Palma de Mallorca

Palma, unofficially known as Palma de Mallorca, is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of Mallorca on the Bay of Palma.

The Cabrera Archipelago, though widely separated from Palma proper, is administratively considered part of the municipality.

The boom in tourism has caused Palma to grow significantly. In 1960, Mallorca received 500,000 visitors, in 1997 it received more than 6,739,700. In 2001 more than 19,200,000 people passed through Son Sant Joan airport near Palma, with an additional 1.5 million coming by sea.

More than half of the population works in tourism, approximately 80%, therefore being the main economic portal of Palma. Tourism has affected the rapid economic growth of Palma, making the island of Mallorca wealthier compared to other regions in Spain.

GEOGRAPHY

Palma is a major city and seaport located in the southwest of Mallorca, a western mediterranean island belonging to the Balearic Islands archipelago. The land area of the city is about 21.355 square kilometres (8.245 sq mi) with an altitude of 13 metres (43 feet) above sea level.

The city center of Palma is located north of the homonymous bay (Badia de Palma in the local Catalan language). The area that extends eastwards is mostly a flat fertile plain known as Es Pla. To the north and west, the city borders the Serra de Tramuntana, the island's major mountain range and a Unesco World Heritage site.

CLIMATE

Palma has a Mediterranean climate, the climate classification named after the sea surrounding the city. There is a significant maritime influence to the mild winters, but summers are warmed by the surrounding continental landmasses. These warm up the offshore sea surface temperatures compared to in an ocean and as a result the small confines of Mallorca are still able to build up and sustain heat in spite of being on an island. There is vast seasonal lag, especially in late summer courtesy of the sea water peaking in temperatures long after the summer solstice.

MAIN SIGHTS

The Plaça d'Espanya is the transport hub of Palma. The Estació Intermodal caters for buses and trains (the latter controlled by TIB). The two old buildings are home to the tourist information centre and several cafés sit either side of the two large escalators which lead into the Estació, which sits underneath a large and popular park.

Palma is famous for La Seu, its vast cathedral built on a previous mosque which was built atop an original Christian church. Although construction of the present Cathedral began in 1229, it did not finish until 1601.

The Parc de la Mar (Park of the Sea) lies just south, overlooked by the great building which sits above it on the city's stone foundations. Between the two are the town walls.

The Old City (in the south-east area of Palma behind the cathedral) is a maze of streets. With the exception of a few streets and squares which allow traffic and are populated with tourists most of the time, the walkways of this city quarter are fairly narrow, quiet streets, surrounded by a diverse range of interesting buildings, the architecture of which is comparable to cities such as Florence.

The Banys Àrabs, or Arab Baths, one of the few remnants of Palma's Moorish past, are accessed via the quiet Ca'n Serra street near the Convent of the Cathedral, and include the lush gardens of Ca'n Fontirroig. The small two-roomed brick building that once housed the baths is of Byzantine origin, dating back to the 11th century and possibly once part of the home of a Muslim nobleman.

TAXIS

In the City of Palma there is a fleet of taxis which are white.

AIRPORTS

As of 2018, Palma Airport serves over 29 million passengers per year.