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Mallorca’s name derives from the Latin Insula Maior, and the later form, Maiorica.

In 123 BC the Romans founded a city called Palmaria (Palma) in Mallorca.
During the period of Muslim rule it received the Arabic name of Madina Mayurqa. Later on, when James I of Aragon conquered the island in 1229 it came to be known as Ciutat de Mallorca (City of Mallorca).

From 1950 the island started to become a tourist destination.
The tourist boom which took place between 1960 and 1970 saw the construction of the majority of the hotels and the development of supporting industries.
The remaining industries, such as footwear and also agriculture became less important as tourism took over the Balearics economy.
A key factor was and still is the ease of access to Mallorca via airlines flying into Son Sant Joan airport (PMI) which has become Spain’s third largest by number of passengers and which has diverse routes to Europe’s leading cities.

There are not many tourist destination just two or three hours from Europe’s major cities which combine everything that Mallorca offers, including its easy access and beautiful natural settings and array of beautiful beaches and mountains.

Mallorca has an area of 3,640.11 km² and, according to a recent census, a population of over one million inhabitants.

Palma de Mallorca has a typically Mediterranean climate, with high temperatures in summer reaching over 32 °C and moderately low in winter rarely below 8 °C
The main sector of the islands economy is tourism and the island receives over 12 million visitors per year.

The Serra de Tramuntana mountain chain which runs from Port de Andratx to Puerto de Pollensa (Port de Pollença) was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2010, www.serradetramuntana.net and protects the whole island from wind and bad weather.
Its highest point is Puig Major at 1,342 metres.

Between 2005 and 2013 there was considerable investment in infrastructure, including the new Palma-Inca-Pollensa, Palma-Manacor-Artà and Palma-Santanyí highways, the Palma-Inca railway, the expansion of the airport, the Son Espases and Son Llàtzer hospitals, the extention of the Port Adriano marina, and improvements to the port of Palma to accept deep-draft cruise ships.