Mallorca in the Balearic Islands is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition, of 30 crewmembers, aboard the International Space Station. The Balearic Islands are an archipelago located to the southwest of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. Catalan -- the native tongue -- and Spanish are the official languages. The islands are an autonomous community and province of Spain, located approximately midway between the southeastern coastline of Spain and the northern coastline of Algeria.

This photograph highlights the large island of Majorca (approximately 5,400 square kilometers; also known as Mallorca in Spanish) on which the capital city of Palma is located (center). The small island of Cabrera to the southwest of Majorca (upper left) hosts the Parc Nacional de l'Arxipelag de Cabrera . Like the other Balearic Islands, Mallorca is a popular holiday destination for the European community with tourism forming a major part of the island's economy. The island's physiography offers many recreational opportunities -- mountainous regions are present along the northwest coastline and eastern third, while much of the central part of the island is flat. The central region includes agricultural lands (tan, light brown, and green, center), forested patches and corridors (dark green, center), and urban centers (gray).