La Massana

La Massana (originally La Maçana) is one of the seven parishes of Andorra. It is in the northwest of the country. La Massana is also the name of the main town of the parish.

The name Massana derives from the Latin name mattianam for a variety of apple.

Geography
The La Massana parish is in the northwest of the country and borders with the Ordino parish to the north, with the Ordino and Encamp parishes to the east, with the Andorra la Vella and the Escaldes-Engordany parishes to the south, with France (Ariège department) and Spain to the west.

The town of La Massana has an average elevation of  above sea level.

In the La Massana parish are the highest mountains of Andorra, including:
 Coma Pedrosa (),  high, the highest mountain of the country; it is in the northwest of the parish near the borders with France and Spain.
 Roca Entravessada,  high
 Pic de Medacorba,  high
 Pic de Sanfonts,  high

The main river in the parish is the Valira del Nord (or Valira d'Ordino) river, one of the two branches that form the Valira river. There are several small lakes in the parish; the main lakes are Estanys Forcats, Estany de Les Truites and Estany Negre.

Population
The parish had a population, in 2015, of 10,359 inhabitants, for a population density of  persons/km².

Evolution of the population in La Massana

Villages
There are other villages and hamlets besides the main town of La Massana in the parish:

No.  Town  Population(2015)  Altitude(m)  Notes 1  Aldosa  843  1,296  Also known as L'Aldosa de la Massana. It is on the left side of the Valira d'Ordino river close to the Ordino parish. 2  Anyós  847  1,307  It is on the left side of the Valira d'Ordino (or Valira del Nord) river and on the right side of the Anyós river, just before the confluence of the rivers. 3  Arinsal  1,620  1,467  It is on the left side of the Arinsal river. 4  Erts  473  1,340  It is at the confluence of the Pal and Arinsal rivers. 5  Escàs  162  1,343  It is on the right side of the Valira d'Ordino river. 6  La Massana  5,371  1,240  The capital of the parish. It is at the confluence of the Valira d'Ordino and Arinsal rivers. 7  Pal   260  1,551  It is along Pal river. 8  Sispony  886  1,315 

Economy
The main economic activity is tourism and the parish is a major tourism destination. In winter, the main activities are skiing, snowboarding, and ski ski biking. The main ski resort, Vallnord, includes the Arinsal and Pal sectors. In summer, the main activities are hiking, climbing, mountain biking and canyoning.

Farming is also an important economic activity in the parish; here tobacco, vegetables (mainly potatoes), and cereals are grown.

Sites of interest
 Sant Ermengol de l'Aldosa church in Aldosa
 Sant Climent de Pal church in Pal
 Pont de Sant Antoni de la Grella, a bridge also called Pont de Sispony
 Museu Casa Rull, a museum of Ethnology in Sispony
 Vallnord, a ski/snowboard resort in the Pyrenees mountains

Gallery

References

Category:Parishes of Andorra