Andorra: a Small Country in the Pyrenees
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
GEOGRAPHY ANDORRA: A SMALL COUNTRY IN THE PYRENEES THELANDSCAPE OF ANDORRAHAS A MARKED PHYSICAL COMPONENT AND THE COUNTRY'S VALUABLE NATURAL HERITAGE IS ONE OF ITS PRINCIPAL ATTRACTIONS. THE BIOPHYSICAL CONTEXT IS ALPINE,WITH THE RELIEF AND VEGETATION TYPICAL OF MOUNTAIN REGIONS. ANTONIO GÓMEZ ORTlZ PROFESSOR OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA GEOGRAPHY SANT CLIMWT DE PAL ndorra is one of the so-called border with Catalonia, at 835 metres. 2,000 metre mark. The relief at these small European countries. It Geographically, Andorra is arranged levels is formed by sharp crests that nestles in the eastem end of the around the two principal valleys, which occasionally alternate with extensive' Pyrenees, north of Catalonia. It occu- gather the waters of the Valira d70rient plateaus lying at over 2,500 metres, as pies a surface area of approximately and the Valira del Nord. These two rivers on the southern limits of the Principa- 468 square kilometres, distributed merge at the town of Les Escaldes to lity (Calm de Claror-Calm Ramonet). amongst seven parishes (Canillo, En- form the Gran Valira. Because of this The tortuous valleys with their steep camp, Ordino, La Massana, Andorra la southern-orientated river system, the slopes are generally narrow, except for Vella, Sant Julia and Escaldes-Engor- Principality's most fluid communications those that carried large frozen masses dany), and has a population of over have traditionally been with Catalonia. and that have a U-shaped cross-section 5 1,600 inhabitants, with a population Contact with France has always been (Incles, Madriu, Arinsal, Valira). Of density of 1 11 inhabitants per square more complicated as a result of the north- these, the most interesting is the Valira kilometre, one of the highest in the em border terrain, until the road link via d'orient, which at the leve1 of Engolas- Pyrenees. the Envalira mountain pass was opened ters must have carried a mass of ice The territory of Andorra is mountai- in 1933, at a height of 2,408 metres. about 450 metres thick. The heads of nous and is broken up by a network of The landscape of Andorra has a marked the valleys form splendid cirques that narrow valleys and peaks of considera- physical component and the country's are dotted with countless lakes (Tristai- ble height. The average height is around valuable natural heritage is one of its na, Pessons, Forcat-L'illa, Montmalús, 2,000 metres, with peaks of over 2,850 principal attractions. The biophysical Juclar, amongst others). metres, especially along the line of peaks context is Alpine, and the relief and The relief is broken up by a dense net- forming the border (Pic de Font Blanca, vegetation, the most outstanding defin- work of steep mountain streams, the 2,903 m.; Pic de la Serreta, 2,913 m.; ing elements, are typical of mountai- great mountain masses and the high Pic $Envalira, 2,822 m.; Pic de la Por- nous regions of intermediate latitudes. land, giving Andorra a mountain cli- telleta, 2,905 m.; Torre dels Soldats, The most characteristic features of the mate typical of intermediate latitudes 2,761 m.). The lowest point corresponds Andorran landscape are the glacial with a certain Mediterranean touch. The to the valley of the Valira on the southern structures, especially above the 1,900- annual temperature tends to vary accord- GEOGRAPHY ing to the height, with the 6.7 "C of Les birch and ash (Betula pendula and Fra- cate that only 1.2 % are engaged in the Escaldes, at 1,140 metres (1 8.5 'C for xinus excelsior) in damp spots. Only the primary sector, while 74.5 O/o correspond the warmest month, July, and 1.5 "C for sunniest, warmest spots, such as the to the service sector, of which 24.02 % the coldest, January), compared with valley of the Gran Valira, are colonized correspond to the catering industry. the 5.3 "C of Ransol, at 1,640 metres by Mediterranean species, which make The socio-economic changes that have (14.5 'C for the warmest month, July, up 3.25 % of the total and are represent- taken place over the last decades have and -2 "C for the coldest, January). ed by the holm-oak and the kermes oak. .brought about considerable transforma- Annual precipitation, much of which Traditionally, the natural environment tions in the landscape, particularly in falls as snow, is distributed more erra- has conditioned the way of life and the the valleys, the traditional location for tically as a result of local orientation and economy of the Andorrans, sustained agricultura1 activity. At present, these relief. Les Escaldes receives 879 mm by stock-farming, agriculture and the enclaves of flat land (the basins of An- (29.7 days of snow and 91.4 of rain), exploitation of woodland. However, dorra la Vella-Escaldes, Encamp, La while Ransol receives 616 mm (64.0 since the sixties, this influence has de- Massana) are the sites of the main po- days of snow and 62.1 of rain). creased progressively. Today, agricultu- pulation centres and most of the com- The vegetation of the Principality is ral land accounts for only 4 % of the mercial activity. Be that as it may, made up of a rich mosaic of species, total surface area and is mainly devoted however, the leve1 of development and distributed mainly according to height. to the cultivation of tobacco and forage. of transformation is very unequal in the The highest mountain slopes are predo- The primary sector is now unquestio- different parishes of Andorra. The most minantly grassland and conifers -mea- nably vestigial, since it has suffered a striking case is that of the concentration dows of festuca and forests of Pinus rapid decline since the middle of the to be found at the mid-point of the Vali- mugo, Pinus sylvestris and Abies alba- century, having been replaced by a flou- ra, where the Valira Nord joins the Va- which between them account for more rishing tourist activity, with a decisive lira d'orient. This is the Andorra la than 70% of the territory. The deci- influence on trade and the catering in- Vella-Les Escaldes connurbation, which duous woodland (Quercus pubescens dustry. The best illustration of this accounts for more than 61 % of the po- and Quercus petraea) covers the moun- change is reflected in the occupations of pulation of the Principality (486 inhabi- tain sides, alternating with patches of salaried workers. Figures for 1990 indi- tants per square kilometre). m .