History of Mallorca
The Balearic Islands‘ chain of islands is situated southeast of Europe, in the central part of the western Mediterranean basin. Palma, the capital of the Balearics, is in Mallorca, the largest of the islands. The present position of the city of Palma is believed to have been originally occupied by a talayotic settlement closely associated with the sea.
Later invaded by the Romans and then by the Arabs who named it Madina Mayurqa, the city contains evidence of those periods in monuments such as the Almudaina Palace and the Arab baths.
Since then, the growth of tourism in the Balearics has been remarkable: the 500,000 visitors to the island in 1960 rose to over 6 million in 1997. This put the Balearic Islands into the top position in Spain with respect to the gross domestic product per inhabitant, and the only community in Spain to exceed the European Union average. A busy, working city, Palma is home to over half the island’s population. Its importance stems from its port, as you can learn at the excellent Museu de Mallorca; C/Portella 5, which traces the island’s history.
