PALMA Mediterranean Meeting Point. Presentation

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1 PALMA Mediterranean Meeting Point Presentation

2 PALMA Mediterranean Meeting Point Presentation A. Presentation of the city PALMA TODAY GEOGRAPHICAL SURROUNDINGS HISTORIC CITY CENTRE MORE INFORMATION OF INTEREST Currency Language Climate Palma in figures

3 Presentation of the city The capital of Mallorca and of the Balearic archipelago, Palma reflects the diversity that characterises the Balearic Islands. Its strategic situation in the Western Mediterranean means this city has been nurtured by all the Mediterranean cultures. An urban luxury indeed, where visitors can enjoy the city and the sea at one and the same time. Palma surprises whoever discovers it. The capital of the Balearics has the least-altered, largest historic medieval city centre in Europe. Perfectly communicated by air and sea, the city offers a host of advantages, to both residents and tourists, with a wide, diverse range of cultural, leisure and gastronomy opportunities that invite visitors to experience Palma. 3 PALMA Mediterranean Meeting Point

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6 View of the port, with the Cathedral in the background. Photo: Gaspar Monroig. 1. PALMA TODAY Millions of people visit Palma every year. The capital of the Mediterranean offers them different alternatives for enjoying the city whether they come alone, in couples, with friends or as families. The range of services is incomparable: Palma unites all the necessary elements to position it as a cosmopolitan, tourist, business and meeting centre innovative, cultural, in full growth and with excellent economic, social and institutional stability. The delightful succession of rooftops dotted with monuments, where history and modernity combine with the greenness and the Mediterranean in perfect harmony, present it as an impressive city as soon as one approaches the port. Palma is a compulsory destination on your visit to Mallorca, which has a fantastic network of hotels and a complete infrastructure of air, sea and land connections. With infinite cultural, leisure and entertainment proposals, the city beckons one to explore every single historical, cultural and gastronomic tradition that characterises it. Palma is famous for its sun and beach tourism, but it also has many other values waiting to be discovered, such as the city centre, which is deeply marked by its historical past. What is now the city of Palma was coveted, in bygone days, by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Barbary pirates. Until finally, Jaume I put an end to Muslim rule in 1229 and the island surrendered to the Crown of Aragon. Can Casasayas. Later, from the reign of Jaume II on, were started on Palma s most important constructions (Bellver Castle, the Cathedral). Palma, the best beach destination in Spain The quality of Palma s beaches is unbeatable. In this regard, the city can boast of being the main, best-rated beach destination in all of Spain, according to an online study on the reputation of the 50 most-visited beach destinations in a price comparison (www. trivago.es). On a European level, Palma ranks amongst the top ten. To be more specific, internauts awarded it an average mark of percent. 6 PALMA Mediterranean Meeting Point

7 Partial view of the port of Palma, with Bellver Castle in the background. Palma, a member of the World Tourism Organisation The Balearic capital has been one of the group of members associated to the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) since late Ever since, the municipality has been carrying out several actions in the area of sustainability within the framework of the Palma, responsible tourism project. The goals of this project include improving Palma s competitiveness, raising tourists awareness of the effects of climate change and having them participate in the measures designed to deal with it, promoting responsible travel that supports sustainable tourism by incorporating climatic, environmental, social and economic considerations and favouring supply and demand in all the seasons of the year. 2. GEOGRAPHICAL SURROUNDINGS Palma, also known as the capital of the Mediterranean, has a surface area of 21, hectares, including the subarchipelago of Cabrera, which has been declared a National Maritime-Terrestrial Park. Distinguished by its character as a city that opens up to the sea and welcomes all visitors, it borders, with different geographical landmarks, on the municipalities of Calvià, Puigpunyent, Esporles, Valldemossa, Bunyola, Marratxí, Santa Eugènia, Algaida and Llucmajor. The capital of the Balearic Islands has a population of 422,387 inhabitants; approximately 50 % that of the whole of the Balearic archipelago. The ratio of foreign inhabitants is growing constantly; at present the foreign population represents %, with a total of 93,381 people born outside of Spain. Palma is therefore one of the country s provincial capitals with the largest percentage of foreign population, above the average for the Balearics as a whole, which is 20.7 %; and that of Spain, which is 11.4 %. The capital of the Balearics can boast of being one of the most culturally diverse capitals, as people from 164 countries are registered in the census. Palma is divided into five districts: North, Centre, West, East and Playa de Palma. Together they make up the city s 82 municipal districts. 7 PALMA Mediterranean Meeting Point

