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,

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

## Economy
  plants in Sispony.]]
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

File:Esglesia Sant Climent de Pal a Pal Ordino.jpg|Sant Climent de Pal in Pal
File:Pont de Sant Antoni 1.JPG|Pont de Sant Antoni de la Grella bridge
File:Estanys Forcats (agost 2008) - panoramio.jpg|Estanys Forcats
File:Anyós.JPG|View of Anyós, La Massana

## References