Mahón

Maó-Mahón, sometimes written in English as Mahon (Catalan: Maó [məˈo], Spanish: Mahón [maˈon]) is a municipality, capital city of the island Menorca, and seat of the Island Council of Menorca. The city located on the eastern coast of the island, which is part of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, Spain. Maó-Mahón has one of the largest natural harbours in the world: 5 km (3.1 mi) long and up to 900 metres (2,953 feet) wide. The water is deep but it remains mostly clear due to it being slightly enclosed.

Its population in 2009 was estimated to be 29,495 inhabitants.

History

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. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it became part of the Eastern Empire; it suffered raids from Vikings and Arabs, until the Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba conquered it in 903.

Maó-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 re-fortified.