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9 3. HISTORIC CITY CENTRE The Balearic capital is one of the best-preserved historic centres in Europe. Most of Palma s monuments are in the historic city centre, which is characterised by its medieval layout, with narrow streets; this district is separated from the urban expansion area by a series of avenues that occupy the site of the former city walls, which were demolished in the early 20thcentury. The remains can be seen on the sea board of the old city centre, at the Baluarte del Príncep (Lit. Prince s bastion ), in front of the Cathedral, and the Baluarte de Sant Pere (Lit. Saint Peter s bastion ). This part of the old town is where the Mallorcan nobles used to reside, where the palaces with their traditional patios are located. 4. MORE INFORMATION OF INTEREST CURRENCY The official currency is the Euro, as in the rest of the European Union countries which form part of the Monetary Union. You can ask to exchange currency in the banks, savings banks and bureaux de change around the city. LANGUAGE The official languages of Palma, like the rest of the Balearics, are Catalan (which has been the local language since the 13th century), and Spanish. The co-official status of both languages is stipulated in the Statute of Autonomy. Palma could be defined as the city of languages, as over a hundred different languages are spoken here. Without doubt, the presence of people from different countries and regions gives rise to a great linguistic wealth, which is another of the elements that makes Palma a cosmopolitan, open city, deserving of the title of capital of the Mediterranean. CLIMATE The climate is one of Palma s main attractions, as it has an average annual temperature of 19º, the envy of the entire world. Its 2,756 hours of sun make it one of the most sought-after cities for Europeans. PALMA IN FIGURES Palma is a dynamic, lively city, constantly evolving, making it one of the cities with the highest population growths in the country. Demography Over the last decade Palma has positioned itself as the secondfastest growing European city demographically speaking. Population of Palma as per continent of birthplace and sex. Municipal registry updated on 1st January Total Men Women Total Spain Overseas Source: Population report Socio-demographical analysis of the municipality of Palma. May Municipal Observatory of Equality Employment The high percentage of population and economic, social and institutional stability the city enjoys mean Palma can offer numerous employment opportunities. The constant evolution and development of businesses satisfies the needs of new markets, the creation and development of business activities with increasing demand for employment. Employed in Palma by gender and economic sector TOTAL Agriculture Industry Construction Services TOTAL Men Women Source: Municipal Observatory of Equality using data provided by the Regional Ministry for Tourism and Employment Palma s mild Mediterranean climate means that extremes of heat and cold are not common. As a result, Palma is a city one can enjoy 365 days a year, because the temperature allows one to take pleasant strolls and enjoy the open-air seating areas of the city s bars and restaurants practically every day. The coldest month is January, when temperatures oscillate between 15º and 4 ; whilst the hottest one is August, when the temperature can reach a maximum of 35º, with a minimum of 18. With regard to rainfall, the pattern is extremely variable, but as a rule around 50 rainy days a year are recorded. Snow does not usually put in an appearance in Palma, with the exception of some rare occasions, such as the years 2005, 1985 and in 1956, when the largest snowfall ever recorded in the Balearic capital occurred. Up to 40 centimetres of snow were registered in the city centre. Although snow does not usually fall in Palma, in winter one can see the snow on the Sierra de Tramuntana mountains from anywhere in the city. 9 PALMA Mediterranean Meeting Point

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