There are two official languages of Mallorca, which denotes its conflicted past. It is under the government of Spain, so Spanish is considered the national language as it can be integrated into the rest of the mainland country of Spain. The local dialect of Catalan that is spoken on the island is called Mallorquin, which is also the official language taught in schools alongside Spanish, and some English. This has made Mallora the most populous island in the Balearic Islands and also the second most populous island in Spain, with a population of 896,038 as of the start of 2019.
The governing party that was ruling over the island in 2012 announced its intention to finally end the preferential treatment for the Catalan-speaking population and to bring parity to the Spanish language on the island. Many took this as a means of gradual assimilation and said that it was important to adhere to the Catalan heritage that the island is known for. There was a large fear that doing this would eventually end the Mallorcan Catalan language to extinction in the foreseeable future. In 2016, a pro-Catalan party took to power in the country and forced the opposing People's Party to dismantle it, which kept the Catalan language in official use on the island.
Mallorca is a popular tourist destination, the subject of many popular songs. Mallorca, also called Majorca, is the largest island within the Balearic Islands, which are located in the Mediterranean region but considered part of the Spanish government. The capital of Mallorca is Palma, and also functions as the capital of the Balearic Islands, making it an autonomous community with its own set of laws and governing regulations. There are an additional two islands off the coast of Mallorca called Cabrera and Dragonera.
Tourism mainly consists of visitors from Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Palma de Mallorca Airport is one of the busiest airports in Spain, used by over 28 million passengers in the last census conducted in 2017, and said to be growing each year since 2012. The tourism industry has been a powerful link for the island since the 1950s and has become the main source of revenue. As such, thousands of rooms are available in Mallorca, and the livelihood of the majority of the families on the island is linked to the hospitality industry. The weather and abundance of beaches, as well as the advertising, is an inviting getaway for those who are accustomed to colder climates.
Mallorca is one of Europe's most popular cycling destinations, so the Mallorca cycling routes are extremely well-maintained and are a highly-sought after cycling lane. The most famous cycle track is 24km long and runs between Porto Cristo and Cala Bona. On the theme of transportation, Mallorca has approximately 79 ferries that travel between Mallorca and other notable destinations every week, most of them to mainland Spain to take on tourists, or to drop off those who work in the more continental regions.