{{Native name|ca|'''Maó'''}}"},"image_skyline":{"wt":"Mahon Hafen.jpg"},"image_alt":{"wt":""},"image_caption":{"wt":"Mahón Harbour"},"image_flag":{"wt":"Bandera de Mahón (Islas Baleares).svg"},"image_shield":{"wt":"Escudo de Mahón (Islas Baleares) 2.svg"},"nickname":{"wt":""},"motto":{"wt":""},"pushpin_map":{"wt":"Spain Menorca#Spain Balearic Islands#Spain"},"pushpin_label_position":{"wt":"none"},"pushpin_map_caption":{"wt":"Location in Menorca"},"image_map":{"wt":"{{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=y|frame-width=285|frame-height=180|frame-align=center|frame-coordinates={{Coord|39.5|N|3.7|W}}|zoom=4|type=point|title=Mahón|marker=city|type2=shape|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|text=Interactive map of Mahón.}}"},"map_caption":{"wt":"Location of Mahón"},"subdivision_type":{"wt":"Country"},"subdivision_name":{"wt":"{{Flag|Spain}}"},"subdivision_type1":{"wt":"[[Autonomous communities of Spain|Autonomous community]]"},"subdivision_name1":{"wt":"{{flag|Balearic Islands}}"},"subdivision_type2":{"wt":"[[Provinces of Spain|Province]]"},"subdivision_name2":{"wt":"[[Balearic Islands]]"},"subdivision_type3":{"wt":"[[Islands of Spain|Island]]"},"subdivision_name3":{"wt":"[[Minorca]]"},"subdivision_type4":{"wt":"[[Judicial districts of Spain|Judicial district]]"},"subdivision_name4":{"wt":"Maó"},"seat_type":{"wt":"[[Capital (political)|Capital]]"},"seat":{"wt":""},"coordinates":{"wt":"{{Coord|39|53|15|N|4|15|40|E|region:ES-IB_type:city|display=inline,title}}"},"coordinates_footnotes":{"wt":""},"elevation_m":{"wt":"72"},"elevation_min_m":{"wt":""},"elevation_max_m":{"wt":""},"area_footnotes":{"wt":""},"area_total_km2":{"wt":"117.20"},"established_title":{"wt":""},"established_date":{"wt":""},"population_as_of":{"wt":"{{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}"},"population_footnotes":{"wt":"{{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}"},"population_total":{"wt":"{{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_total}}"},"population_demonyms":{"wt":"''maonès'', ''maonesa'' ([[Catalan language|ca]])
''mahonés'', ''mahonesa'' ([[Spanish language|es]])"},"population_note":{"wt":""},"population_density_km2":{"wt":"auto"},"timezone":{"wt":"[[Central European Time|CET]]"},"utc_offset":{"wt":"+1"},"timezone_DST":{"wt":"[[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]"},"utc_offset_DST":{"wt":"+2"},"postal_code_type":{"wt":"[[List of postal codes in Spain|Postal code]]"},"postal_code":{"wt":"07700-07714"},"area_code_type":{"wt":"[[Telephone numbers in Spain|Dialing code]]"},"area_code":{"wt":""},"leader_title":{"wt":"Mayor"},"leader_name":{"wt":"Hector Pons Riudavets"},"leader_party":{"wt":"[[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|PSOE]]"},"website":{"wt":"{{official website|URL=http://www.ajmao.org}}"},"footnotes":{"wt":""}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwCQ">Municipality in Balearic Islands, Spain
Mahón | |
---|---|
Maó (official) | |
Coordinates: 39°53′15″N4°15′40″E / 39.88750°N 4.26111°E | |
Country | Spain |
Autonomous community | Balearic Islands |
Province | Balearic Islands |
Island | Minorca |
Judicial district | Maó |
Government | |
• Mayor | Hector Pons Riudavets (PSOE) |
Area | |
• Total | 117.20 km2 (45.25 sq mi) |
Elevation | 72 m (236 ft) |
Population (2018) [1] | |
• Total | 28,592 |
• Density | 240/km2 (630/sq mi) |
Demonyms | maonès, maonesa (ca) mahonés, mahonesa (es) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 07700-07714 |
Website | Official website |
Mahón (Spanish: [maˈon] ), officially Maó (Catalan: [məˈo] , locally [ˈmo] ; formerly spelled Mahó), [2] and also written as Mahon or Port Mahon in English, is the capital and second largest city of Menorca. The city is located on the eastern coast of the island, which is part of the archipelago and autonomous community of the Balearic Islands.
