url-status=live }} However, following a May 2015 election that swept a pro-Catalan party into power, this policy was dropped.{{cite news |url=https://politica.elpais.com/politica/2015/07/03/actualidad/1435944987_524900.html |title=La izquierda de Baleares "entierra" el trilingüismo y potencia el catalán |language=es |work=El País |trans-title=The left of the Balearic Islands "buries" trilingualism and promotes Catalan |date=3 July 2015 |author=Andreu Manresa |access-date=12 September 2017 |archive-date=22 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922090355/https://politica.elpais.com/politica/2015/07/03/actualidad/1435944987_524900.html |url-status=live }}

{{Commons category|Transport in Mallorca}}

File:Spain Mallorca Island Railway Network.png

File:BadiaExpressCalaMillor.JPG

• Palma de Mallorca Airport
• Mallorca rail network
• Palma de Mallorca Metro
• Ferrocarril de Sóller
• [http://www.tib.org/en/web/ctm/inici Mallorca bus system (TIB)]

A trackless train is in operation in several tourist areas.{{cite web | url=https://www.alcudia-boat-rental.com/mallorca_boat_hire/ | title=Rent a boat mallorca guide | access-date=20 September 2020 | archive-date=23 September 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923095413/https://www.alcudia-boat-rental.com/mallorca_boat_hire/ | url-status=live }} Thursday, 10 September 2020

There are approximately 79 ferries between Mallorca and other destinations every week, most of them to mainland Spain.

• Baleària
• to the Balearic Islands from Dénia, Valencia and Barcelona
• Trasmediterránea
• Mainland-Baleares: regular lines, in both directions, from:
• Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and Mahón.
• Valencia to Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and Mahón.
• Gandia to Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza.

One of Europe's most popular cycling destinations, [https://www.cyclefiesta.com/multimedia/articles/mallorca-best-cycling-routes.htm Mallorca cycling routes] such as the popular 24 km cycle track (segregated cycle lane) which runs between Porto Cristo and Cala Bona via Sa Coma and Cala Millor are must rides.

File:Ars Magna de Ramon Llull.jpg

Some of the earliest famous Mallorcans lived on the island before its reconquest from the Moors. Famous Mallorcans include:

• Ramon Llull, a medieval friar, writer and philosopher, who wrote the first major work of Catalan Literature;
• Al-Humaydī, Moorish historian, born on the island in 1029.
• Abraham Cresques, a 14th-century Jewish cartographer of the Majorcan cartographic school from Palma, believed to be the author of the Catalan Atlas;
• Catalina Tomas, 16th-century canoness and mystic, one of the patron saints of the island
• Junípero Serra, the Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California in 1769.
• Miquel Costa i Llobera, a famous Mallorcan poet, who wrote The Pine of Formentor.
• Joaquín Jovellar y Soler, 19th century military commander.
• Antonio Maura, two-time Spanish Prime Minister during the reign of King Alfonso XIII.
• Robert Graves, English writer and poet who lived for many years in Mallorca, buried in a small churchyard on a hill at Deià
• Joan Daurer, painter active between 1358-1374.

