Le Perthus
Encyclopedia
Le Perthus is a commune
in the Pyrénées-Orientales
department in southern France
. Inhabitants are called Perthusiens and, as of 2006, inhabitants were 582.
, on the borders with Catalonia
, Spain
. Its contiguous Spanish twin town, Els Límits
(a parish of the commune of La Jonquera
, in the Province of Girona), is situated in the east and south side of the urban area. Also part of the main road, Avenue de France, is both in France and Spain; and its eastern side (in Els Limits) is named Avinguda d'Espanya .
Out of the main road, in which is situated the checkpoint (totally on the Spanish side), the other principal roads are Rue du Fort de Bellegarde (panoramic hill road to the fortress), Carrer del Dalt, Rue du Mas Rimbau, Calle del Correc (binational) and Rue de l'Eglise. It lies 6 km (4 mi) from La Jonquera
, 14 km (9 mi) from Céret
, 28 km (17 mi) from Figueres
, 34 km (21 mi) from Perpignan
, 64 km (40 mi) from Girona
and 161 km (100 mi) from Barcelona
.
and partly in France, situated on the Route Nationale RN9
. The frontier passes through part of the main street. The Spanish part is almost entirely devoted to the sale of alcohol, tobacco and other goods which are considerably cheaper than in France, resulting in the town being crowded with bargain hunters from France. In earlier times it was a convenient centre of contraband
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Inhabitants are called Perthusiens and, as of 2006, inhabitants were 582.
Geography
Le Perthus is situated in the historical region of VallespirVallespir
Vallespir is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca is Ceret, and it borders Conflent, Rosselló, Alt Empordà, Garrotxa and Ripollès...
, on the borders with Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Its contiguous Spanish twin town, Els Límits
Els Límits
Els Límits is a Spanish village, a civil parish of the municipality of La Jonquera, situated in the province of Girona, Catalonia, in Spain. As of 2005 its population was of 115 .-Geography:...
(a parish of the commune of La Jonquera
La Jonquera
La Jonquera is a municipality in the comarca of l'Alt Empordà, in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated just by the border with France, with the municipalty of Le Perthus.-History:...
, in the Province of Girona), is situated in the east and south side of the urban area. Also part of the main road, Avenue de France, is both in France and Spain; and its eastern side (in Els Limits) is named Avinguda d'Espanya .
Out of the main road, in which is situated the checkpoint (totally on the Spanish side), the other principal roads are Rue du Fort de Bellegarde (panoramic hill road to the fortress), Carrer del Dalt, Rue du Mas Rimbau, Calle del Correc (binational) and Rue de l'Eglise. It lies 6 km (4 mi) from La Jonquera
La Jonquera
La Jonquera is a municipality in the comarca of l'Alt Empordà, in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated just by the border with France, with the municipalty of Le Perthus.-History:...
, 14 km (9 mi) from Céret
Céret
Céret is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It is the capital of Vallespir historical Catalan comarca.-Geography:...
, 28 km (17 mi) from Figueres
Figueres
Figueres is the capital of the comarca of Alt Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museum designed by Dalí himself which attracts many visitors...
, 34 km (21 mi) from Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
, 64 km (40 mi) from Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
and 161 km (100 mi) from Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
Economy
Le Perthus is a border town, partly in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and partly in France, situated on the Route Nationale RN9
Route nationale 9
The Route nationale 9, or RN 9, is a trunk road in France between Moulins and the frontier with Spain.-Reclassification:Much of the route of the RN 9 has now been/or in the process of being upgraded or replaced by the A75 autoroute in particular the section south of Clermont Ferrand to Béziers...
. The frontier passes through part of the main street. The Spanish part is almost entirely devoted to the sale of alcohol, tobacco and other goods which are considerably cheaper than in France, resulting in the town being crowded with bargain hunters from France. In earlier times it was a convenient centre of contraband
Contraband
The word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
.
External links
- Le Perthus map on Google MapsGoogle MapsGoogle Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
- Webpage about Fort de Bellegarde in Le Perthus