Information on the island of Mallorca (Majorca)

Information on the island of Mallorca (Majorca)

There's far more to Mallorca than sun, sea and sand. If you venture away from the tourist resorts, you will discover a multitude of other interests including Gothic architecture, hilltop villages, olive groves and hidden beaches. Of course if you’re here just to enjoy yourself there are an abundance of entertainment styles from beach parties to opera; village fiestas to casinos; yachting regattas to diving and much, much more.

Whether you are visiting our web page to purchase a property in Mallorca, or are looking to move here and start a new business, we will try to answer as many questions as we can about this beautiful island and all you will need to know for your new life here.

Majorca, Mediterranean excellent island, is placed in the middle of the western Mediterranean, crossing way between East and West, between the North and the South, link of communication of rich and former civilizations.

With an extension of 3626 km2 Majorca is the biggest island of the archipelago Inhabitant of the Balearic Islands. The insularity there marks the territory, the environment and the population of the islands, since the sea has played a double role, on one hand of isolation opposite to the exterior and for other one as road link turning the island of Majorca into a cradle of the Mediterranean cultures.

The geological origins of Majorca are the Alpine folding of it does 30 million years, when the island saws were formed, predominating over the calcareous material, which it has influenced in the hydrology and the relief of Majorca.

The island divides in three big geographical zones: Tramontana's Saw, Llevant's Saw and The Pla.; the coastline is 54.07 kms. (1 mile: 1.60 km)

The population of Majorca overcomes 600.000 inhabitants, with a rapid growth from beginning of the 20th century since the descent of the own birthrate of the societies developed from the 60s has met compensated with the arrival of a great migratory wave proceeding from the south of the Iberian Peninsula.

Nowadays the population tends to become stable, though still unmigratory phenomena are produced, so much from Europe as of the poorest zones of the Spanish State and of countries in routes of development. Besides it is necessary to bear in mind that the real population in summer overcomes the million inhabitants because of the tourists' great abundance.

The distribution of the population in Majorca takes the concentration of the population as a principal characteristic to the littoral and in the cities. More of 50 % of the population of the island centers in Palma, which demonstrates the great importance of this city and the centralization of many of the services in the capital of the Community. The urban net completes with average cities as Manacor and Inca, of 34.000 and 24.000 inhabitants respectively and that are important regional, industrial and commercial nuclei, and other cities that 10.000 inhabitants overcome.

For occupations the island society reflects the superiority of the tertiary sector. The agriculture occupies less than 4 % of the active population and its economic weight is even smaller, only 2,5 % of the total wealth of the island. The industry occupies 29 % of the active population and the sector of the construction is the most important, since it is very tied to the tourism and to the infrastructures necessary for its development. Also it is necessary to emphasize the sector of the leather, the footwear, the trinkets, the wood.

The tertiary sector concentrates almost 60 % of the active population. The tourism is its principal engine and all the other activities of this sector, trade, banking, etc, are totally related to it.

The population is 600,000 of these, 73,618 are foreign residents, 10,845 are British. These are the official figures; in fact the real number is considerably higher and has been estimated to be 60,000 by the authorities.

In the year 2001, 9,665,664 tourists visited the Balearic Islands, the highest number, 3,255,359 were British.

Over the coming weeks we will be adding detailed information about many of the resorts, towns and villages of Mallorca, to help highlight the variety available in all
aspects of this island life.