The island of Majorca takes its name from the Latin insula minor which describes its status as the largest (in terms of area) island of the Balearics, translating to “larger island”. It sits to the east of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. Like the other islands that form the Balearics, Majorca is a popular tourist destination, receiving annual visits from Germans, the Irish and the British in particular.
On the island there are two large regions of mountainous terrain. One is Sierra de Tramuntana which is located to the north-west and includes the mountains of Puig Major and Puig Massanella, the highest peak and the highest accessible peak respectively. The other region is located in the south-east of the island, and is called Sierra de Llevant. It is the smaller of the two regions but its famously beautiful scenery means it takes the lion’s share of visiting hikers.
The coastline of Majorca is mainly quite rocky, broken up with caves and beaches. The north-west is home to the large bays of Badia de Pollenca and Badia d’Alcudia, while the south-west is home to the famous Palma Bay. Two of the caves found above sea level famously contain underground lakes, which are open to tours for tourists.
The climate on Majorca can be described as Mediterranean. It enjoys hot summers, followed by cooler winters. There is noticeably more precipitation in the Sierra Tramuntana mountain region, however, and it also becomes much colder in the winter. The whole island experiences very unpredictable levels of rain fall, some areas having very high rainfall one year, then having next to none in the following year.
Tourists enjoy the climate particularly because though it is hot, it is made bearable by the consistent winds that blow inland. The increase in tourism in the 20th century saw many people from other parts of Europe come to live on the island. The population non the island is around 800,000, half of which is accounted for by the city of Palma.