Andorra la Vella

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Andorra la Vella
Flag of Andorra la Vella
Official seal of Andorra la Vella
Location within Andorra
Location within Andorra
Andorra la Vella is located in Iberia
Andorra la Vella
Andorra la Vella
Location within the Iberian peninsula
Andorra la Vella is located in Europe
Andorra la Vella
Andorra la Vella
Location within Europe
ParishesAndorra la Vella
VillagesLa Margineda, Santa Coloma
 • Cònsol MajorConxita Marsol
 • Total12 km2 (5 sq mi)
1,023 m (3,356 ft)
 • Total22,256[1]
andorrà, andorrana (ca)
WebsiteOfficial site

Andorra la Vella (Catalan pronunciation: [ənˈdorə lə ˈβeʎə], Spanish: Andorra la Vieja, French: Andorre-la-Vieille) is the capital of the Principality of Andorra. It is located high in the east Pyrenees, between France and Spain. It is also the name of the parish that surrounds the capital.


The principal industry is tourism, although the country also earns foreign income from being a tax haven. Furniture and brandies are local products. Being at an elevation of 1,023 metres (3,356 ft), it is the highest capital city in Europe and a popular ski resort.


Andorra la Vella means "Andorra the Town", to distinguish it from the Principality of Andorra as a whole.[2] Although in Catalan the word vella (like French vieille) is derived from the Latin word vetula and means "old", the Vella here (like French ville and Catalan vila) is derived from the Latin word villa and means "town".[3]


Sant Andreu Church



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 1930s and an attempted coup by Boris Skossyreff, an informal democracy developed.






Andorra la Vella has an oceanic climate (Cfb, according to the Köppen climate classification), with warm summers and chilly to cold, snowy winters. The average annual precipitation is 812.3 mm (32 in). Temperatures are lowered by the altitude compared with lowland areas.

Record high °C (°F) 18.0
Average high °C (°F) 6.9
Daily mean °C (°F) 2.2
Average low °C (°F) −2.5
Record low °C (°F) −15
Average precipitation mm (inches) 53.1
Source #1: ACDA[6]
Source #2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[7]




Andorra la Vella, footpath

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.[8] 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.[9]


Largest groups of foreign residents
Nationality Population (2013)
 Spain 6,516
 Portugal 3,377
 France 664
 Morocco 246
 Philippines 218

Native Andorrans, who are ethnically Catalan, account for only a third (33%) of the population, with the plurality being Spanish (43%) (both Spanish and Catalan-speaking), and notable minorities of Portuguese (11%) and French (7%).





Notable people[edit]

  • 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 Andorra la Vella 1951) 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

Sports stars[edit]

Economy and infrastructure[edit]



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 24 kilometres (15 miles) south of the city and since July 2015 operates domestic routes to various airports across Spain.[12] 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.[13]



The Instituto Español de Andorra (IEA), a Spanish international secondary school, is in La Margineda in Andorra la Vella.[15] The Spanish primary school is Escuela Española de Andorra la Vella.[16]

International relations[edit]

Twin towns – sister cities[edit]

Andorra la Vella is twinned with the following cities:

Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities[edit]

Andorra la Vella is part of the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities[17] from 12 October 1982 establishing brotherly relations with the following cities:


  4. ^ "History of the Principality of Andorra". Andorramania.com. 1997-12-11. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  5. ^ "NGA: Country Files". Earth-info.nga.mil. Archived from the original on 2012-05-04. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  8. ^ "The beautiful Andorra la Vella". Eslteachersboard.com. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  9. ^ "Andorra la vella travel guide". World66.com. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  10. ^ CIA - The World Factbook - Andorra
  11. ^ "CruisesOnly - About Cruising - Cruise Advice". Nlgsolutions.com. Retrieved 2010-06-27.

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 42°30′00″N 1°30′00″E﻿ / ﻿42.50000°N 1.50000°E﻿ / 42.50000; 1.50000