Mallorca
is the largest of the Balearic Islands with 554 km of coastline. Mallorca's
landscape is very varied, due to its geological formation. The first
thing which attracts your attention is the Tramuntana mountain range,
formed by a line of mountains running parallel to the north west coast,
the highest of which is Puig Major. The mountains give way to a coastline
of tiny villages, sand, pebble and rock beaches. Each in turn surrounded
by the imposing mountain range. The mountains are the source of the
island's fresh water which courses down to the island's growing regions
where orange, clementine and lemon trees grow. There are also long hillside
terraces side by side with the olives and sweet wine producing grapes
of the island.
The
center of the island is known locally as Es Raiguer, which lies to the
East of the Tramuntana Mountains. Characterised by an abundance of water
and a lack of flat land which makes most farming difficult, but there
are vast olive and almond groves to be found with splendid blossoms
appearing in February. The plain or Plá, in contrast, has large areas
of flat land from which the majority of the island's agricultural produce
comes.
From
the northwest to the southwest, the land gradually leads down to the
sea, forming bays, long beaches and small coves of fine sand and transparent,
green water, tinged with the reflection of the pines and fig trees which
reach the shore. In the southwest of Mallorca is the huge Bay of Palma,
which protects and shelters the former kingdom's capital. In this brief
description we must not forget the islands and islets, which surround
Mallorca.