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Andorra la Vella
Andorra la Vella
Andorra la Vella | |
|---|---|
 View of Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. | |
 The parish of Andorra la Vella in Andorra. | |
| Coordinates: 42°30′26″N 1°31′20″E / 42.507222°N 1.522222°E | |
| Country | Andorra |
| Government | |
| • Senior consul | Conxita Marsol Riart (DA) |
| • Junior consul | Marc Pons Martell (DA) |
| Area | |
• Total | 12 km2 (4.6 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 7 |
| Population (2015) | |
• Total | 22,886 |
| Climate | Oceanic Cfb |
| Website | www.comuandorra.ad/ |
Andorra la Vella (in Spanish Andorra la Vieja;[1] in Catalan and officially: Andorra la Vella)[2][3] is the capital and one of the seven parishes of the Principality of Andorra, being also the smallest and the most populous of them all. The population is distributed among three settlements: Santa Coloma, the old hamlet of La Margineda and Andorra la Vella itself.
The city is located in the Pyrenees, near the confluence of the Valira del Nord and Valira d'Orient rivers, which form the Valira river, at an altitude of 1022 meters above sea level, making it the highest state capital above sea level in all of Europe.[4]
History
Human presence in Andorra dates back to before the Christian era. The parish of Andorra is mentioned for the first time in the act of consecration of the cathedral of La Seu d'Urgell in the year 839; it has been the capital since the establishment of the Principality in 1278, after the Bishopric of Urgell and the County of Foix decided to share sovereignty over the Andorran territory.
In 1978 the parish of Escaldes-Engordany split off from Andorra la Vella, becoming the youngest of the Andorran parishes.
In 1993 the new Constitution established a democratic parliament, with an executive, legislative and judicial system, all located in the city.
Population
The City of Andorra la Vella forms an urban agglomeration of approximately 50,000 inhabitants, together with the parishes of Escaldes-Engordany (16,000 inhab.) to the east and Sant Julià de Lòria (9,000 inhab.) to the south.[5] This agglomeration extends lengthwise following the course of the road.
Andorra la Vella has 22,886 inhabitants, according to the 2015 census.[6] The population is made up of 44% Spaniards, 33% Andorrans, 11% Portuguese, and 6% French, plus some other minority communities (6%).
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1865 | 1,100 | — |
| 1947 | 1,975 | +79.5% |
| 1965 | 8,833 | +347.2% |
| 1981 | 14,783 | +67.4% |
| 1985 | 17,201 | +16.4% |
| 1988 | 19,566 | +13.7% |
| 1995 | 21,984 | +12.4% |
| 2000 | 20,845 | −5.2% |
| 2005 | 23,587 | +13.2% |
| 2007 | 24,574 | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 21,190 | −13.8% |
| 2011 | 21,018 | −0.8% |
| 2012 | 20,988 | −0.1% |
| 2013 | 21,113 | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 21,126 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 21,428 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 21,672 | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 22,001 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 22,151 | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 22,440 | +1.3% |
| Source: Servicio de estudios del Ministerio de Finanzas and Censos parroquials dels Comuns | ||
Climate
The climate in Andorra la Vella is a high-mountain oceanic climate highly influenced by ocean currents. This means that it can be extreme, but considerably less so than in other similar places, given the altitude. In winter the cold and snow are very marked, with temperatures below 0 degrees being very common. The summer is mild, with maximums that rarely exceed 30 degrees.
| Climate data for Andorra La Vella (Roc de Sant Pere), elevation 1075m (1971-2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| 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) |
| Average precipitation mm (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: ACDA[7] | |||||||||||||
Administration
List of senior consuls of Andorra la Vella:
| Term | Senior consul | Party |
|---|---|---|
| 1992-1995 | Lluís Viu Torres[8] | Nova Democràcia |
| 1995-1999 | Lluís Viu Torres[9] | Nova Democràcia |
| 1999-2003 | Concepci pel Progrés (CP) | |
| 2003-2007 | Francesc Xavier Mora Baron[10] | Partit Socialdemòcrata (PS) |
| 2007-2015 | Maria Rosa Ferrer Obiols[11] | L'alternativa and CD'I per Andorra la Vella |
| 2015 | Jordi Ramon Minguillón Capdevila[12] | CD'I per Andorra la Vella |
| 2015- | Conxita Marsol Riart[13] | Democrats for Andorra (DA) |
Tourism
.JPG)
Buildings and monuments
- Casa de la Vall. One of the most emblematic buildings of the city, it is a fortified house of the 16th century that has served the Consell General (the Andorran parliament) since 1702.
- Church of Sant Esteve. A parish church that preserves the Romanesque atrium and bell tower of the 11th century. The rest are later remodelings, the most significant in the 1940s by the modernista architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch.
- Church of Santa Coloma. A pre-Romanesque building located in the south of the parish, in Santa Coloma d'Andorra. It has a circular bell tower.
- Pont de la Margineda. A Romanesque bridge crossing the Valira river. Located to the north, in the old hamlet of La Margineda (practically bordering the parish of Sant Julià de Lòria), it is the largest of the medieval bridges preserved in the Principality.
- Castle and church of Sant Vicenç d'Enclar. Located at an altitude of 1,126 meters, above Santa Coloma d'Andorra. A medieval complex, formerly fortified, which was built on Roman constructions between the 7th and 8th centuries.
- Old Clínica Vilanova
Economy
The main source of income is tourism, as well as commerce and the banking system, in which no taxes were paid (as there is now a new tax called ISI of 4%), a factor that favors foreign investment. Consumer goods such as furniture, tobacco and cognac are also produced.
