Sant Julià de Lòria

Sant Julià de Lòria is one of the parishes of Andorra, in the far south of that country. It is also the name of the main locality in Sant Julià de Lòria parish. Other localities in the province include Bixessarri, Alixàs, Aixovall, Certers, Llumeneres, Nagol, Aixirivall, Auvinyà, Juberri, Fontaneda, Canolich.

Pyrenees

Pyrenees (hiszp. Pirineos, CAT Pirineus; franc. Pyrénées; gask. Pirenèus; arag. Perinés; bask. Pirinioak) – the third highest after Betyckich Mountains and the Alps mountain chain in Europe, located in north-eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. His are the natural extension of the Cantabrian Mountains to the west. Pyrenees stretch between the Atlantic to the west and the Mediterranean Sea in the east to a length of 450 km. In larger part of the Pyrenees ridge band creates a Franco-Spanish border, przebiegając well as in Andorra. The exception is the Val d’Aran, which belongs to Spain, although it is located on the north side of the band. Other minor anomalies orograficznych are, for example, and Spanish Cerdanya eksklawa Llívia. Bandwidth towards midnight – South ranges from 50 to 150 km.

Andorra La Vella

Andorra La Vella (categories literally: “Old Andorra”) – is the capital of the Principality of Andorra, located in a mountainous valley in the eastern Pyrenees between France and Spain. It is also the name of the parish, which surrounds the city.

The main branch of the economy is tourism, although the state also draws revenue from the fact of being a “fiscal paradise”. Furniture and brandy to regional products.

Food & Drink

The cuisine is mainly Catalan, Eating out is quite expensive. Quality and prices of about 250 restaurants are similar to those in small French or Spanish holiday resorts. National courts are Coque (delicious flat cake), Trinxat (potato and cabbage dish), de TRUITES carreroles (Pilzomelette), local sausages and cheese. Pork and bacon dishes are also typical of the Andorran cuisine. Supermarkets and shops selling cheap alcoholic beverages in bars but they are expensive. The bars are open until late.

Geography

Due to its location in the eastern Pyrenees mountain range, Andorra consists predominantly of rugged mountains of an average height of 1,996 metres (6,549 ft) with the highest being the Coma Pedrosa at 2,946 metres (9,665 ft). These are dissected by three narrow valleys in a Y shape that combine into one as the main stream, the Valira river, leaves the country for Spain (at Andorra’s lowest point of 870 m/2,854 ft). Andorra’s surface area is 468 square kilometres (181 sq mi).

Andorra’s climate is similar to that of its neighbours’ temperate climates, but its higher altitude means there is, on average, more snow in winter and it is slightly cooler in summer.

Phytogeographically, Andorra belongs to the Atlantic European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Andorra belongs to the ecoregion of Pyrenees conifer and mixed forests.

Getting There

The only way into Andorra is by road. Andorra has only three major roads, of which the CG1 runs to the Spanish border and the CG2 to the frontier with France. If you take the latter, you’ll go over or under the impressive Port d’Envalira, the highest pass in the Pyrenees (2410m/7900ft). Nowadays, you can plunge through the short vehicle tunnel. Better, however, to haul your way over the pass and savour the views. The nearest Spanish airport is Barcelona’s; the nearest French airport is Toulouse-Blagnac. Daily buses and minibuses run from Andorra to each of them.

The French railway station closest to Andorra is L’Hospitalet, two hours south of Toulouse by train. From there, daily buses make the two-hour trip to Andorra la Vella. Trains run from Barcelona to La Tour de Carol, on the Franco-Spanish border, from where you can catch an onward bus to Andorra. Buses between France and Andorra run as far as Toulouse. Buses from Spain leave from Barcelona, Madrid, Zaragoza and Lleida, which is served by fast trains to/from Madrid.

Modern History

Andorra’s modern role as a centre for duty-free shopping grew out of the business of smuggling of French goods to Spain during the Spanish Civil War and Spanish goods to France during WWII. Andorra remained neutral throughout both world wars.

In March 1993, Andorrans voted to establish the country as an independent, democratic ‘parliamentary co-principality’, placing full sovereignty in the hands of the Andorran people, with the French and Spanish co-princes continuing to function as joint heads of state with greatly reduced powers. Andorra joined the Council of Europe in 1994.

History

Tradition holds that Charles the Great (Charlemagne) granted a charter to Andorran people in return for fighting against the Moors. Overlordship of the territory passed to the local count of Urgell and eventually to the bishop of the diocese of Urgell. In the eleventh century a dispute arose between the bishop and his northern neighbour over Andorra.

The conflict was resolved in 1278 by the signing of a paréage, which provided that Andorra’s sovereignty be shared between the count of Foix (whose title would ultimately transfer to the French head of state) and the bishop of La Seu d’Urgell, in Catalonia, Spain. This gave the small principality its territory and political form.

Over the years the title passed to the kings of Navarre. After Henry of Navarre became King Henry IV of France, he issued an edict (1607) that established the head of the French state and the Bishop of Urgell as co-princes of Andorra.

In the period 1812–13, the First French Empire annexed Catalonia and divided it in four départements. Andorra was also annexed and made part of the district of Puigcerdà (département of Sègre).

Andorra declared war on Imperial Germany during World War I but did not actually take part in the fighting. It remained in an official state of belligerency until 1957 as it was not included in the Versailles Peace Treaty.

In 1933 France occupied Andorra as a result of social unrest before elections. On July 12, 1934, an adventurer named Boris Skossyreff issued a proclamation in Urgell, declaring himself Boris I, sovereign prince of Andorra, simultaneously declaring war on the bishop of Urgell. He was arrested by Spanish authorities on July 20 and ultimately expelled from Spain. From 1936 to 1940, a French detachment was garrisoned in Andorra to prevent influences of the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s Spain. Francoist troops reached the Andorran border in the later stages of the war.

During World War II, Andorra remained neutral and was an important smuggling route between Vichy France and Spain.

Given its relative isolation, Andorra has existed outside the mainstream of European history, with few ties to countries other than France and Spain. In recent times, however, its thriving tourist industry along with developments in transportation and communications have removed the country from its isolation. Its political system was thoroughly modernized in 1993, the year in which it became a member of the United Nations.

Andorra

Andorra (Catalan: Andorra), officially the Principality of Andorra (Catalan: Principat d’Andorra) is a small landlocked country in western Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. Once isolated, it is currently a prosperous country mainly because of tourism and its status as a tax haven. The people of Andorra are currently listed as having the highest human life expectancies on Earth, at an average of 83.52 years at birth (2007 est).