© Richard Randall

Caribbean

Sundries

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.

Andorra la Vella

Andorra la Vella (2004 est. pop. 22 035) is the capital of the Principality of Andorra, and is located high in the east Pyrenees between France and Spain. It is also the name of the parish that surrounds it.The principal industry is tourism, although the country also earns foreign income from being a tax-haven. Furniture and brandies are local products.

Geography and Climate

Andorra la Vella is located in the south west of Andorra, at 42°30′N 1°30′E., at the confluence of two mountain streams. Located at an Altitude of 1409m , it is a high capital and popular ski resort. Its climate is Alpine with cold winters and warm, drier summers. Temperatures range from an average of around -1°C in January and 20°C in July [3]; rainfall is at 808mm a year.

Transportation

Surprisingly for a capital city, it is three hours drive from the nearest airports, at Tolouse, Girona, Perpignan and Barcelona. This is a result of its small population size and high relief. It has no train station either, with a bus service linking the city to the French station at L'Hospitalet, which has mainline services to Paris.

Demographics and Language

Native Andorrans account for only 33% of the population, with the majority being Spanish (43%), and notable minorities of Portuguese (11%) and French (7%). Catalan is the official language, although Spanish and French are also spoken. Most of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics, with a high life expectancy of over 80 years .

History

The site of Andorra la Vella (literally, "Andorra the Old") 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 . The settlement 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 1707. 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 . This isolation also means that the city's history is poorly documented.

Well into the twentieth century, the area around Andorra La Vella remained largely forgotten; indeed the state was not part of the Treaty of Versailles, simply because it was not noticed. After political turmoil in the 1930's and an attempted coup by King Boris I, 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 both 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 candidate city, following the evaluation report of an IOC commission.

Sights and Culture

The city's old town is characterized by old stone streets and houses. The central Eglesia de Sant Esteve is part of the area that guidebooks often label as picturesque part of the city . 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, of Santa Coloma .

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.

Economy

Andorra la Vella is the node for economic networks in Andorra; it 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 . 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.

Oceania