Palma (old Spanish name Palma de Mallorca) is the major city and port in the island of Mallorca (in Catalan: Majorca) and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of the island on the Bay of Palma . As of the 2003 census, the population of the city of Palma proper was 367,277, and the population of the entire urban area was estimated to be 462,010, ranking as the 12th-largest urban area of Spain. Almost half of the total population of Majorca live in Palma.
Historically, the city and island have been regularly invaded. The city prospered most greatly when it was the capital of the Kingdom of Majorca, a part of the Aragonese Crown, in the 13th and 14th centuries. Many of the most noted historic buildings in the city date from this period and show the characteristic Gothic style, notably the cathedral (La Seu ) (built from 1230 to 1600) and the mixed Moorish-Spanish style of the Palau de l'Almudaina .
The archipelago of Cabrera, though widely separated from Palma proper, is administratively considered part of the municipality.
See also: List of municipalities in the Balearic Islands.
External link
