Mahon 74617 225525546 2008-07-14T03:52:58Z 78.147.168.197 {{two other uses||the town in Ireland|Mahon, County Cork}} [[Image:Localització de Maó.png|thumb|right|200px|Municipality of [[Mahón]]]] '''Mahón''' (alternately, '''Maó''' in [[Catalan language|Catalan]]), is a [[municipality]] and the capital city of the [[Balearic islands|Balearic Island]] of [[Minorca]] (the Balearic Islands form an autonomous [[Spain|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 [[Kingdom of Great Britain|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 Empire|British dependency]] in the 18th century, Mahon served as its capital and residence for the governor, the most famous being [[Richard Kane|General Richard Kane]] (references to General Kane as "Sir" are erroneous; he was never knighted <ref>{{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 }}</ref>). [[Image:Mahon-Altstadt.jpg|thumb|right|Historic centre of Mahon]] 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 (''[[Mahón cheese|Queso de Mahón]]'') is named after the city. [[Mayonnaise]] is argued to have its origin and name in this Minorcan city<ref>[http://www.bonaventura.co.uk/smallaffair.html A Small Affair - French Menorca (1756 - 1763)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. 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. [[Image:Maó 120.PNG|thumb|120px|Traditional coat of arms of Mahon]] 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 [[conservatism|conservatist]] sectors. Some also prefer the old Catalan spelling (''Mahó''). Catalan is itself subject to regional sub-dialects, see [[Catalan_language]], with each of the Balearic islands having its own variations. ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{commonscat|Mahón}} *[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 [[University of the Balearic Islands|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] {{Geolinks-cityscale|39.8892|4.2637}} {{Illes Balears}} [[Category:Municipalities in Menorca]] [[ca:Maó]] [[de:Maó]] [[es:Mahón]] [[eu:Mao (Balear Uharteak)]] [[fr:Mahón]] [[gl:Maó]] [[id:Mahon]] [[it:Mahón]] [[nl:Maó]] [[pl:Mahón]] [[pt:Maó]] [[ru:Маон]] [[sv:Mahón]] [[tr:Maó]]