© J. Bennett
Call me Palma
The city of Palma officially drops its 'de Mallorca' surname
Palma is 'de Mallorca' no more, although we can assure you that the city remains firmly set on the island's southern coast. However, the Balearic parliament has just decided to officially change its name from 'Palma de Mallorca' to just 'Palma'.
The city's official denomination has fluctuated throughout the centuries between 'Palma' and 'Palma de Mallorca' but the Balearic parliament has decided that the former is the one that has actually been used for a longer period of time in the island's history. The amendment was approved yesterday, four years after the opposite denomination, Palma de Mallorca, was officially established.
Not all members of the Parliament agreed with the measure, stating that it would be detrimental to the local tourist industry as it could be confused with La Palma and Las Palmas, in the Canary islands. But those in favour pointed out that it is actually tourist companies that have been using the toponym Palma more and more often lately.
