Mahon

Mahon

Mahón (alternately, Maó in Catalan), is a municipality and the capital city of the Balearic Island of Minorca (the Balearic Islands form an autonomous Spanish community), located in the eastern part of the island. Mahon has the second deepest natural port in the world, 5km long and up to 900m wide. The water is deep but it remains very clear.

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.

Mahon was captured in 1287 from the Moors by Alfonso III of Aragon and incorporated into the Kingdom of Majorca, a vassal kingdom of the Kingdom of Aragon. Its harbour, one of the most strategically important in the western Mediterranean, was re-fortified.

Minorca was captured by the British during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1707, and its status as a British possession was confirmed by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. During the island's years as a British dependency in the 18th century, Mahon served as its capital and residence for the governor, the most famous being General Richard Kane (references to General Kane as "Sir" are erroneous; he was never knighted [cite book |title= Richard Kane Governor of Minorca |last= Sloss |first= Janet |authorlink= Janet Sloss |year= 1995 |publisher= The Bonaventura Press |isbn= 0-9508153-6-5 ] ).Today it serves as the seat of the Island Council of Minorca ("Consell Insular de Menorca").

Towards the end of the 20th century, a refurbishment of its historic centre was made possible by income from tourism.

A traditional cheese made on the island ("Queso de Mahón") is named after the city. Mayonnaise is argued to have its origin and name in this Minorcan city [ [http://www.bonaventura.co.uk/smallaffair.html A Small Affair - French Menorca (1756 - 1763) ] ] . In Spanish "mahón" is also the name of nankeen, especially the blue cloth.

Spelling controversy

There is some debate over what the correct spelling of the city's name in English should be; due to the general tendency in English to ignore accents in foreign words, many dictionaries refer to the city by an adaptation ("Mahon") of its Spanish name ("Mahón"), while many other sources vouch for using the Catalan spelling ("Maó") in English-language publications.Related to this, there is controversy around the correct official toponomy: ("Maó") is the proper form according to Catalan orthography and approved by local, regional and national government, but ("Mahón"), is preferred by some conservatist sectors. Some also prefer the old Catalan spelling ("Mahó"). The Catalan is itself subject to regional sub-dialects, with each of the Balearic islands having its own variations.

References

External links

* [http://www.menorca-airport.com/en/ Mahon airport]
* [http://www.visita-mahon.com Virtual tour through Maó]
* [http://www.ajmao.org/Contingut.aspx?IDIOMA=3&IdPub=807&Seccio=24 Ajuntament de Maó]
* [http://www.webmenorca.com/v2/Area.aspx?AreaID=7&LanguageCode=en Municipality of Mahon, WebMenorca site] : walking tour of Mahon/Maó
* [http://www.uib.es/secc6/slg/go/notes_inf/mao.html Note about the toponomy] From the Onomastics office of Universitat de les Illes Balears ca icon
* [http://www.esdiari.com/noticia_menorca.php?id=2528 Es Diari Digital in reference to the Maó/Mahón spelling controversy] es icon
* [http://www.mca-hotels.com/holidays-guide-minorca/95/98/menorca/mao/ Guide to Mallorca: Maó]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mahon — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Bernard M Mahon (1775?–1816), irisch amerikanischer Gärtner und Botaniker Derek Mahon (* 1941), irischer Dichter und Übersetzer Gabriel H. Mahon (1889–1962), US amerikanischer Politiker George Herman Mahon …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • mahon — MAHÓN s.m. Nume dat mai multor specii de arbori din regiunea tropicală a Americii, cu lemnul de culoare brună roşiatică, foarte rezistent, întrebuinţat la confecţionarea mobilelor de lux. p.restr. lemnul acestor arbori; acaju. – Din tc. mahun,… …   Dicționar Român

  • mahoń — I {{/stl 13}}{{stl 8}}rz. mnż III, D. mahońoniu; lm D. mahońoni || mahońoniów {{/stl 8}}{{stl 7}} drzewo wysokości 20–30 m, o korze łuszczącej się małymi płatami oraz drewnie odznaczającym się pięknym rysunkiem słojów; występuje w wielu gatunkach …   Langenscheidt Polski wyjaśnień

  • Mahon — Nom porté dans l Oise, également présent en Alsace et dans le Doubs. Il s agit sans doute d un ancien nom de baptême, formé à partir de Mahaut (= Mathilde). A noter cependant qu en ancien français le mot mahom correspond à Mahomet, et donc à tout …   Noms de famille

  • mahón — (De Mahón, en Menorca, donde en el siglo XVIII los buques ingleses transbordaban los cargamentos destinados a puertos españoles de Levante). m. Tela fuerte y fresca de algodón escogido, de diversos colores, que primeramente se fabricó en la… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • mahón — sustantivo masculino 1. (no contable) Queso tierno o seco, salado y de color amarillento, propio de Mahón, ciudad española en las Islas Baleares …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • Mahon [1] — Mahon, türkisches Ruderfahrzeug …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Mahon [2] — Mahon (Port M.), Stadt u. Hauptort der spanischen Insel Menorca, auf der Ostküste, stark befestigt (das sonstige Fort Philipp liegt jetzt in Trümmern), Hasen (durch mehre Batterien gedeckt, mit schönem Molo), 3 Kirchen, 3 Klöster, Marinearsenal,… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Mahon [3] — Mahon (spr. Mahong), Herzog von M., so v.w. Crillon 2) 5) …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Mahon [4] — Mahon (spr. Meh n), Phil. Henry Stanhope, Viscount M., Sohn des 1855 verstorbenen Grafen Stauhope, geb. 30. Jan. 1805 auf Walmer Castle, trat 1830 für Wooton Basset in das Unterbaus u. war von Ende 1834 bis April 1835 Unterstaatssecretär des… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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