View from a northern side of the Andorra la Vella, Consell General d'Andorra, Casa de la Vall, Centric Hotel, Church of Saint Stephen, Massip-Dolsa house, Andorra in 1986, La Valira,
As of 2015[update], the city had a population of 22,886, and the urban area, which includes Escaldes-Engordany plus satellite villages, has over 40,000 inhabitants.[citation needed]
The principal industry is tourism, and the country also earns foreign income from being a tax haven.[citation needed] It is at an elevation of 1,023m (3,356ft), and is the highest capital city in Europe.[citation needed] The city shares a border with Spain.
Name
Andorra la Vella means "the city of Andorra", to distinguish it from the Principality of Andorra as a whole.[3] Although in Catalan the word vella (like French vieille) is derived from the Latin word vetula which means "old", the Vella here (like French ville and Catalan vila) is derived from the Latin word villa, meaning "city".[4]
The settlement of Andorra la Vella has been the principal city of Andorra since 1278 when the French and the Episcopal co-princes agreed to joint suzerainty. Andorra la Vella's old town—the Barri Antic—includes streets and buildings dating from this time. Its most notable building is the Casa de la Vall—constructed in the early sixteenth century—which has been the state's parliamentary house since 1702. Andorra la Vella was, during this period, the capital of a largely isolated and feudal state, which retained its independence due to this principle of co-sovereignty.
Well into the twentieth century, the area around Andorra la Vella remained largely forgotten. After political turmoil in the 1930s and an attempted coup by Boris Skossyreff, an informal democracy developed.
In 1993, the country's first constitution formalised this parliamentary democracy with executive, legislative, and judicial branches located in Andorra la Vella.
During this period, Andorra also developed as a tax haven, resulting in the construction of modern banking offices in Andorra La Vella. The city also developed its skiing facilities, to the extent that Andorra la Vella was Andorra's applicant city for the XXI Olympic Winter Games, the 2010 Winter Olympics. However, Andorra la Vella was not selected by the IOC as a candidate city, following the evaluation report of an IOC commission. It also hosted both the 1991 and 2005 Games of the Small States of Europe.
Andorra la Vella has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), with warm days and cool nights in summer, and chilly to cold, snowy winters. The average annual precipitation is 812.3mm (32in). Temperatures in the city are lowered by the altitude (1,075 metres) compared with lowland areas.
Climate data for Andorra La Vella (Roc de Sant Pere), elevation: 1,075m (1971–2000, extremes 1934–present)
The parish of Andorra la Vella is divided into the villages of Andorra la Vella itself, La Margineda and Santa Coloma.
Landmarks
Footpath in Andorra la Vella
The city's old town is characterized by old stone streets and houses. The central Església de Sant Esteve (Saint Stephen) church is part of the area that guidebooks often label as a picturesque part of the city.[9] This was built in a Romanesque style in the eleventh century. As mentioned earlier, the old town also includes the country's historic parliament building. Probably the oldest building in the city is another church, dating from the ninth century, is the Church of Santa Coloma d'Andorra.[10]
Native Andorrans account for only a third (33%) of the population, with the plurality being Spanish (43%), and notable minorities of Portuguese (11%) and French (7%). Most of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics. There is a high life expectancy of over 80 years.
Culture
The city is the country's cultural centre, with the Government Exhibition Hall acting as a main theatre and museum. The piazza outside the parliament building is also the location of a number of events, and the town hosts a music festival every winter.
Andorra la Vella is the country's commercial centre. In the country as a whole, 80% of the GDP is derived from the 10million tourists who visit annually.[12] The city is also the centre for the many banks and businesses that thrive from its tax haven status. The state is not a member of the European Union, but has a customs arrangement with the EU, and uses the euro.
Transportation
Andorra la Vella has direct access to air transportation with commercial helicopter flights from Andorra la Vella Heliport, located in the city centre. Andorra–La Seu d'Urgell Airport is located 24 kilometres (15 miles) south of the city; it is actually located in Spain and since July 2015 operates domestic routes to various airports across that country.[13] Nearby airports located in Spain and France provide access to international flights with the nearest airports being Perpignan (156km away) and Lleida (160km away). The largest nearby airports are Toulouse (Tolosa), Girona and Barcelona.[14]
Andorra la Vella does not have a train station, although there are bus shuttle services linking the city to train stations at L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre (France) and Lleida in Spain. There are also shuttle buses from Barcelona, Girona and Reus' airports to Andorra la Vella.[15]
Education
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2015)
The Instituto Español de Andorra (IEA), a Spanish international secondary school, is in La Margineda in Andorra la Vella.[16] The Spanish primary school is Escuela Española de Andorra la Vella.[17]
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Andorra la Vella is twinned with the following cities:
Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Western Europe, bordered by France to the north and Spain to the south. Believed to have been created by Charlemagne, Andorra was ruled by the count of Urgell until 988, when it was transferred to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell. The present principality was formed by a charter in 1278. It is currently headed by two co-princes: the Bishop of Urgell in Catalonia, Spain, and the president of France. Its capital and largest city is Andorra la Vella.
