22 Interesting & Curious Facts about Mallorca
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Below you will find 22 interesting and not-so-well-known facts about Mallorca. We hope that you enjoy reading them..
1. The name Mallorca derives from the Latin 'insula maior' meaning 'larger island' because Mallorca is the largest island of Spain. This later became 'Maiorica' eventually ending up as Majorca for the people of the UK and Mallorca for just about everyone else.
2. The National Anthem of Majorca is La Balanguera, which is an adaptation of a poem based on an ancient and popular Majorcan children's song about a spider.
3. People have lived on the island of Mallorca since about 5000 BC and it was occupied by the Romans in 123 BC. Tourists have only been coming to the island since 1952!
4. The island has been invaded a number of times over the years, the most famous being King James I of Aragon who launched an invasion which landed on Santa Ponsa, Majorca, on September 8-9, 1229 with 15,000 men and 1,500 horses.
5. In 2008, 22,832,865 passengers passed through Son Sant Joan Airport in Palma, with an additional 1.5 million arriving by sea.
6. Former Everton F.C. footballer, Duncan Ferguson lives in Majorca.
7. Almost half of the total population of Majorca live in Palma.
8. Palma is famous for La Seu, its vast cathedral originally built on a previous mosque. Although construction began in 1229 it didn't finish until 1601!
9. BCM is the largest nightclub in Magaluf and is located on the Avenida S'Olivera. The club comprises two floors, the lower of which regularly puts on foam, popcorn and water parties. The club claims to feature "the world's largest foam machine".
10. On November 14, 2006, the local newspaper Diario de Mallorca reported allegations that the CIA used an airport on the island of Mallorca for its controversial extraordinary rendition program (torture and illegal transfer).
11. Cap de Formentor forms the eastern end of Majorca's Formentor peninsula. The Majorcans also call the cape the Meeting point of the winds.
12. In 2005, there were over 2,400 restaurants on the island of Majorca according to the Majorcan Tourist Board.
13. The latest tourist initiative on the island of Mallorca is "oleotourism". Literally translated this means Olive Oil Tourism. Many of the islands cenetenarian olive groves and olive mills have turned into museums, and the gnarled ancient trees in their natural hábitat are bringing a new "green" trade to the area.
14. The current legislation in Spain states that it is completely legal to practice nudism in public. The fact that certain beaches have been classified as nude beaches in Mallorca, does not mean that only nudists are allowed entry... in the same way as it is possible for there to be nudists in non-nudist beaches.
15. Each year over 35,000 cyclists ranging from professional cyclists to cycle tourists visit the island of Mallorca.
16. Should you order wine from any Mallorcan restaurant on the island, it will most probably come from Binissalem. The best-known wine from the region is known as Bodega. The local red variety, Manto Negro, represents about 50% of the red grapes planted, the others being Cabernet Sauvignon, Callet, Tempranillo, Monastrell, Syrah and Merlot. The local white variety, Moll (also known as Prensal Blanc) represents about 70% of the white grapes planted, the other being, Macabeo, Parellada, Chardonnay and Moscatel.
17. The English poet, novelist, and scholar, Robert Graves, was one of the first foreigners to settle in the village of Deiā.
18. At the beach of Es Trenc which is visited by more than 500,000 tourists each year, 25 tonnes of sand is carried away from the beach each year on the bottom of people's sandals, between their toes and on their towels! This sand has to be replaced regularly.
19. The local pastry, the Ensaimadas is only available in Mallorca.
20. Tap water in Mallorca is safe but everyone drinks mineral water because the tap water doesn't taste too good.
21. The private family slaughter of a pig, "fer matances" as it is called on Mallorca, is perhaps the island tradition that has evolved least of all those that are still preserved. And so, the slaughter that is still carried out nowadays is more or less similar to what was done two hundred years ago. Many families, especially in the villages, still kill a pig or two per year and produce the star product, the sobrasada sausage.
22. The average age of the Balearic Island fishing fleet is 33 years making it the second oldest in Spain.