Ara Balears in English - place names

Toponymy is not a political whim

Climent Picornell — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 20:31:38 +0000

I read that the far-right party Vox says it will condition its support for the approval of the 88 amendments to the strategic projects law –a true shake-up of the current system that will modify almost thirty laws– on a change in the toponymy of the Balearic Islands: “That they return to bilingual toponymy, Palma-Palma de Mallorca, Maó-Mahón and others like Santanyí-Santañí”. The Government has already replied that it does not agree with this, as it contravenes the Law of Linguistic Normalization.

Now, place names

Sebastià Alzamora — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 06:31:01 +0000

Every time Marga Prohens's highly ineffective government needs to pass something, it has to pay the corresponding political price demanded by its partners, or rather, its owners, in Vox (by the way, the writers Biel Mesquida, Carles Rebassa, and Josep Ramon Cerdà have already congratulated the president? In less than a week, Jordi and the Àngel Guimerà Prize for dramatic writing have won three prestigious awards in our literature, which is clearly Catalan literature). This time, the PP intends to pass a package of tax measures with reductions (of course, the right always cuts taxes in exchange for dismantling public services) to encourage, in their view, home purchases. In return, Vox is demanding the "recovery" (a recovery that stems directly from the Franco regime) of Balearic place names in Spanish. The PP bows its head, as always, and acquiesces to Vox's demands. Writing the place names of the Balearic Islands in Castilian Spanish is not only an aberration from a philological point of view: it is a humiliation, a sign of... right of conquest This is how Vox people think they should treat the people of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera. Just like the Catalans, by the way, and the Valencians. If anyone understands the existence of the Catalan Countries, it's the Spanish ultranationalists. To destroy them, naturally.

'Deya', 'Estellenchs', 'Mahón'... Why don't airlines respect Catalan place names?

ARA Balears — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:54:16 +0000

The Balearic Cultural Association (OCB) on Wednesday called on several airlines to correct the toponymic errors they use on their digital platforms and to incorporate Catalan as a standard language in their operations. The organization considers it "unacceptable" that incorrect or archaic forms of the names of municipalities in the Balearic Islands continue to be used and reminds them that regional regulations establish the official toponymy. Errors have also been detected in the drop-down menus for origin and destination points, as well as in the drop-down menus for resident discounts, where incorrect forms such as [examples of Catalan and Catalan] appear. Deya by Deià, Mahón via Mahón, Estellenchs by Estellencs, Santa Eulalia del Río by Santa Eulalia del Río, and Palma de Mallorca by Palma, among others. The OCB considers that these forms "not only violate current regulations, but also convey a distorted image of the linguistic reality of the territory."

Do it in Catalan demands that the airports of Palma, Ibiza, and Menorca adopt the Catalan name.

H.R. — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 18:27:53 +0000

Let's do it in Catalan has requested the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to The three airports in the Balearic Islands will now have Catalan names.The entity claims that thePalma de Mallorca Airport, heIbiza Airport and theMenorca Airport are officially called Palma Airport, Ibiza Airport and Menorca Airport.

Vox demands the return of the name 'Palma de Mallorca', but the PP does not foresee it.

Maria Llull — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 21:02:22 +0000

Vox will demand the reinstatement of the name "Palma de Mallorca" at the Palma City Council plenary session on September 25. However, this initiative will not have much impact, because the PP "does not plan" to change the name of the city again, according to sources within the City Council who spoke to ARA Baleares.

What is the ugliest town in Mallorca?

ARA Balears — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 08:53:08 +0000

What is the ugliest town in Mallorca? This is the question the Ximbomba agency poses to several people in a video posted on social media. Ximbomba, known for its humorous videos based on questions to tourists and residents about the Balearic Islands, addresses several islanders with this question.