Mallorca
The picturesque hillside village of Deya in Majorca. It is renowned for its music festivals and as the retreat of English poet and writer Robert Graves.
Largest of the Balearic Islands, belonging to Spain, in the western Mediterranean; area 3,640 sq km/1,405 sq mi; population (2001 est) 702,100. The capital is Palma. The highest mountain on the island is Puig Mayor (1,445 m/4,741 ft). Industries include olives, figs, oranges, wine, brandy, timber, and sheep farming. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy. The inhabitants speak their own dialect of Catalan.
History
Mallorca was captured in 797 by the Moors, taken by James I of Aragón in 1229, and became the independent kingdom of Mallorca in 1276 (formed from the inheritance of James I of Mallorca and ruled by James II). It was united with Aragón in 1349 and later incorporated into Spain when Aragón united with Castile in 1479.
Features The island is known for its stalagmite caves, architectural treasures, and prehistoric monuments. |
| The composer Frédéric Chopin spent the winter of 1838–39 in the Carthusian monastery at Valldemosa. Other famous residents of the island have been the poet Robert Graves and the novelist George Sand, who lived for a time at Valldemosa. |
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