The Mallorca Calendar

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Jul 2009

Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands has a population of just under 1,000,000. Tourism is the main industry, with about 11,000,000 visitors a year. The capital is Palma de Mallorca, with a third of the population living there. With a mild climate in the winter, hot summers, beautiful scenery, beaches and great hotels, you can see why it is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world. To the northwest of the island is the Tramontana mountain range, giving rise to high cliffs, contrasting with the central plains and sandy beaches on the rest of Mallorca island. The tourist is well catered for with a variety of quality hotels, standard, basic hotels, through to hostels and camp sites. Similarly with food, all tastes are catered for, with luxury restaurants and fast food chains, international cuisine or local specialities, there is something for everyone on Mallorca.

The language is a Catalan dialect of Spanish, but as with most international destinations, English is spoken widelyon Mallorca. You will find the locals even more helpful if you attempt some basic Spanish! There are good communications, with extensive flights worldwide, plus ferries to the other islands, mainland Spain and France. There are many fiestas and celebrations throughout the year, worth checking out if you are there at the time.

With a wide selection of sporting facilities, water sports, museums, water parks, gardens and walks, you are spoilt for choice for activities, while you are soaking up the fantastic Mallorcan sun.

The resorts on Mallorca vary greatly from the clubbing towns with their emphasis on youth, through to the quieter family areas, pick your destination wisely!

facts

Area
3,640 sq km
1,405 sq miles

Population
741,000

Time Zone
GMT/UTC +1 ()

Languages
Spanish (official)

Catalan (other)

Currency
euro (€)

Electricity
220V 50 HzHz

Mallorca / Majorca

Majorca / Majorca History

Mallorca, inhabited since the Prehistoric Age, developed an important culture during the Bronze Age. In the year 123 BC Quinto Cecilio Metelo conquered the island for the Romans giving way to later invasions : the Vandals ( 468 ) the Byzantines ( 533 ) the Arabs ( 902 ).

In december 1229 the island was conquered by King James I of Aragon and repopulated by peopel of Catalan origin. With the succession of James II, the independent Kingdom of Mallorca was setup, and this went on to form part of the Crown of Aragon in the mid 14th Centure. After the War of Succession, the Kingdom of Mallorca disappeared, and the island lost all its privileges and exemptions ( 1715 ).

At the beginning of the 20th Centurythe island came under the dominion of Franco's troops ( 1936 ). In the 60s and still under dictatorship, the island began to experience the boom in tourism which has become one of the great driving forces behind its economic development today.

Mallorca in Figures

Population

The island of Majorca at present has 740,900 inhabitants which accounts for 80% of the Balearic islands. 16% of the population are forigners . The foreign population is not just English and Germans, but alsomany people from South American countries.

Language

The official languages are Castillano and Catalan. The version of Catalan which is spoken is Mallorquien which is difficult for even some Catalan speakers to understand. This traditional version is spoken mostly in the villages.

Hotels in Mallorca

There are over 1000 hotels in Majorca. These range from very traditional old hotels to modern holiday complexes and parks. The Hotels can be broken down into the following types: Modern beach hotels
Finca hotels
Superlux hotels
Agrotourismus hotels