Mahón has one of the longest natural harbours in the world: 5 kilometres (3 miles) long and up to 900 metres (3,000 feet) wide. The water is deep but remains mostly clear due to the port's enclosed nature. Mayonnaise is considered to have originated in Mahón. [3]
Its population in 2021 was estimated to be 29,125. [4]
The name's origin is attributed to the Carthaginian general Mago Barca, brother to Hannibal, who is thought to have taken refuge there in 205 BC. [5] [6] After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it became part of the Eastern Roman Empire; it suffered raids from Vikings and Arabs until the Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba conquered it in 903.
Mahón was captured in 1287 from the Moors by Alfonso III of Aragon and incorporated into the Kingdom of Majorca, a vassal kingdom of the Crown of Aragon. Its harbour, one of the most strategically important in the western Mediterranean, was refortified.
In 1535, the Ottomans, under Hayreddin Barbarossa, attacked Mahón and took 600 captives as slaves back to Algiers, in the Sack of Mahon. [7]
Menorca was captured in 1708 by a joint British–Dutch force on behalf of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, during the War of the Spanish Succession. The British saw the island's potential as a naval base and sought to take full control. Its status as a British possession was confirmed by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. During the island's years as a British dependency, the capital was moved from Ciutadella de Menorca to Mahon, which then served as residence for the governor, the most famous being General Richard Kane. During this period the natural harbour leading to the town and surrounding settlements were sometimes collectively known as "Port Mahon" (see adjacent map). [8]
The island was lost to the French in 1756 following the naval Battle of Menorca and the final Siege of Fort St Philip, which took place several miles from the town. After their defeat in the Seven Years' War, France returned the island to the British in 1763. In a joint Franco-Spanish effort and following a long five month invasion, the British surrendered the island again in 1782; It was transferred to Spain in 1783 as part of the Peace of Paris. The British recaptured the island in 1798, during the French Revolutionary Wars. The British and the French tried (and failed) to end their hostilities with the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. Both nations agreed to cede or withdraw from certain territories, with the island of Menorca passing to the Spanish, with whom it has remained since.
A small but important Royal Navy Dockyard was established by the British on the north side of the harbour, opposite the town, in 1715. [9] It served as the Royal Navy's principal Mediterranean base for much of the 18th century, and remains in use today as a Spanish Naval station. Several Dockyard buildings, dating from the 1760s, can still be seen on Illa Pinto (formerly known as Saffron Island) including a Naval Storehouse with clock tower. There recently have been moves to establish a maritime museum here. [10] The island has a distinctive octagonal shape, formed when wharves were constructed around it in the 1760s to enable several warships to be careened there all at once.
The ruins of a former Royal Naval Hospital, founded in 1711, stand on another nearby island (Illa del Rei). They recently have been restored. [9] Hauser & Wirth has established a gallery on the island. [11]
During the Spanish Civil War, the island remained loyal to the Republic, but was captured by the Nationalists in 1939. During the battle to capture the islands from the republicans, Mahón was bombed by Francisco Franco's Nationalist bomber planes, with support from Benito Mussolini's Italian Fascist government. [12]
General Franco visited the city on 11 May 1960 to open a new thermal power station. The event was used by the authorities to further promote Francoist Spain.[ citation needed ]
Today it serves as the seat of the Island Council of Menorca (Consell Insular de Menorca).
