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Mallorca in the Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands is an
archipelago located in the Mediterranean Sea just
east of Spain. The bigger island
Mallorca holds the capital city (Palma de Mallorca) of the archipelago.
 
MALLORCA (Majorca) SPAIN
The island of Mallorca with a population of 602,074 in 1991 is 1,405 sq mi
(3,639 sq km) in size. It is the largest of the Balearic Islands located in the
West Mediterranean. Palma de Mallorca is the capital city. Mallorca is
mountainous in the northwest, rising to 4,739 ft (1,444 m) in the Puig Major.
The south and east form a gently rolling, fertile region. Its mild climate and
beautiful scenery have long made Mallorca a popular resort; tourism is its major
industry. Cereals, flax, grapes, and olives are grown, a light wine is produced,
hogs and sheep are raised, and lead, marble, and copper are mined. In 1276 the
kingdom of Mallorca was formed from the inheritance of James I of Mallorca. It
comprised the Balearic Islands, Roussillon and Cerdagne (between France and
Spain), and several fiefs in South France. Perpignan, in Roussillon, was the
capital. In 1343, Peter IV of Aragón took the kingdom from James II and reunited
it with the crown of Aragón. The island's flourishing commerce declined, partly
because of the warfare between the native peasantry and the Aragonese nobles and
Catalan traders, but mainly because of the change in trade routes after the
discovery of America. Mallorca is known for its stalagmite caves and for its
architectural treasures and prehistoric monuments. The abandoned old monastery
where Chopin and George Sand lived is an island landmark. The inhabitants speak
their own dialect of Catalan.
BALEARIC ISLANDS (Las
Islas Baleares) SPAIN
It is an archipelago of islands off of Spain. Located in the West Mediterranean
sea with a population in 1990 of 767,918 habitants. It's an autonomous region
since 1983. Palma de Mallorca is the capital of the archipelago. The most
important islands are Mallorca, Minorca, and Ibiza. Known for their scenery and
their mild climate, the Balearics are a major tourist destination. After
tourism, agriculture and fishing are the main economic activities; fruit, wine,
olive oil, mallolica ware, and silver filigree are exported. Both Catalan and
Castilian Spanish are spoken. Inhabited since prehistoric times. There are
numerous Cyclopean remains. The islands were occupied by Iberians, Phoenicians,
Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, and Byzantines. The Moors, who first came in the
8th century, established in the 11th century an independent kingdom, which
became the seat of powerful pirates, harassing Mediterranean coastal cities and
trade. James I of Aragón conquered the islands in 1229-35. In 1276-1343 they
were included n the independent kingdom of Mallorca and reverted to the
Aragonese crown under Peter IV. At the outbreak of the Spanish civil war (1936),
Mallorca and Ibiza were seized by Insurgent forces with Mallorca becoming a base
of the Italian fleet while Minorca remained in the hands of the Loyalists until
1939.
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