Andorra la Vella
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Andorra la VellaTemplate:Efn is the capital and largest city of Andorra. It is located high in the east Pyrenees, between France and Spain. It is also the name of the Andorran parish that surrounds the capital.
since 2023[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., the city had a population of 24,042,[1][2] and the urban area, which includes Escaldes–Engordany plus satellite villages, has over 40,000 inhabitants.[3][4]
The principal industry is tourism, and the country also earns foreign income from being a tax haven.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". It is at an elevation of Template:Cvt, and is the highest capital city in Europe.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". 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.[5] Although in Catalan the word Script error: No such module "Lang". (like French Script error: No such module "Lang".) is derived from the Latin word Script error: No such module "Lang". which means "old", the Vella here (like French Script error: No such module "Lang". and Catalan Script error: No such module "Lang".) is derived from the Latin word Script error: No such module "Lang"., meaning "city".[6]
History
The site of Andorra la Vella has been settled since prior to the Christian era—notably by the Andosin tribe from the late Neolithic. The state is one of the Marca Hispanica created and protected by Charlemagne in the eighth century as a buffer from the Moorish settlers in the Iberian Peninsula.[7]
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.
Geography
Andorra la Vella is located in the south west of Andorra, at Script error: No such module "Coordinates".,[8] 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 the Gran Valira. It adjoins the urban area of Escaldes–Engordany. The city is at Script error: No such module "convert". above sea level.
Climate
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 Script error: No such module "convert".. Temperatures in the city are lowered by the altitude (1,075 metres) compared with lowland areas.
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Subdivisions
The parish of Andorra la Vella is divided into the villages of Andorra la Vella itself, La Margineda and Santa Coloma.
Landmarks
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, the Church of Santa Coloma d'Andorra.[10]
Demographics
| Nationality | Population (2013) |
|---|---|
| File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain | 6,516 |
| File:Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal | 3,377 |
| File:Flag of France.svg France | 664 |
| File:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco | 246 |
| File:Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines | 218 |
Native Andorrans account for only a third (33.3%) of the population, with the plurality being Spaniards (43%), and notable minorities of Portuguese (11%) and Frenchmen (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.
Languages
Catalan is the official language, although Spanish, Portuguese and French are also spoken.[11]
Notable people
- Elidà Amigó i Montanya (born 1935 and died 2020 in Andorra la Vella) historian and activist, a leader in Andorra's women's suffrage movement
- 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 Bartumeu GCIH (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 of Liberal 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
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- 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, competed 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney
- Meritxell Sabaté (born 1980 in Andorra la Vella) former long-distance freestyle swimmer, competed in the 1996 and 2000 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 the 2004 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 in 2022 MotoE World Cup
Economy and infrastructure
Andorra la Vella is the country's commercial centre. In the country as a whole, 80% of the GDP is derived from the 10 million 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 Script error: No such module "convert". 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 (156 km away) and Lleida (160 km 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
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Schooling
Andorra la Vella has 11 schools available (10 public and 1 private), with the French system most deeply layered. The multisystem choice allows families to choose between Catalan-based, Spanish-based and French-based public schooling. Andorra la Vella has a complete educational pipeline, from early childhood to secondary, all available within the parish. All schools are built and maintained by Andorran authorities, but teachers in the French and Spanish schools are paid for the most part by France and Spain.
Public schools by system and age
Andorran Public System
- Escola andorrana Andorra la Vella (2–11 years old)[16]
- Escola andorrana de Santa Coloma i del Roc (12–15 years old) [16]
- Escola andorrana Andorra la Vella (16–17 years old) [16]
Spanish Public System
- Instituto español María Moliner en La Margineda (12–17 years old) [16]
- Colegio español Mare Janer en Santa Coloma (2–15 years old) [16]
- Colegio español Sant Ermengol en Andorra la Vella (2–17 years old) [16]
- Instituto Español de Andorra (IEA) (12–17 years old)[17]
French Public System
- Ecole maternelle Française d'Andorre la Vieille (2–6 years old) [16]
- École élémentaire Française d'Andorre la Vieille (6–10 years old) [16]
- École primaire Française Santa Coloma (2–10 years old) [16]
- Lycée Française Comte de Foix en Andorra la Vella (11–17 years old) [16]
Private schools
- The British College of Andorra en Andorra la Vella (3–13 years old but is expanding) [16]
Higher Education
Andorra la Vella does not host higher education itself. The Universitat d'Andorra (UdA) is the state public university and is the only university in Andorra, situated in Sant Julià de Lòria (~7 km away).
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Andorra la Vella is twinned with the following cities:
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- Template:Flagicon Sant Pol de Mar, Spain[18]
- Template:Flagicon Valls, Spain[19]
- Template:Flagicon Foix, France[20]
- Template:Flagicon Šid, Serbia
Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities
Andorra la Vella has been part of the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities since 2008, establishing brotherly relations with the following cities:[21]
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- Template:Flagicon Asunción, Paraguay
- Template:Flagicon Barcelona, Spain
- Template:Flagicon Bogotá, Colombia
- Template:Flagicon Brasília, Brazil
- Template:Flagicon Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Template:Flagicon Cádiz, Spain
- Template:Flagicon Caracas, Venezuela
- Template:Flagicon Guatemala City, Guatemala
- Template:Flagicon Havana, Cuba
- Template:Flagicon Quito, Ecuador
- Template:Flagicon La Paz, Bolivia
- Template:Flagicon Lima, Peru
- Template:Flagicon Lisbon, Portugal
- Template:Flagicon Madrid, Spain
- Template:Flagicon Managua, Nicaragua
- Template:FlagiconMexico City, Mexico
- Template:Flagicon Montevideo, Uruguay
- Template:Flagicon Panama City, Panama
- Template:Flagicon Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- Template:Flagicon Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Template:Flagicon San José, Costa Rica
- Template:Flagicon San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Template:Flagicon San Salvador, El Salvador
- Template:Flagicon Santiago, Chile
- Template:Flagicon Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Template:Flagicon São Paulo, Brazil
- Template:Flagicon Sucre, Bolivia
- Template:Flagicon Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Notes
References
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- ↑ CIA – The World Factbook – Andorra
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- ↑ How to get to Andorra by Plane Template:Webarchive
- ↑ How to get to Andorra by Bus Template:Webarchive
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Inicio Template:Webarchive" Escuela Española de Andorra la Vella. Retrieved on May 2, 2015. "C/ CIUTAL DE VALLS, 33 AD500- ANDORRA LA VELLA"
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External links
Template:Sister project Template:Wikivoyage
- City council of Andorra la Vella Template:In lang
- Sant Esteve church in Circulo Romanico page
- Santa Coloma Church in Circulo Romanico page
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