Towards the end of the 20th century, the renovation of its historic centre was made possible by income from tourism.[ citation needed ]
A traditional cheese made on the island ( Mahón cheese ) is named after the city. In Spanish mahón is also the name of nankeen, especially the blue cloth. [13]
In terms of sport, Mahón has an athletics track in the Carrer de Vasallo, as well as several other sport facilities. The city also has a sports centre with a municipal pool, 2 tennis clubs.
Mahón has several football teams, including UD Mahón, CD Menorca and CF Sporting de Mahón. The most noteworthy and successful club in Menorcan history, Sporting Mahonés CF, was the only football club in Menorca ever to reach Segunda División B. The team disbanded in 2013, and Sporting de Mahón took its place. As of 2024, no team in Mahón is in the Tercera Federación or higher.
In basketball, Mahón has the Pavelló Menorca, with capacity of 5000 spectator. The venue is most known for albergating one of the few teams in the Balearic Islands to be at the Spanish first division of basketball, Liga ACB, that team was Menorca Bàsquet. After staying 5 seasons in their history at Liga ACB, the directors closed the club due to debts.
Mahón had to wait 5 years to get another basketball club, and that club is CB Menorca, considered by many to be Menorca Bàsquet's phoenix club. After 5 seasons in LEB Plata, on the 2022-23 LEB Plata season CB Menorca gained promotion to LEB Oro, making Menorca host basketball second division matches after a decade, and in their first LEB Oro season, the team finished 12th.
Mahón/Menorca has a Hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) with mild, somewhat humid winters and dry, hot summers. Autumn is the wettest season and heavy rain is not rare during October and November. [14]
Climate data for Menorca Airport 91m (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 14.1 (57.4) | 14.2 (57.6) | 15.9 (60.6) | 18.0 (64.4) | 21.6 (70.9) | 25.8 (78.4) | 28.9 (84.0) | 29.2 (84.6) | 26.2 (79.2) | 22.7 (72.9) | 18.1 (64.6) | 15.2 (59.4) | 20.8 (69.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.8 (51.4) | 10.8 (51.4) | 12.3 (54.1) | 14.3 (57.7) | 17.8 (64.0) | 21.8 (71.2) | 24.9 (76.8) | 25.4 (77.7) | 22.6 (72.7) | 19.4 (66.9) | 14.9 (58.8) | 12.1 (53.8) | 17.2 (63.0) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) | 7.4 (45.3) | 8.6 (47.5) | 10.6 (51.1) | 13.9 (57.0) | 17.8 (64.0) | 20.8 (69.4) | 21.5 (70.7) | 18.9 (66.0) | 16.1 (61.0) | 11.6 (52.9) | 9.0 (48.2) | 13.6 (56.5) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 52 (2.0) | 54 (2.1) | 38 (1.5) | 45 (1.8) | 37 (1.5) | 14 (0.6) | 3 (0.1) | 20 (0.8) | 61 (2.4) | 78 (3.1) | 88 (3.5) | 61 (2.4) | 546 (21.5) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 64 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 144 | 146 | 202 | 222 | 270 | 311 | 347 | 312 | 225 | 183 | 142 | 130 | 2,632 |
Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología [15] |
At 39°51′23″N4°17′29″E / 39.8565°N 4.2915°E , there is a large military Wullenweber antenna for radio direction finding.
Menorca or Minorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Mahón, situated on the island's eastern end, although Menorca is not a province and forms a political union with the other islands in the archipelago. Ciutadella and Mahón are the main ports and largest towns. The port of Mahón is the second biggest natural port in the world.
Cabrera is an island in the Balearic Islands, Spain located in the Mediterranean Sea off the southern coast of Mallorca. A National Park, its highest point is Na Picamosques. Uninhabited, it’s administratively part of the city of Palma in Mallorca.
Ibiza is a city and municipality located on the southeast coast of the island of Ibiza in the Balearic Islands autonomous community.
