Andorra la Vella
Andorra la Vella | |
|---|---|
        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, | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within Andorra | |
  Andorra la Vella Location within the Iberian peninsula  Andorra la Vella Location within Europe | |
| Coordinates:42°30′N01°30′E/ 42.500°N 1.500°E | |
| Country | Andorra |
| Parishes | Andorra la Vella |
| Villages | La Margineda,Santa Coloma |
| Government | |
| •Cònsol Major | Conxita Marsol |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12 km2(5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,023 m (3,356 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 22,256[1] |
| Demonyms | Andorran andorrà,andorrana(ca) |
| Website | Official site |
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Andorra la Vella[a]is thecapitaland largest city ofAndorra.It is located high in the eastPyrenees,betweenFranceandSpain.It is also the name of theparishthat surrounds the capital.
As of 2015[update],the city has a population of 22,886, and the urban area, which includesEscaldes-Engordanyplus satellite villages, has over 40,000 inhabitants.
The principal industry istourism,although the country also earns foreign income from being atax haven.Furnitureandbrandiesare local products. Being at an elevation of 1,023 m (3,356 ft), it is the highest capital city inEuropeand a popularski resort.The city shares a tiny border area withSpain.
Name[edit]
Andorra la Vellameans "the city of Andorra", to distinguish it from the Principality of Andorra as a whole.[3]Although in Catalan the wordvella(like Frenchvieille) is derived from the Latin wordvetulawhich means "old", theVellahere (like Frenchvilleand Catalanvila) is derived from the Latin wordvilla,meaning "city".[4]
History[edit]
The site of Andorra la Vella has been settled since prior to theChristian era—notably by theAndosintribe from the lateNeolithic.The state is one of theMarca Hispanicacreated and protected byCharlemagnein the eighth century as a buffer from theMoorishsettlers in theIberian Peninsula.[5]
The settlement of Andorra la Vella has been the principal city of Andorra since 1278 when the French and the Episcopal co-princesagreedto joint suzerainty. Andorra la Vella's old town—theBarri Antic—includes streets and buildings dating from this time. Its most notable building is theCasa 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 andfeudalstate, 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 byBoris Skossyreff,an informal democracy developed.
In 1993, the country's first constitution formalised this parliamentarydemocracywith executive, legislative, and judicial branches located in Andorra la Vella.
During this period, Andorra also developed as atax 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, the2010 Winter Olympics.However, Andorra la Vella was not selected by theIOCas a candidate city, following the evaluation report of an IOC commission. It also hosted both the 1991 and2005 Games of the Small States of Europe.
Geography[edit]
Andorra la Vella is located in the south west of Andorra, at42°30′N1°30′E/ 42.500°N 1.500°E,[6]at the confluence of two mountain streams, the Valira del Nord (Northern Valira) and the Valira de l'Orient (Eastern Valira), which join to form theGran Valira.It adjoins the urban area ofEscaldes-Engordany.The city is at 1,023 metres (3,356 ft)above sea level.
Climate[edit]
Andorra la Vella has anoceanic climate(Köppen climate classification:Cfb), with warm days and cool nights in summer, and chilly to cold, snowy winters. The average annual precipitation is 812.3 mm (32 in). 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) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.0 (64.4) |
20.0 (68.0) |
24.8 (76.6) |
29.0 (84.2) |
29.2 (84.6) |
37.4 (99.3) |
39.0 (102.2) |
35.9 (96.6) |
32.0 (89.6) |
31.0 (87.8) |
21.2 (70.2) |
19.0 (66.2) |
39.0 (102.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.9 (44.4) |
8.9 (48.0) |
11.7 (53.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
17.6 (63.7) |
21.9 (71.4) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.4 (77.7) |
21.4 (70.5) |
16.0 (60.8) |
10.7 (51.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
15.6 (60.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.2 (36.0) |
3.5 (38.3) |
5.8 (42.4) |
7.5 (45.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
15.4 (59.7) |
18.8 (65.8) |
18.5 (65.3) |
14.9 (58.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
5.7 (42.3) |
3.0 (37.4) |
9.8 (49.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.5 (27.5) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
1.7 (35.1) |
5.3 (41.5) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.4 (52.5) |
11.4 (52.5) |
8.5 (47.3) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
3.9 (39.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15 (5) |
−16 (3) |
−11 (12) |
−7 (19) |
−2 (28) |
0.0 (32.0) |
3.0 (37.4) |
2.0 (35.6) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−6 (21) |
−13 (9) |
−19.5 (−3.1) |
−19.5 (−3.1) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 53.1 (2.09) |
37.9 (1.49) |
40.5 (1.59) |
71.2 (2.80) |
89.8 (3.54) |
84.2 (3.31) |
60.7 (2.39) |
85.6 (3.37) |
80.9 (3.19) |
72.4 (2.85) |
68.4 (2.69) |
67.9 (2.67) |
812.3 (31.98) |
| Source 1: ACDA[7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[8] | |||||||||||||
Subdivisions[edit]
The parish of Andorra la Vella is divided into the villages of Andorra la Vella itself,La MarginedaandSanta Coloma.
