Palma de Mallorca, the island capital, has undergone another name change. Over the years, Palma was called either Palmaria by the Romans, Medina Mayurqa by the ruling Moors, or Ciutat de Mallorca, Ciutat for short, after the Christian Reconquista. After the War of the Spanish Succession, it was Palma de Mallorca. In 1833, Spain’s central administration reorganised its provinces and provincial capital cities, confirming Palma de Mallorca. But, last month, the National Ministry of Public Administration in Madrid decided that Palma de Mallorca should from now on officially be abbreviated to just Palma.

Two things have to be borne in mind: the local population colloquially calls Mallorca’s capital city Ciutat, be that 1833 or even before, or 1975, after Franco’s death, or 2008. Also, Mallorcans do not always appreciate the efforts of Madrid’s central administration. I doubt very much that my Mallorcan neighbours will change their habits of calling their capital city (ciutat in Catalán) anything other than just that, Ciutat. There is no need to abbreviate Ciutat, to the Mallorcan mind.

Watch this space.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The date: September 19th, 2007. The time was 14:16:03.