Algaida is a municipality on the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...
Balearic island of
Majorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean.
The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...
. It has an area of 89.70 km
2 with 4,528 inhabitants ().
Geography
The municipality of Algaida is located in the south-east of the island of Majorca, 22 km along the main highway from
Palma to
Manacor
Manacor () is a town and municipality on the island of Mallorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is the second largest town in Mallorca, after the capital of Palma. The municipality has tourist areas such as P ...
. The municipality encompasses six small mountains, the highest and most famous of which is ''
Puig de Randa'' at 543 m. Rainfall can occur all year round. The driest months is July with an average rainfall of 12.5 L/m
2. The heaviest rainfall in a single 24-hour period was on 17 September 1943 at 97 L/m
2.
History
The name ''Algaida'' stems from the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
word ''al-gaida'' (meaning "the Base"). The municipality comprises Algaida, Pina and Randa.
Algaida was first recorded in the year 1232. The most well-known of these communities is Randa, which contains the
mesa
A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a ...
''Puig de Randa'', on which there are located three secluded monasteries.
Demographics
The population spread is a follows. Figures are accurate as of 1 January 2005 and do not include isolated communities (and thus do not comprise the total number of inhabitants of Algaida).
* Algaida (2,423 inhabitants)
* Pina (391 inhabitants)
* Randa (62 inhabitants)
Main sights
Sanctuarys in the Puig de Randa include, on a lower level, the ''
Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Gracia
El Santuario is a town and municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. Part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. El Santuario was founded on 11 March 1765 by Captain Antonio Gómez de Castro. Its elevation is 2.150 masl with an aver ...
'', a
hermitage from the 15th century, built like a swallow's nest on a promontory. On the second level stands the ''
Santuario de Sant Honorat'' from the 14th century. Finally, at the top of the mountain stands the ''
Santuario Nuestra Señora de Cura'', which since 1275 has been the
Franciscan
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, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
hermitage of
Ramon Llull, Majorca's greatest religious philosopher and scholar, born to
Catalan
Catalan may refer to:
Catalonia
From, or related to Catalonia:
* Catalan language, a Romance language
* Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia
Places
* 13178 Catalan, asteroid ...
parents in 1232 in Palma. ''Puig de Randa'' also houses the
Ramon Llull Museum and a school.
Points of interest in Algaida town include ''Punxuat'', ''Albenya'', the pilgrimage chapel of ''Mare de Déu de la Pau de Catellitx'' and several windmills. The town also contains ''Gordiola'', the oldest glass blower's in Majorca, located just outside Algaida in the direction of Palma. In the factory of the Gordiola family, one can observe the glass-blowers making various pieces of art.
Sights in Randa include the parish church of the ''Immaculada'' and Ramon Llull, the cross of Randa, the cross of ''Sant Honorat'', the Randa springs, the Sanctuary of ''Mare de Déu de Cura'' and the panoramic views from the Randa mesa.
Pina is home to the parish church of ''Sants Cosme i Damià'', the convent and a well. On the main road to Manacor there stands a promotional
black bull of the
Andalusia
Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The ...
n
sherry
Sherry ( es, jerez ) is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light vers ...
-distiller Osborne, the only one on Majorca. The bull, perceived by advocates of Majorcan independence as a symbol of foreign dominance, has sustained several attacks and each time been rebuilt. The bull is now protected throughout Spain as a "National Cultural Icon".
References
External links
Informació de l'Institut d'Estadística de les Illes Balears— data information from the Balearic Institute of Statistics.
Algaida tourist guide and information
{{coord, 39, 33, 30, N, 2, 53, 30, E, display=title
Municipalities in Mallorca
Populated places in Mallorca