Landmarks[edit]
The city's old town is characterized by old stone streets and houses. The centralEsglésia 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 aRomanesquestyle 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 theChurch of Santa Coloma d'Andorra.[10]
Demographics[edit]
| Nationality | Population (2013) |
|---|---|
 Spain |
6,516 |
 Portugal |
3,377 |
 France |
664 |
 Morocco |
246 |
 Philippines |
218 |
NativeAndorransaccount for only a third (33%) of the population, with the plurality beingSpanish(43%), and notable minorities ofPortuguese(11%) andFrench(7%). Most of the inhabitants areRoman Catholics. There is a high life expectancy of over 80 years.
Culture[edit]
The city is the country's cultural centre, with the Government Exhibition Hall acting as a main theatre and museum. Thepiazzaoutside the parliament building is also the location of a number of events, and the town hosts a music festival every winter.
Languages[edit]
Catalanis the official language, althoughSpanish,PortugueseandFrenchare also spoken.[11]
Notable people[edit]
- Elidà Amigó i Montanya(born 1935 and died 2020 in Andorra la Vella) historian and activist, a leader in Andorra'swomen's suffragemovement
- Marc Forné Molné(born 1946 in Andorra la Vella) was the Prime Minister of Andorra from 1994 to 2005
- Lluís Claret(born 1951 in Andorra la Vella), cellist, especially of chamber music
- Albert Salvadó(born 1951 in Andorra la Vella and died in 2020), writer and industrial engineer
- Jaume BartumeuGCIH (born 1954) lawyer and politician, who served as head of government from 2009 to 2011
- Juli Minoves(born 1969 in Andorra la Vella) diplomat, author and the 13th President ofLiberal International
- Pere López Agràs(born 1971 in Andorra la Vella) politician who served as an acting Prime Minister in 2011
- Vanessa Mendoza Cortés(born 1980 in Andorra la Vella) psychologist and activist who campaigns for the decriminalisation of abortion
Sport[edit]
- Javier Sánchez(born 1968 in Andorra la Vella) is a former professional tennis player, 1986 to 2000
- Sophie Dusautoir Bertrand(born 1972 in Andorra la Vella) ski mountaineer
- Toni Besolí(born 1976 in Andorra la Vella)judoka,who competed in the men's middleweight
- Marc Bernaus(born 1977 in Andorra la Vella) retired footballer who played as a left back.
- Santiago Deu(born 1980) former middle-distance freestyle swimmer, competed2000 Summer Olympicsin Sydney
- Meritxell Sabate(born 1980 in Andorra la Vella) former long-distance freestyle swimmer, competed in the1996and2000 Summer Olympics
- Marta Roure(born 1981 in Andorra la Vella) singer and actress
- Carolina Cerqueda(born 1985 in Andorra la Vella) former sprint freestyle swimmer, competed in the2004 Summer Olympics
- Marc Garcia(born 1988 in Andorra la Vella), commonly known as Chiqui, is an Andorran footballer
- Xavier Cardelús(born 1998 in Andorra la Vella), is a motorcycle rider, who competes in2022 MotoE World Cup
Economy and infrastructure[edit]
Andorra la Vella is the country's commercial centre. In the country as a whole, 80% of theGDPis derived from the 10 million tourists who visit annually.[12]The city is also the centre for the manybanksand businesses that thrive from itstax havenstatus. The state is not a member of theEuropean Union,but has a customs arrangement with the EU, and uses theeuro.