{{more citations needed section|date=August 2015}}

• Eaktay Ahn (1906–1965), founder of the Balearic Symphony Orchestra and composer of the Korean national anthem, lived in Mallorca from 1946 until his death in 1965.{{Cite web|url=http://www.illesbalears.es/ing/majorca/history2.jsp|title=Mallorca|website=www.illesbalears.es|access-date=15 May 2016|archive-date=8 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008083452/http://www.illesbalears.es/ing/majorca/history2.jsp|url-status=live}}
• Jeffrey Archer, English novelist, owns a villa in Mallorca{{cite news|title=It's Archer's best plot yet|url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/england/london-travel/its-archers-best-plot-yet-2sbkkmxlrtd|work=The Sunday Times|date=31 October 2010|author=Emma Wells|access-date=26 October 2017|archive-date=26 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026163910/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/its-archers-best-plot-yet-2sbkkmxlrtd|url-status=live}}
• Marco Asensio, Spanish footballer, former Real Madrid player and currently at Paris Saint-Germain, was born in Palma, Mallorca.
• Miquel Barceló, contemporary painter, created sculptures in Palma Cathedral.
• Concha Buika, contemporary flamenco singer. Concha Buika was born on 11 May 1972, in Palma de Mallorca.
• Jean Batten, the New Zealand aviator, died in Mallorca in 1982.
• Conor Benn, British professional boxer, spent twelve years of his childhood living in Mallorca.{{Cite web|date=9 April 2021|title=Watch as Conor Benn speaks fluent Spanish to trash talk opponent in face-off|url=https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/862543/conor-benn-spanish-samuel-vargas/|access-date=12 June 2021|website=talkSPORT|language=en-US|archive-date=12 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612024242/https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/862543/conor-benn-spanish-samuel-vargas/|url-status=live}}
• Nigel Benn, former British professional boxer who moved with his family to Mallorca following the conclusion of his boxing career.{{Cite news|last=Machell|first=Ben|title=Boxer Conor Benn: why I've followed my father, Nigel, into the ring|newspaper=The Times|language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/conor-benn-interview-the-boxer-on-following-nigel-benn-his-father-into-the-ring-pb9jb0dfh|access-date=12 June 2021|issn=0140-0460|archive-date=12 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612002408/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/conor-benn-interview-the-boxer-on-following-nigel-benn-his-father-into-the-ring-pb9jb0dfh|url-status=live}}
• Maria del Mar Bonet, musician, member of the Catalan language group Els Setze Jutges in the 1960s with brother Joan Ramon Bonet.
• Samuel Bouriah, better known as DJ Sammy, dance artist and producer.
• Faye Emerson and Anne Lindsay Clark, divorcees of Elliott Roosevelt and John Aspinwall Roosevelt (US Officials and sons of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) respectively, retired to Mallorca in 1965. Emerson died in Deià in 1983.
• Sheila Ferguson, resident, a former member of the Three Degrees.
• Rudy Fernández basketball player.
• Curt Flood, baseball player, purchased a bar in Palma, Majorca after leaving the Washington Senators in 1971.
• Antònia Font, contemporary pop band in the Mallorcan dialect of Catalan.
• Toni Kroos, footballer for Real Madrid and Germany national football team.
• Cynthia Lennon (1939–2015), former wife of John Lennon, lived and died in Mallorca.
• Jorge Lorenzo professional motorcycle road racer, won the world 250cc Grand Prix motorcycle title in 2006 and 2007, and the 2010, 2012 & 2015 MotoGP World Championships.
• Colm Meaney, Irish actor, resides in the town of Sóller.
• Mads Mikkelsen, Danish actor, purchased a vacation home in Mallorca, where he spends most of his time.{{Cite web |date=12 December 2018 |title=Mads Mikkelsen: A Great Dane |url=https://www.helencummins.com/mads-mikkelsen-actor/ |access-date=26 March 2022 |website=Living in Mallorca |language=en-US |archive-date=30 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930141449/https://www.helencummins.com/mads-mikkelsen-actor/ |url-status=live }}
• Joan Mir, professional motorcycle road racer and 2020 MotoGP World Champion.
• Carlos Moyá, former world No.1 tennis player and coach of Rafael Nadal.
• Xisco Muñoz, former footballer and coach (FC Dinamo Tbilisi, Watford F.C), was born in Manacor.
• Rafael Nadal, 22-time major champion and former world No. 1 tennis player, lives in Manacor.
• Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal's uncle and his former coach.
• Miguel Ángel Nadal, Rafael Nadal's uncle, former FC Barcelona and Spanish international footballer.
• John Noakes, former British TV presenter, lived in Andratx.
• Jean Emile Oosterlynck, the Flemish painter, lived in Mallorca from 1979 until his death in 1996.
• Hana Soukupova, supermodel, owns a villa in Mallorca.
• José María Sicilia, painter, resides in the town of Sóller.
• Jørn Utzon, an architect best known for designing the Sydney Opera House, designed and built two houses in Mallorca, Can Lis and Can Feliz.
• Agustí Villaronga (born 1953), filmmaker, born in Palma.

File:Cathedral palma mallorca spain 2007 08 15.jpg|La Seu, Palma Cathedral

File:Castillo de Bellver.jpg|Bellver Castle

File:PuigMajor5.jpg|Lakes Cúber and Gorg Blau, Serra de Tramuntana

File:Puig Major 21.jpg|Puig Major, highest peak in Mallorca

File:Valldemossa 2003.jpg|Valldemossa

File:Torrente_de_Pareis_from_boat_02.jpg|Sa Calobra, Escorca

File:Cap Formentor.jpg|Cap de Formentor

File:Porta Pollença Sunrise Bird.jpg|Sunrise across Pollensa Bay, Port de Pollença

File:Cap de ses Salines.jpg|Cap de Ses Salines

File:Spain mallorca cala agulla a.jpg|Cala Agulla, Capdepera

File:Mallorca schönste Strände Cala Amarador (30182046834).jpg|Aerial of Cala Amarador beach

File:Mallorca schönste Strände Westküste Bucht (30697030362).jpg|Aerial of Cala Llombards beach

Mallorca Palma Strand (30725674811).jpg|Platja de Palma beach

Mallorca Platja de Palma Strand (30178917243).jpg|Aerial of Platja de Palma beach

File:Vista parcial de Deià (3).jpg|Deià

File:Sa Foradada (Na Foradada).jpg|Sa Foradada

File:1. Port de Sóller (Mallorca).jpg|Port de Sóller

{{Portal|Spain}}

• Gymnesian Islands
• Observatorio Astronómico de Mallorca
• RCD Mallorca – local association football club

{{Notelist|30em}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://mallorca.com/ mallorca.com - all about Mallorca - weekly updated portal with information about regions, beaches, sights, the life & activities on the island]

{{Sister project links|Mallorca|voy=Mallorca}}

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