Balearic Islands - Ibiza

 

The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza, and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain, of which the capital city is Palma. The co-official languages in the Balearic Islands are Spanish and Catalan. The main islands of the autonomous community are Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, all of which are popular tourist destinations.  

MAJORCA

Majorca is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the Balearic Islands. It is the largest by area and second most populated island of Spain (after Tenerife in the Canary Islands). The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. Like the other Balearic Islands of Ibiza, Formentera and Minorca, the island is a highly popular holiday destination, particularly for tourists from Germany, the United Kingdom and to a lesser extent, Ireland.In 1983, Palma became the capital of the autonomous region of the Balearic Islands.Since the 1950s, the advent of mass tourism has transformed the island into a centre of attraction for foreign visitors and attracting workers from mainland Spain. The climate of Majorca is a Mediterranean climate, with mild and stormy winters and hot, bright summers.Summers are hot in the plains and winters mild to cool, getting colder in the Tramuntana range; in this part of the island brief episodes of snow during the winter are not unusual.The members of the Spanish Royal Family spend their summer holidays in Majorca where the Marivent Palace  is located. The Marivent Palace is the royal family's summer residence. Majorca's own language is Catalan. The two official languages of Majorca are Catalan and Spanish. Since the 1950s Majorca has become a major tourist destination, and the tourism business has become the main source of revenue for the island.More than half of the population works in the tourist sector.

Despite Majorca’s location in the Mediterranean, seafood is often imported. Olives and almonds are typical of the Majorcan diet. The island now has over 4 million almond and olive trees. Among the food items that are Majorcan are sobrassada, arros brut (saffron rice cooked with chicken, pork and vegetables), and the sweet pastry ensaïmada.