Andorra is a small, landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountain range and bordered by Spain and France. With an area of 468 km², it is the sixth smallest country in Europe and also the largest of the European microstates.
This is a demography of the population of Andorra, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The Gran Valira is the largest river in Andorra. It flows through the capital, Andorra la Vella, and exits the country in the south near the Spain–Andorra road border crossing.
La Seu d'Urgell is a town located in Alt Urgell county in Alt Pirineu, Catalonia, Spain. The town is also the head of its judicial district and the seat of the Bishop of Urgell, one of the co-princes of Andorra. It is located the most populated town of the region, with 17.4% of its population. La Seu d'Urgell and Puigcerdà together have 30% of the population of the area.
Andorra consists of seven communities known as parishes. Until relatively recently, it had only six parishes; the seventh, Escaldes–Engordany, was created in 1978.
Andorra is essentially Catalan speaking. The country has contributed significantly to the Catalan heritage.
La Massana is one of the seven parishes of the Principality of Andorra. It is located in the northwest of the country. La Massana is also the name of the main town of the parish. The name Massana derives from the Latin name mattianam for a variety of apple. Other settlements in the parish are Pal, Arinsal, Erts, Sispony, Anyós, L'Aldosa de la Massana, Puiol del Pui, Escàs, Els Plans, Mas de Ribafeta, Xixerella and Pui.
Canillo is one of the seven parishes which make up Andorra. Canillo is also the name of the main town of the parish. The parish is considered the religious center of Andorra with the Sanctuary and Chapel of Our Lady of Meritxell, patron saint of Andorra, and contains one of the best-preserved romanesque churches in the Pyrenees, Sant Joan de Caselles. It has a population of 4,826 as of 2011. Despite having a tourist vocation, the parish of Canillo still retains many livestock and agricultural traits. It borders France to the north and east.
Ordino is the most northerly parish in the Principality of Andorra. It's mostly the main area of Valira del Nord or Valira d'Ordino river valley. Ordino is also the name of the main town of the parish. Other settlements in the parish are El Serrat, Ansalonga, Sornàs, La Cortinada, Llorts, Segudet, Arans, Les Salines and Arcalís. It is home to the Sorteny National Park, the largest nature area of Andorra. It has a population of 4,858, as of 2017. The town preserves a vast medieval center, mainly linked to the culture of the country.
The Catholic Church in Andorra is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Els Vilars d'Engordany, or simply Els Vilars, is a village in Andorra, located in the parish of Escaldes-Engordany. It is part of the contiguous urban area of Escaldes-Engordany and Andorra La Vella, and has panoramic views over the capital and the Gran Valira river valley. Església de Sant Romà dels Vilars is located here.
Santa Coloma d'Andorra, also known as Santa Coloma, is an Andorran town in the parish of Andorra la Vella, located near the Gran Valira river and 2 km away from the capital, Andorra la Vella.
La Margineda is an Andorran village located in the parish of Andorra la Vella. It is noted for its 12th-century Romanesque bridge, Pont de la Margineda, which is the best preserved and largest such bridge in Andorra, being 33 metres long and 9.2 metres tall.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Andorra:
Listed below are articles about or related to Andorra, arranged alphabetically:
The Cultural Heritage of Andorra is an organization in Andorra which protects national buildings and monuments considered of cultural and historical value.
The 2016–17 Primera Divisió or Lliga Grup Becier, was the 22nd season of top-tier football in Andorra. The season began on 18 September 2016 and concluded on 21 May 2017; this was followed by the two-legged relegation play-off on 28 and 31 May 2017. The defending champions were FC Santa Coloma, who won their tenth championship in the previous season.
The 2019 Andorran local elections were held on 15 December, to elect all councillors in the seven parishes of Andorra.
↑ Roach, Peter (2011). Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18thed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN978-0-521-15253-2.
↑ "Andorra la Vella | enciclopèdia.cat". www.enciclopedia.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 2018-09-23. "El sobrenom la Vella, és a dir, la vila, li fou afegit posteriorment per tal de distingir la vila del conjunt del territori homònim i potser també per a subratllar-ne la capitalitat" English: "The nickname La Vella, that is, the town, was later added to distinguish the town from the whole of the territory [of Andorra] and perhaps also to emphasize its role as the capital.
↑ Carrick, Noel (1988). Andorra. Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN9780791000991. The word vella has been translated into both English and Spanish as meaning 'old'. In fact, vella is a corruption of the Latin word villa, meaning 'city'. Thus Andorra la Vella merely means 'the city of Andorra'
↑ "InicioArchived 2018-03-18 at the Wayback Machine " Escuela Española de Andorra la Vella. Retrieved on May 2, 2015. "C/ CIUTAL DE VALLS, 33 AD500- ANDORRA LA VELLA"
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