Transport
Andorra–La Seu d'Urgell Airport serves as the country's main air link, located in the Province of Lleida barely 30 kilometers from the city. The main international airports are in Toulouse, Girona, Perpignan and Barcelona.
Andorra has no train station, although there are bus services linking the city with the train stations of Puigcerdà and Lleida Pirineus station in Spanish territory, as well as L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre in France, which has long-distance services to Paris and Barcelona Airport.
Culture
Main cultural facilities
The Teatre Comunal, created in 1992 after the renovation of the old Les Valls cinema, is the town's main performing arts venue. Located right in the center, it has a capacity of about 250 spectators. It has a regular program of theater, dance and music. More recently the La Llacuna cultural center was opened, which houses the Institut de Música i Dansa.
Cultural events
- Temporada de música i dansa. An annual showcase of music and dance held since 1994.
- Dijous de rock. A concert series for the promotion of Andorran rock groups, held annually during the summer months (July-August).
- International festival of women clowns. A biennial event held since 2001.
Traditional festivals
- January 17, festivities of Saint Anthony
- 15 and April 16, Songs of the caramelles.
- 15 and June 16, Main festival of the Puial district
- First weekend of August, Main festival of Andorra la Vella
- 10 to December 12, Fair of Saint Lucy
Twin towns
France Foix (Ariège, France)
Peru Lima, Peru
Colombia Bogotá, Colombia.
Spain Sant Pol de Mar (Barcelona, Spain)- Spain Valls (Tarragona, Spain).[14]
Sport
Main sports venues
- Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella. A stadium located on Avinguda de Salou with a capacity of 850 spectators. It has a natural grass pitch for football, as well as a six-lane athletics track and areas for the long jump and high jump and the shot put, discus and javelin throw. Attached is a covered pavilion and an open-air multi-sport court, where basketball, handball and hockey, among other sports, are played. Managed by the Comú d'Andorra (municipal).
- Poliesportiu d'Andorra. A pavilion with a floating-parquet multi-sport court, with a capacity of 4,000 spectators. Home of the Andorra national futsal team and of Bàsquet Club Andorra. Managed by the Government of Andorra.
- Centre Esportiu dels Serradells. A municipally owned sports complex located on the Comella road. It was built in 1991, on the occasion of the Games of the Small States of Europe. It has multiple facilities such as tennis and squash courts, swimming pools, a multi-sport court, etc.
Sporting events
Andorra la Vella hosted a large part of the events of the Games of the Small States of Europe held in the Principality in 1991 and 2005.
The city was one of the candidates for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, which were finally awarded to the Canadian city of Vancouver.
Since 2007 the FIS has approved the ski run "L'avet" (Soldeu resort) to host a women's alpine skiing giant slalom World Cup event in 2011.
Embassies and consulates
Andorra la Vella is the capital of the Principality of Andorra, and for that reason several embassies and consulates (mostly honorary) of various countries of the world are located there. Some of them are listed below:
- Spain Embassy and Consulate General of Spain
- France Embassy and Consulate General of France
Germany Honorary Consulate of Germany- Honorary Consulate of Estonia
Italy Honorary Consulate of Italy
Portugal Honorary Consulate of Portugal
United Kingdom Honorary Consulate of the United Kingdom
Russia Honorary Consulate of Russia
Switzerland Honorary Consulate of Switzerland- Honorary Consulate of Slovakia
Notable people
- Juli Minoves, politician.
- Lluís Claret, cellist.
- Jordi Escura, footballer and physiotherapist.
- Marta Roure, singer and actress.
- Alexandre Martínez, footballer.
- Marc Forné Molné, politician.
- Óscar Sonejee, footballer.
- Jaume Bartumeu, politician.
See also
References
- ↑ "Lista de países y capitales, con sus gentilicios". Diccionario panhispánico de dudas (in español). Real Academia Española. Appendix 5.
- ↑ Vincent de Melchor; Albert Branchadell (2002). El catalâan: una lengua de Europa para compartir (in español). Univ. Autònoma de Barcelona. p. 42. ISBN 9788449022999.
...la capital del Estado, Andorra la Vella (también conocida tradicionalmente en español por Andorra la Vieja, y en francés por Andorre-la-Vieille).
- ↑ Josep Moran; Mar Batlle; Joan Anton Rabella i Ribas (2002). Topònims catalans: etimologia i pronúncia. Biblioteca Serra d'Or (in català). Vol. 295. L'Abadia de Montserrat. p. 28. ISBN 9788484154310.
...la Vella, perquè és el centre històric del territori.
- ↑ "¿Cuál es la capital Europea a mayor altitud y en qué afecta?. Deia, Noticias de Bizkaia". www.deia.com (in español). Retrieved January 8, 2017.
- ↑ Departamento de Estadística de Andorra. "Población por parroquia" (in español). Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ↑ Servicio de estudios del Ministerio de Finanzas[dead link]
- ↑ "Andorra La Vella 1971-2000 averages". ACDA. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ↑ Anuaris.cat[dead link]
- ↑ "Resultats". www.eleccions.ad (in català). Retrieved January 8, 2017.
- ↑ Govern d'Andorra - Eleccions comunals 2003
- ↑ Govern d'Andorra - Eleccions comunals 2007
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Govern d'Andorra - Eleccions comunals 2015
- ↑ "VilaWeb - Valls i Andorra la Vella estrenyen lligams amb una escudellada popular" (in català). Retrieved 2009.
External links
