Andorra la Vella, << an DAWR uh lah VEHL yah >> (pop. 19,156), is the capital and largest town of Andorra. About one-fourth of Andorra’s people live in Andorra la Vella. The town lies beside the Valira River in a valley high amid the Pyrenees.
The economy of Andorra la Vella depends on tourism. Many visitors come from neighboring Spain and France. The town has numerous medieval structures, including the Santa Coloma church. Andorra’s parliament meets in the Casa de la Vall, which dates from the 1500’s.
For hundreds of years, the Pyrenees kept Andorra la Vella isolated from the outside world. After the mid-1900’s, however, modernization proceeded rapidly. Today, the city bustles with commercial activity, and air pollution sometimes clouds the valley.