Transportation[edit]
Andorra la Vella has direct access to air transportation with commercial helicopter flights fromAndorra la Vella Heliport,located in the city centre.Andorra–La Seu d'Urgell Airportis located 24 kilometres (15 miles) south of the city; it is actually located inSpainand 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 beingPerpignan(156 km away) andLleida(160 km away). The largest nearby airports areToulouse(Tolosa),GironaandBarcelona.[14]
Andorra la Vella does not have a train station, although there are bus shuttle services linking the city to train stations atL'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre(France) andLleidain Spain. There are also shuttle buses from Barcelona,GironaandReus' airports to Andorra la Vella.[15]
Education[edit]
![[icon]](/translate/en.wikipedia.org?u=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%3AWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg&t=vi){kind=small} | This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(May 2015) |
TheInstituto Español de Andorra(IEA), a Spanish international secondary school, is inLa Marginedain Andorra la Vella.[16]The Spanish primary school is Escuela Española de Andorra la Vella.[17]
International relations[edit]
Twin towns – sister cities[edit]
Andorra la Vella istwinnedwith the following cities:
Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities[edit]
Andorra la Vella has been part of theUnion of Ibero-American Capital Citiessince 2008, establishing brotherly relations with the following cities:[21]
Asunción,Paraguay- Barcelona,Spain
Bogotá,Colombia
Brasília,Brazil
Buenos Aires,Argentina- Cádiz,Spain
Caracas,Venezuela
Guatemala City,Guatemala
Havana,Cuba
Quito,Ecuador
La Paz,Bolivia
Lima,Peru- Lisbon,Portugal
- Madrid,Spain
Managua,Nicaragua
Mexico City,Mexico
Montevideo,Uruguay
Panama City,Panama
Port-au-Prince,Haiti- Rio de Janeiro,Brazil
San Jose,Costa Rica
San Juan,Puerto Rico
San Salvador,El Salvador
Santiago,Chile
Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic- São Paulo,Brazil
- Sucre,Bolivia
Tegucigalpa,Honduras
Notes[edit]
- ^UK:/ænˌdɔːrələˈveɪjə/an-DOR-ə ləVAY-yə,US:/-lɑːˈveɪljə/- lahVAYL-yə;[2]Catalan:[ənˈdɔrələˈβeʎə],locally[anˈdɔralaˈβeʎa];Spanish:Andorra la Vieja[anˈdoralaˈβjexa];French:Andorre-la-Vieille[ɑ̃dɔʁlavjɛj].
References[edit]
- ^"Andorra".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-02-16.Retrieved2015-02-16.
- ^Roach, Peter (2011).Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary(18th ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-15253-2.
- ^"Andorra la Vella | enciclopèdia.cat".enciclopedia.cat(in Catalan).Retrieved2018-09-23.
"El sobrenomla 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 nicknameLa 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 wordvellahas been translated into both English and Spanish as meaning 'old'. In fact,vellais a corruption of the Latin wordvilla,meaning 'city'. ThusAndorra la Vellamerely means 'the city of Andorra'
- ^"History of the Principality of Andorra".Andorramania. 1997-12-11.Retrieved2010-06-27.
- ^"NGA: Country Files".Earth-info.nga.mil. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-05-04.Retrieved2010-06-27.
- ^"Andorra La Vella 1971-2000 averages".ACDA. Archived fromthe originalon 14 January 2016.Retrieved3 January2016.
- ^ "Station Andorra la Vella"(in French). Meteo Climat.Retrieved14 October2016.
- ^"The beautiful Andorra la Vella".Eslteachersboard.Retrieved2010-06-27.
- ^"Andorra la vella travel guide".World66. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-03-05.Retrieved2010-06-27.
- ^CIA – The World Factbook – Andorra
- ^"CruisesOnly - About Cruising - Cruise Advice".Nlgsolutions.Retrieved2010-06-27.
- ^"Swiftair begins operation on July 18 at the airport of Andorra -La Seu flights to Madrid and Palma".Archived fromthe originalon 2019-04-18.Retrieved2016-03-19.
- ^How to get to Andorra by PlaneArchivedJuly 24, 2012, at theWayback Machine
- ^How to get to Andorra by BusArchivedMay 31, 2012, at theWayback Machine
- ^"InicioArchived2020-07-24 at theWayback Machine"Instituto Español de Andorra.Retrieved on May 2, 2015. "DIRECCIÓN: c/ Tossalet i Vinyals, 33-45 La Margineda - AD500 Andorra la Vella Principado de Andorra"
- ^"InicioArchived2018-03-18 at theWayback Machine"Escuela Española de Andorra la Vella. Retrieved on May 2, 2015." C/ CIUTAL DE VALLS, 33 AD500- ANDORRA LA VELLA "
- ^"Andorra la Vella i Sant Pol de Mar oficialitzen el seu agermanament".24 July 2010.
- ^"Valls i Andorra la Vella celebren el 40è aniversari del seu agermanament amb un concert a la Llacuna".20 April 2007.
- ^"Foix. Le jumelage avec Andorre-la-Vieille relancé via la jeunesse".ladepeche.fr(in French).Retrieved2023-07-24.
- ^"Ciudades miembro".UCCI(in Spanish).Retrieved2023-07-16.
External links[edit]
- City council of Andorra la Vella(in Catalan)
- Sant Esteve church in Circulo Romanico page
- Santa Coloma Church in Circulo Romanico page
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