Palma (Majorca)

Palma
City, Comarca and Municipality
View of Palma Majorca Bay, from Bellver Castle
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Ciutat de Mallorca (commonly shortened to Ciutat)
Palma shown within Majorca
Palma Palma shown within Spain
Coordinates: 39°34′N 2°39′E / 39.567°N 2.650°E / 39.567; 2.650Coordinates: 39°34′N 2°39′E / 39.567°N 2.650°E / 39.567; 2.650
Sovereign state	Spain
Autonomous community	Balearic Islands
Province	Balearic Islands
Island	Majorca
Comarca	Palma
Judicial district	Palma
Founded	124 BC
Administrative HQ	Palma
Government
• Type	Municipal corporation
• Body	Ajuntament de Palma
• Mayor	José Hila Vargas (PSIB-PSOE)
Area
• City, Comarca and Municipality	208.63 km2 (80.55 sq mi)
Elevation	13 m (43 ft)
Population (2009)
• City, Comarca and Municipality	401,270
• Density	1,900/km2 (5,000/sq mi)
• Urban	621,000
Demonym(s)	palmesà, -ana (ca) palmesano, -na (es)
Time zone	Central European Time (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
Postal code	070XX
Dialing code	971
Website	www.palma.cat

Palma (/ˈpɑːlmə/ or /ˈpɑːmə/, Catalan: [ˈpalmə], Spanish: [ˈpalma]) is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of Majorca on the Bay of Palma. As of the 2009 census, the population of the city of Palma proper was 401,270, and the population of the entire urban area was 621,000, making it the twelfth largest urban area of Spain. Almost half of the total population of Majorca live in Palma. The Cabrera Archipelago, though widely separated from Palma proper, is administratively considered part of the municipality. Its airport, Son Sant Joan, serves over 22 million passengers each year.

Palma was founded as a Roman camp upon the remains of a Talaiotic settlement. The city was subjected to several Vandal raids during the fall of the Western Roman Empire, then reconquered by the Byzantine Empire, then colonised by the Moors (who called it Medina Mayurqa) and, in the 13th century, by James I of Aragon.