Incredible Counties or districts of Mallorca:

Counties or districts of Mallorca

Although in several sections of our tourism portal we have preferred to summarise the areas of the island between the North and South of Mallorca, we must first of all remember that, within the framework of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, the 53 towns, villages or municipalities of Mallorca are structured and divided – unofficially – into 6 districts (counties) or commonwealths.

Districts, counties (comarcas) in Spain: What is a district?

In the case of Spain, counties or districts (comarcas) are territorial divisions delimited by geographical, physical and human affinities. They are sometimes identified with the designations of origin that protect their products, and only in some cases have regional governments endowed the comarcas with legal existence. Such is the case of Mallorca, in the framework of the Balearic Islands. Mallorca’s districts structure has no administrative recognition, but it has traditionally constituted an identifying element with which to distinguish or delimit the different identities of the island.

In Spain, only 5 autonomous communities have administrative districts  (comarcas) officially recognised in some way by the autonomous community: Aragon (33 comarcas or districts), Catalonia (41), Valencia (34), Galicia (53) and the Basque Country (20). In total there are 181 comarcas.

About the Territory of the Counties or districts of Mallorca

The municipalities that make up the counties or districts of Mallorca have experienced intense tourism development. This development is most evident in the island’s coastal areas, while economic activity in the inland plains is primarily based on agriculture and livestock, although agrotourism is also well established in these areas. The coast of Mallorca is almost a succession of bays, coves, and sandy or smooth pebble beaches alternating with steep cliffs.

Territorial structure of Mallorca

Mallorca is territorially structured in different áreas, zones or regions (north, south, central, east, west, etc…). These areas are geographically structured into six counties, districts or commonweald (‘comarques’) with their respective municipalities, being Palma the largest and most populated one. Within the municipalities, Mallorca is made up of different localities (cities, towns, villages, hamlets, neighbourhoods, spas, resorts, etc.)

In short, the territorial structure of Mallorca is characterised by a combination of geographical áreas (zones or regions), ‘comarques’ (counties, districts), municipalities and different localities.