Majorca (Balearic Islands, Spain)

Mallorca, Majorca Island Council, Consejo/Consell Insular de Mallorca

Last modified: 2001-09-08 by santiago dotor
Keywords: spain | balearic islands | majorca | mallorca | consejo insular | consell insular | stripes: 9 | castle (white) | angel (black) | human: winged | unidentified flag |
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2:3
by Pascal Gross and Antonio Gutiérrez

• Description
• Flag Variants
• Municipal Flags
• Flags at Sóller August 2000 Festival

See also:

• Palma de Mallorca Maritime Province
• Balearic Islands (Spain)
• Spain

According to the Manual del Estado Español (Handbook of the Spanish State, Spanish text only) by Editorial Lama:

• flag (without date): "está formada por barras rojas horizontales sobre fondo amarillo; a la izquierda, un castillo con cinco torres" i.e. red stripes on a yellow field, at the hoist a white castle with five towers;
• coat-of-arms (without date): "Cuartelado: en el primero y el tercero, dos rayas rojas sobre fondo amarillo. En el segundo y cuarto, castillo de cinco torres. Timbrado con corona real."

Pascal Vagnat, 16 July 1999

I spent some days in Majorca in August 2000. Most flag displays included the flags of Spain, the European Union and the Balearic Islands. Strangely enough, the flag of the Consell Insular de Mallorca (Majorca Island Council) was rarely to be seen. The flag of Majorca is like that of the Balearic Islands but has the canton turned 90º counterclockwise and occupying all of the hoist. Also, a human figure outlined in white is shown standing on the middle tower. Of the few Majorcan flags I could see, most had the hoist-by rectangle occupying 1/3rd of the flag's length, but others appeared to measure 1/4th. Also, the human figure on the tower was sometimes missing.

Santiago Dotor, 5 September 2000

The flag is the Aragonese-Catalan flag —nine horizontal stripes yellow and red— with, in the hoist, a white castle rotated 90º counterclockwise on a purple field. On the central tower, a human figure in black. The figure appears to have a nimbus on its head and a lance, which makes me think of St. George. Pascal Gross's image is based on an official handbook of the Govern Balear (autonomous government) which details the community's flag and arms as well as those of the three island councils.

Santiago Dotor, 30 October 2000

The figure is an angel. The castle on the flag represents Almudaina Castle, in Palma de Mallorca, the capital city of the Balearic Islands. This was the royal castle of Majorcan kings, and has, in its central tower, the figure if an angel — I do not know why.

Jordi Pérez, 30 October 2000

2:3
by Pascal Gross

On the few Majorcan flags I could see in August 2000, the human figure on the tower was sometimes missing. Most had the rectangle at the hoist occupying 1/3rd of the flag's length, but on others it appeared to measure 1/4th.

Santiago Dotor, 5 September 2000

Pascal Gross also made an initial version of the image which lacked the human figure standing on the castle, a very common mistake in actual flags.

Santiago Dotor, 30 October 2000

Some municipal flags (I seem to recall Sóller for instance, near the northern coast) were made up of a lozenge-shaped coat-of-arms over a nine-striped yellow and red background. At Puerto Pollensa both the Pollensa flag, quarterly red and black, and the burgee of the Real Club Náutico de Puerto Pollensa could be seen.

Santiago Dotor, 5 September 2000

Some kind of music or theater festival took place at Sóller in August 2000, whereby a weird assortment of flags was displayed in front of the city hall. I can remember those of:

• Georgia
• Western Sahara (surprisingly a quite correct sinister hoist version, with crescent and star only on the reverse)
• a horizontal blue-white-light green flag with an orange device on the canton, identical in position, shape and size to that on the Aghin Buriatia flag (this flag appeared to be also a 'sinister hoist' version, with no device on the obverse). The flag I saw might be a (very) mistaken version of the Buriatia flag.
• Aragon

Santiago Dotor, 5 September 2000