Located in the western Mediterranean Sea, Mallorca is the largest island of the Balearic archipelago, a group of island that is considered to be among the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
The island is around 3,600 km2 and is home to more than 780,000 residents, half of who live in the island’s capital, the city of Palma de Mallorca. Tourist-wise however, numbers are dramatically higher, with Mallorca receiving more than 10 million tourists every year, all of who come searching for the island’s renowned 3 S’s: Sea, Sun and Sand.
Language and Life in Mallorca
Being a island that belongs to Spain, the official language of Mallorca is Spanish, although thanks to the huge amount of tourists that visit the island, it is very easy to find people (and many businesses as well) that also speak English, German and Irish.
Mallorca is also an extremely varied location, and doesn’t limit itself to offering just gorgeous beaches. Instead, the island offers several other attractions, such as resorts and small theme parks, as well as being home to some of the best cuisine to be found on the entire Spanish country.
The first traces of any kind of population in the Mallorca region date from as far back as the year 6,000 BC, with burial chambers from people from the Paleolithic period being found in the area. Several centuries afterwards, the region was occupied by the Romans, who flourished in the area and who founded the towns of Alcudia and Palma.
Then, in the year 534, the island was sacked and conquered by the Byzantine Empire, which instituted Christianity and started building churches across the island. This situation prevailed for a short time, after which a series of conflicts started that lasted for centuries. Then, in the 19th century, the island suffered a huge setback due to a disease that destroyed its vineyards, which were its major source of income at the time. This also caused a great migration of people from Mallorca that left towards the mainland.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Mallorca became a very strong player in the Spanish Civil War since it was one of the major Nationalist strongholds. This ended with the Battle of Mallorca that took place on the 12th of September of 1936 where Republicans were forced to leave the island.
The major break for Mallorca came in the second half of the 20th century, when it became a major tourist destination, going from just 500,000 tourists in 1960 to more than 10 million nowadays.
Weather in Mallorca is fairly representative of other Mediterranean locations, and it offers visitors a quite varied set of temperatures throughout the year, with more than 300 days full of sun in that period of time. Average temperatures on summer range from 24°C (75°F) to 28°C (82°F) which makes the beaches on Mallorca an ideal place for enjoying a vacation. The months of the year with more sun are July, August and September, with more than 11 hours of sun a day each. This is by far the busiest period for the island, since it is the most concurred.
However, even when the weather goes down on other months, the island is still incredibly comfortable and sports a mild and somewhat warm weather. For people who only prefer hot and sunny days however, the months to avoid are November, December and January, when temperatures can go as low as 4°C (39°F). Rainfall is almost non-existent on the island, although sometimes it occurs due to the existence of mountainous areas on the island, which bring along a higher concentration of rain clouds.
One of the major advantages of Mallorca is that is one of the easiest islands to get around in the whole archipelago despite its size. It also offers a great variety of transport methods for visitors to choose from. Here are some of them.
Boat – Being an island, Mallorca is very well connected to a series of locations by boat, with cruise and ferry services available all along its coast, connecting it with the rest of the islands of the archipelago, as well as with the Spanish mainland.
Bus – The bus network within Mallorca is the best around the rest of the archipelago, with buses readily available to connect both locals and visitors with all of the major towns and cities of the island. The city of Palma in Mallorca has a particularly intricate and helpful bus network that covers all of the city’s most important spots at very inexpensive prices.
Car Rental – Renting a car in Mallorca can be both and fun and frustrating at the same time. On one hand, driving around the city center and main attractions can be quite hard, since the island is full of narrow streets full of traffic. On the other hand however, driving around the island by car offers visitors a unique opportunity to access corners of Mallorca that few people ever visit, including some spots with amazing views.
City Airport – The Palma de Mallorca Airport is the main airport on the island and also one of the busiest in Spain, with flights from several countries around the world both arriving to the island or crossing it on their way to other countries every day. The airport is also home to several of the globe’s most renowned airlines.
Famous Cities and Towns in Mallorca
As the biggest and one of the most popular islands on the Balearic archipelago, the island of Mallorca in home to some of the most interesting cities and towns in the region, each of them with its own set of different attractions to offer, such as beaches and parks. Here are some of them.
Palma de Mallorca – Palma is the capital of the island of Mallorca, and is home to more than 300,000 inhabitants, as well as to the island’s more interesting attractions. The city sports a great array of buildings, including churches and cathedrals, as well as old, narrow streets and beautiful gardens.
Alcudia – This is considered the second city of Mallorca, and is popular for offering great resorts and some of the most beautiful beaches on the island. It also boasts a huge natural park, the S’Albufera, and a very nice marina. The city also sports varied geography that goes from residential areas to even mountain ranges for the adventurous.