Mallorca: Encyclopedia - Mallorca

Mallorca

Mallorca (in Catalan, Spanish, and English; also called Majorca in English) is one of the Balearic Islands (Catalan: Illes Balears), which are located in the Mediterranean Sea and are part of Spain. Like the other Balearic Islands Ibiza (Catalan: Eivissa), Formentera, and Minorca ("minor island", Catalan: Menorca), the island is a popular tourist destination. In Germany, where package tourism to Mallorca has been popular since the 1960s, it has become a synonym for mass tourism and also for birdwatchers. The name derives from Latin insula maior, "major island"; later Maiorica.

The capital of the island is Palma de Mallorca, which is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera archipelago is administratively grouped with Mallorca (in the municipality of Palma).

Typical dishes of Mallorca are ensaïmada, a pastry made with pork lard (saïm) and sobrassada, sausage with lard and paprika.

Mallorca - History

Mallorca was inhabited since antiquity. Burial chambers and traces of habitation from the Paleolithic period, 6000-4000 BC, have been discovered. The island was occupied by the Carthaginians before passing to the Romans in 123 BC under Quintus Caecilius Metellus. It flourished under Roman rule, during which time the towns of Pollentia (Alcúdia), and Palmaria (Palma) were founded. Olive cultivation, viniculture, and salt mining supported the economy.

The Vandals sacked the island in 426, and annexed it to their kingdom in 465. In 534, Mallorca was conquered by the Byzantine Empire, and administered as part of the province of Sardinia. Under Byzantine rule, Christianity flourished and numerous churches were built. But from 707, the island was increasingly attack by Muslim raiders from North Africa.

In 902, the Caliphate of Cordoba conquered Mallorca, ushering in a new period of prosperity for the island. The Moors improved agriculture with irrigation, and developed local industries. In 1015, Mallorca came under rule by the Taifa of Denia, and from 1087-1114 was an independent taifa. However, in 1114, a group of Pisa-Catalans overran the island, laying siege to Palma for 8 months. After the city fell, the invaders retreated, and were replaced by the Almoravides from North Africa, who ruled till 1203. The Almoravides were replaced by the Almohad dynasty until 1229, and in the ensuring confusion and unrest, King James I of Aragon launched an invasion with 15,000 men and 1,500 horses, annexing the island to his Crown of Aragon after a 3 month campaign.

After the death of James I in 1276, his kingdom was divided between his sons. James II becomes king of the new Kingdom of Mallorca. In 1344, King Peter IV of Aragon invaded, and re-incorporated the island into the Crown.

From 1479, the Crown of Aragon was in dynastic union with that of Castile. In the early 18th century, the War of the Spanish Succession resulted in the replacement of that dynastic union with a unified Spanish monarchy. In 1716 the Decretos de Nueva Planta made Mallorca part of the Spanish province of Baleares, roughly equivalent to present-day Palma de Mallorca Province.

On Nov. 14, 2005, the local newspaper Diario de Mallorca reported allegations that the CIA used an airport on the island for a program of covert transfers of terror suspects.

Mallorca - Language

The local language is Catalan, with a great deal of dialectal variety when compared to the Catalan of other areas (Catalonia, Valencia) or even the other Balearic Islands. There is also a relatively large amount of variation between Mallorcan localities. In view of the diversity, the local language is often termed "Mallorcan" (mallorquí) or Balearic (balear) rather than the general term Catalan (català).

Despite several differences between Mallorcan and Central Catalan (spoken around Barcelona), islanders generally agree that they are varieties of the same language, whereas Valencians are more likely to deny that their language is Catalan.

Spanish also has the status of an official language, and many Spanish speakers moved from other parts of Spain to the island in the twentieth century. Young Mallorcans are typically bilingual in Catalan and Spanish, with some knowledge of English or German as a foreign language, especially due to the large number of tourists on the island.

Mallorca - Politics

The Balearic Islands, of which Mallorca forms part, are currently governed by the Partido Popular (People's Party) under Jaume Matas, whose close links with construction companies and the hotel industry, together with his reputation for corruption, have received wide coverage in Spain's mainland media. Despite popular opposition, Matas' government is currently pursuing a massive road building and development plan that, critics say, threatens to ruin Mallorca's landscape and render the island environmentally unsustainable.

The island is administratively divided in these municipalities:

• Alaró
• Alcúdia
• Algaida
• Andratx
• Ariany
• Artà
• Banyalbufar
• Binissalem
• Buger
• Bunyola
• Calvià
• Campanet
• Campos
• Capdepera
• Consell
• Costitx
• Deia
• Escorca
• Esporles
• Estellencs
• Felanitx
• Fornalutx
• Inca
• Lloret de Vistalegre
• Lloseta
• Llubi
• Llucmajor
• Manacor
• Mancor de La Vall
• Maria de La Salut
• Marratxi
• Montuiri
• Muro
• Palma
• Petra
• sa Pobla
• Pollença
• Porreres
• Puigpunyent
• Santa Eugènia
• Santa Margalida
• Santa Maria del Camí
• Santanyí
• Sant Joan
• Sant Llorenç des Cardassar
• Selva
• Sencelles
• Ses Salines
• Sineu
• Sóller
• Son Servera
• Valldemossa
• Vilafranca de Bonany

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Mallorca", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki