Palma de Mallorca

Palma de Mallorca (officially Palma) is a city and municipality, capital of the island of Mallorca and of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. Its municipal term occupies an approximate area of 77 square miles that extend between the Na Burguesa mountain range and the Prado de Sant Jordi. The city is located about 14 yards above sea level. Several streams, such as the Riera or Gros, cross it. With 416,065 inhabitants (official data as of January 1, 2019), Palma is the eighth largest city in Spain by population and the first of the Balearic Islands. In its metropolitan area it encompasses nine towns with 560,240 inhabitants spread over an area of 392 square miles, being the 14th in Spain. Palma airport is one of the most important in Europe, and its port is visited annually by hundreds of cruise ships. 

Palma de Mallorca is connected to most of the island's towns with bus and rail services. The city is surrounded by beaches, numerous shops, supermarkets, Bars and Restaurants. The excursion to the capital of Mallorca is a must, with a visit to the Cathedral and Bellver Castle. If you like fish, be sure to visit the S'Olivar Market, where you can stock up on fresh fish for one of your family dinners.

The city was founded with the name of Palma by the Roman consul Quinto Cecilio Metelo Baleárico in 123 BC. It is estimated that its current settlement possibly corresponds to the Roman ruins that are under its historic center, although there is still no irrefutable evidence. After other conquests by the Vandals and by the Moors in 903, it was finally conquered by King Jaime I of Aragon on December 31, 1229, becoming the prosperous Ciutat de Mallorca capital of his own kingdom, which declined after his Incorporation into the Crown of Aragon in 1279.

In 1715 the Nueva Planta Decree came into force, recovering its Roman name, Palma. The city was the protagonist of the explosion of an intense tourist boom that used it as a holiday destination during the 1960s and 1970s. Today it is a notable economic and cultural center at the island and regional level.

The municipality of Palma has an area of 81 square miles and borders the terms of Calviá, Puigpuñent, Esporlas, Valldemossa, Buñola, Marrachí, Santa María del Cami, Santa Eugenia, Algaida and Lluchmayor, in addition to the Mediterranean Sea.

The Cabrera sub-archipelago, formed by the islands of Cabrera, Conejera, Imperial, Rodona, Foradada, Plana, Pobre and other smaller islets, is also included in the municipality of Palma.