Balearic cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine as cooked in the Balearic Islands, Spain. It can be regarded as part of a wider Catalan cuisine, since it shares many dishes and ingredients with Catalonia and the Valencian Community. Others view it as part of a more global Spanish cuisine. Traditional Balearic cuisine is rich in vegetables, cereal and legumes as well as being low in fats. A succinct selection of the primary dishes would be ensaimades, seafood and vegetable stews, sobrassada, coques, tombet, Maó cheese and wine.
Club Bàsquet Manresa S.A.D., also known as Baxi Manresa for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Manresa, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the Champions League. It home arena is the Pavelló Nou Congost. In 1998, Bàsquet Manresa won the Spanish Championship in one of the most astonishing and well-known sporting accomplishment in Europe.
Menorca Airport, also known as Mahón Menorca Airport is an international airport serving the island of Menorca, one of Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The airport is located 4.5 km (2.8 mi) southwest of the city of Mahón. The airport is primarily used by charter and seasonal flights and is busiest during the April-October season. In 2019, the airport handled over 3 million passengers, making it the fifteenth busiest airport in the country that year.
Maó cheese is a soft to hard white cheese made from cows' milk, named after the town and natural port of Maó, on the island of Menorca off the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Menorca is known for its cheese production.
Club Bàsquet L'Hospitalet, also known as Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team based in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia and plays in the Complex Esportiu L'Hospitalet Nord, in LEB Plata league.
Colom Island is a small island of 143 acres (0.58 km2), located about 200 metres (656 ft) from the north-east coast of Menorca. In the past it was used as a pesthouse and later as farmland. It belonged to the Roca family from Mahón starting in 1904, when it was bought by Mr. Antonio Roca Várez. There is a single 100 square meter home on the island. It is currently part of the Natural Park of the Albufera of Es Grau.
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a province and autonomous community of Spain, with Palma de Mallorca being its capital and largest city.
In November 1798 a British expedition captured the island of Menorca from Spain. A large force under General Charles Stuart landed on the island and forced its Spanish garrison to surrender in eight days with only some bloodshed. The British occupied the island for four years, using it as a major naval base, before handing it back to Spain following the Treaty of Amiens.
The Capture of Minorca saw the island of Menorca captured from Spain by British and Dutch forces acting on behalf of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor the Austrian claimant to the Spanish throne in September 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The British would later annex the island as their own possession at the Treaty of Utrecht (1713).
Menorcan or Minorcan is a dialect of Catalan spoken on the island of Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands. It is very similar linguistically to the dialects of Catalan spoken in the other islands: Mallorquí in Mallorca and Eivissenc in Ibiza. It also has many similarities to English and French, as well as containing anglicisms of the British rule on the island. Some examples are xoc ('chalk'), boínder ('bow-window') or bòtil ('bottle').
Francisco Olmos Hernández, usually known as Paco Olmos, is a Spanish professional basketball coach, who is currently the head coach of the San Pablo Burgos of the Spanish LEB Oro.
The 2011–12 LEB Oro season is the 16th season of the Liga Española de Baloncesto. It's named too Adecco Oro by sponsorship reasons. The 306-game regular season will begin on Friday, September 23, 2010, and will end on Friday, April 27, 2011. The champion of the regular season will be promoted to Liga ACB. The teams between 2nd and 9th position will play a best of 5 games play off, where the winner will be promoted too to the higher division. The teams 16th and 17th will play a best of 5 games play-out where the loser will be relegated to LEB Plata, with the 18th team.
The Battle of Menorca was a battle that took place in Menorca during the Spanish Civil War between 7 and 9 February 1939. It was one of the last battles of the war and the last confrontation in the Balearic Islands.
Club Bàsquet Girona 2014, SAD, commonly known as Bàsquet Girona, is a professional basketball club based in Girona, Spain. It was founded in 2014 by former NBA player Marc Gasol. The team plays in the Liga ACB. It home arena is Fontajau.
Club Bàsquet Menorca is a Spanish basketball club based in Mahón, Balearic Islands.
L'Illa del Rei, also called Hospital Island in English, is a small island in the middle of the main navigable entry channel to Mahon on the northeastern side of Menorca in the Mediterranean Sea.