The region around the capital Palma joins the Migjorn landscape zone to the west. The seat of government of the island is also the supply centre. Most infrastructure facilities, as well as the largest airport and port, are located here. The city is also the centre of the island for tourism. Situated along the Mediterranean coast on the Bay of Palma, the city and its agglomeration are about 30 kilometres long. About 500,000 people live here - this corresponds to more than 50% of the population of the entire island. In the northwest the area is bordered by the Serra de Tramuntana, to the northeast it closes off smaller ridges. The sandy beach Platja de Palma runs about 10 kilometres to the east as far as El Arenal, to the west it is Cala Major.
Economically, the city and its surroundings live mainly from the service industry, above all the tourism industry. Trade, administration and transport also play an important role. The settlement of industrial companies has even been prohibited in the Palma region since the 1970s. Founded in 1978, the University of the Balearic Islands - a comparatively small university with 13,700 students - has its headquarters here. The central part of Palma is the old town, which is still delimited today by the ring roads that follow the course of the city fortifications, which were only demolished in 1902. A ring road of dense buildings up to two kilometres wide separates the old town from its suburbs and industrial estates. The small southern island of Cabrera belongs to the area of Palma. Like all over the island, Palma has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot summers, although temperatures in midsummer do not skyrocket as high as in the interior of the island and the maximum temperatures are usually around 30 degrees Celsius. In winter, the lowest temperatures are usually around 8 °C in January and February, but they can also climb up to 15 °C in these months. The most rainy months are October and November, although Palma is not a region with very little rainfall anyway.
Founded in 123 BC by the Roman consul Quintus Caecilius Metellus Balearius, Palmaria Palmensis (Victory Palm) remained the most important city in the province of Balearica for a long time. In the 4th century, like many other Roman cities, it suffered the fate of decay, which was stopped by the Arabs at the beginning of the 10th century. Until they were expelled by the Aragonese at the beginning of the 13th century, they had built up an Arab-Islamic culture here. With a brief interruption as the Kingdom of Mallorca, the area remained under the rule of the Aragonese until the island became the property of Spain. The city's eventful history - not to forget the Talayotic culture that prevailed for thousands of years until the arrival of the Romans - can still be seen today in many corners of the city and its surroundings. Many historical sights bear witness to the many cultures and peoples that have settled here in the course of history. The mixture of Spanish-Catalan and Arabic elements gives it a very special charm. Numerous small alleys and stairs lead the visitors of the city to the countless impressive buildings, which are here. One of the landmarks of the old town of Palma de Mallorca is the Gothic cathedral of St. Mary, also known as "La Seu", also known as "Cathedral of Palma". Construction of the bishop's seat began in the 13th century under King James I; it was only inaugurated at the end of the 16th century and the main façade was only added between the middle of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Due to the long construction time of the different parts of the cathedral, different architectural styles of history can be observed here: Gothic, late Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerism, some Baroque elements and Classicism as well as Catalan Art Nouveau - a real pleasure for amateur art historians but also for interested laymen. In the old town there are 31 other churches in addition to this pearl, most of which are also Gothic. Directly next to the cathedral is the impressive royal palace La Almudaina. In the old town there is another landmark of the city: Llotja dels Mercaders / Llotja de Palma. This masterpiece of Gothic architecture has served as the seat of the Seehandelsbehörde since the 15th century and is now used for changing art exhibitions. Southwest of the old town is the medieval Castell de Bellver, built at the beginning of the 14th century and transformed into a museum in the 1930s.
The rocky island of Cabrera is also part of Palma in administrative terms, but is located much further south off the coast of the Migjorn region. The crossing to the island is offered regularly and takes about 30 minutes. The flat and rocky island, vegetatively rather barren, is today a national park, which offers beside the beautiful nature also some sights, like for example an ethnographic museum, in which the visitor can inform about the eventful history of the small island, a contemplative lighthouse, several caves and the remains of a fortress tower, which was built in the 14th century for protection against pirates.
