The Mallorca Quiz Of 2012

1: Off which Mallorcan resort was Roman buried treasure located under the seabed?
Puerto Alcúdia. A radar survey suggested that treasure and the great wall of the Roman port had been found.

2: Who is José Manuel Soria?
The national government tourism minister.

3: What did Alejandro Campos patent in 1937?
Table football, the version in which the legs of the "players" are separated and which is the version that will normally be found in Spain.

4: At which sport played internationally by Spain have Talat Ali and Tanvir Iqbal excelled?
Cricket.

5: What culinary tradition is often considered to have come about through a decree by King Philip III?
Tapas. The idea was to cover ("tapar") drinks with a small piece of food that would help to reduce drunkenness.

6: A hotel complex and theme park dedicated to which Spanish "institution" is due to open in 2015 in the emirate of Ras-al-Khaimah?
Real Madrid Football Club.

7: The name of which Mallorcan resort is derived from the Arabic for filthy water?
Magalluf.

8: Which Mallorcan town celebrated its 200th anniversary of having gained independence?
Búger. It gained its independence from neighbouring Campanet and became a town in its own right.

9: What did King Juan Carlos apologise for in April this year?
His elephant-hunting trip to Botswana.

10: Who was supposedly snubbed by leading politicians at this year's Pollensa Festival?
Sir Norman Foster the architect to whom the introductory concert at the festival was dedicated.

11: Who did rapper Josemy Valtonyc Marx Beltrán suggest should be assassinated?
King Juan Carlos. (He also wished bad things for leading politicians.)

12: What, having been touted to other Mallorcan towns, appeared to have finally found a location in Inca?
Tierra Santa, the Christian theme park.

13: According to consultants Deloitte, which is Spain's leading retailer?
Mercadona. It was the highest placed Spanish retailer in a worldwide survey of retailers. Mercadona was number 42 overall.

14: What is the most popular surname in Mallorca?
Garcia. It is the most popular surname in the whole of Spain as well.

15: What is Manos Limpias?
A right-wing union which makes a big deal of pursuing corruption cases and issuing "denuncias" that allege corruption.

16: Who or what is the largest landowner in Spain and despite which doesn't pay property tax?
The Catholic Church.

17: The Council of Mallorca announced that 2013 would be the "year" of which famous Mallorcan?
The Fray Juniper Serra. It will be the 300th anniversary of this son of the town of Petra next year. Serra was a missionary to California.

18: In Sa Pobla, what can only be distributed between 8am and 2pm on the first and third Tuesdays of each month?
Publicity material.

19: Which is the most profitable airport in Spain?
Palma's Son Sant Joan.

20: What tax did Catalonia introduce in November?
A tourist tax that charges overnight stays in all forms of accommodation.

21: The Japanese ambassador to Spain said that the principal reason for Mallorca attracting more Japanese tourists would be what?
Shoes, the buying thereof, one guesses. Mallorcan footwear is said to be well-known and well-regarded in Japan.

22: Which renewable energy source was said to be capable of serving over 11,000 homes in Mallorca?
Biomass from woody debris in forests.

23: The UPyD party said that the merging of what in Mallorca would save public finances 18,000 million euros?
Town halls.

24: Which country did a report identify as Mallorca's main tourist competitor over the next 20 years?
Croatia.

25: Of 265 regions in Europe, in what do the Balearics rank as the eighth worst performing region?
Educational attainment, specifically among the over-15s. The Balearics have some of the worst educational standards in Spain.

Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.