Mallorca spain information, Balearic island, islas baleares

The furthest distance that can be travelled on this island of 581,564 inhabitants and covering an area of some 3,640 km2 is 120 km, which is the distance between Puerto de San Telm and Formentor lighthouse at Cape Formentor.

Most visitors tend to stay around only part of the coastline, many without realizing about the magnificent inland scenery of plains and mountains that can also be enjoyed.

Palma, the island's capital, has a population of approximately 300,000, which is practically half of the entire population of the island. It stretches some 15 km along the coastline, from El Arenal and Palma beach in the east as far as the cosmopolitan districts of Cala Mayor and San Agustivities of all kinds are more than well-catered- for here. There are restaurants, cafeteries, pubs, concert halls, discotheques, a bull-ring and all types of shows, offering the visitor entertainment and amusement at all times.

Tourism had already become an important aspect of life on the island of Majorca back in the early 1920's although on a much smaller scale than today, of course. It was a select, mainly winter tourism which grew up steadily until the begins of the Spanish Civil War. The later "discovery" of Ibiza and Menorca did not occur until well after the Civil War. At that time Majorca was full of artists, who established what was, to all intents and purposes, a colony in and around Pollensa and its port.
One of the most famous of them all was Anglada Camarassa. That conglomeration of artists and poets at Pollensa was to bring about something previously unheard of in island tourism - the construction in 1929 of the Hotel Formentor. It was promoted by the Argentinian entrepreneur Adan Dihel, who even suffered personal hardship in his determination to build the finest hotel on the Mediterranean, near a beach which was not really considered the most adequate place for rest and relaxation. The Hotel Formentor brought about a previously unimaginable change in the island's tourist industry, and was soon imitated by the Hotel Cala Dor and the Gran Hotel Camp de mar. These new hotels successfully joined forces with the already-existing Hotel Victoria Gran Hotel de Palma and the Hotel Prp.

Illetes Two coves some 75 and 150 meters wide, respectively. Pine trees stretch as far as the shore. Excellent sand.

Portals Nous Small beach with a magnificent urban development.

Palma Nova Excellent beach with fine sand, good installations and pine groves.

Magaluf Magnificent beach with fine sand and crystal-clear waters.

Santa Ponsa Another beach with fine sand and crystal-clear waters.

Peguera Interesting tourist resort. Beautiful, quiet beach with fine sand surrounded by pine trees.

Cala Fornells Small beach with fine sand.

Puerto de Andratx Nearby are the beaches of Camp de Mar and that of San Telm, which is sheltered by Dragonera island. Both have pinewoods.

Ciudad Jarín Banyalbufer (535 inhabitants) Magnificent nearby coves. Typical scenery with tomato fields all around.

Valdemossa (1,300 inhabitants) The Royal Carthusian Monastery has reminiscences of Chopin and George Sand. There is also a small port just a few kilometres away.

Deia (414 inhabitants) A picturesque mountain village with the Llucalcari cover and a small beach.

Puerto de Soller (1,000 inhabitants) Its semi-circular beach is approximately one kilometre in length.

La Calobra A very beautiful cover. Nearby is the Monastery of Lluc and the Torrent de Pareis beach.

Puerto de Pollensa (300 inhabitants) It has the beaches of Cala de Sant Vicencs and Formentor, the former situated some 7 km away from Pollensa. It is very cosmopolitan and has beautiful pine groves running right next to the beach. Formentor beach is 9 km from the port of Pollensa and 16 km from Pollensa itself.

Puerto de Alcudia (500 inhabitants) Has an extensive beach with fine, clean sand, and is the location of many urban developments.

Can Picafort (800 inhabitants) Extensive beach with fine sand and pine groves. Cala Ratjada (1,500 inhabitants) The location of the Artby is an aquarium and a safari park.

Porto Colom (411 inhabitants) Has beautiful beaches, like those of Porto Colom, Cala Murada, Cala Marsal and Arenal.

Satanyi (6,640 inhabitants) Here we find the fishing port of Cala Figuera, surrounded by pine trees. Cala Santanyi lies 5 km away and has fine sand and clean, shallow waters. Other interesting sites include Port Petro, Cala Llonga and Cala D'or - the latter being surrounded by rocks and pine trees.

Colonia de Sant Jordi There i a lovely, sandy beach with crystal-clear waters, as well as pine groves and salt pans.