Andorra la Vella

關於Andorra la Vella

Andorra la Vella 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.

As of 2023, the city had a population of 24,042, and the urban area, which includes Escaldes–Engordany plus satellite villages, has over 40,000 inhabitants.

The principal industry is tourism, and the country also earns foreign income from being a tax haven. It is at an elevation of 1,023 m (3,356 ft), and is the highest capital city in Europe. The city shares a border with Spain.

Andorra la Vella means "the city of Andorra", to distinguish it from the Principality of Andorra as a whole. Although in Catalan the word vella (like French vieille) is derived from the Latin word vetula which means "old", the Vella here (like French ville and Catalan vila) is derived from the Latin word villa, meaning "city".

The site of Andorra la Vella has been settled since prior to the Christian era—notably by the Andosin tribe from the late Neolithic. Andorra was part of the County of Urgell, one of the Catalan counties of the Marca Hispanica created by Charlemagne in the eighth century...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.