Cerdagne (Catalan: Cerdanya; French: Cerdagne; Spanish: Cerdaña) is a small region of the eastern Pyrenees divided between France and Spain and which is historically one of the counties of Catalonia. Catalan or Valencian (Català, Valencià) is a Romance language understood by as many as 12 million people in portions of Spain, France, Andorra and Italy, although the majority of active Catalan speakers are in Spain. ... Central Pyrenees The Pyrenees (French: Pyrénées; Spanish: Pirineos; Occitan: Pirenèus or Pirenèas; Catalan Pirineus; Aragonese: Perinés; Basque: Pirinioak) are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. ... Catalonia (Catalan: Catalunya ; Spanish: Cataluña ; Aranese: Catalonha ; French: Catalogne) is a formerly independent country in southern Europe, situated in the north-east of Spain and the adjoining portion of France. ...

Cerdagne has a land area of 1,086.07 km² (419.33 sq. miles), 50.3% being Spanish territory, 49.7% being French territory. In 2001 the population of Cerdagne was approximately 26,500 inhabitants (53.4% on Spanish territory, 46.6% on French territory), which means a density of only 24 inh. per km² (63 inh. per sq. mile), one of the lowest densities in western Europe. The only urban area in Cerdagne is the cross-border urban area of Puigcerdà-Bourg-Madame: 10,900 inhabitants in 2001 (41% of the whole population of Cerdagne). To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 1,000 km² and 10,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Puigcerdà Coat of Arms Puigcerdà is the capital of the Catalan comarca of Baixa Cerdanya, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain, located at 1,202 metres above the sea, by the river Segre, right by the border with France. ...

Antiquity

The first inhabitants of Cerdagne were probably speaking a language related to the old Basque language and to Aquitanian. Many place names testify to this. In the first millennium BC came the Iberians from the south. Although their identity is still a matter of debate, some theory posit that they were related to the Afro-Asiatic people, and that they separated from the Berbers in North Africa and moved into Spain and then up north to the south of modern-day France. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Aquitanian language was spoken in ancient Aquitaine (approximately between the Pyrenees and the Garonne), region later known as Gascony before the Roman conquest and, probably much later until the Upper Middle Ages. ... Iberia can mean: The Iberian peninsula of southwest Europe; That part of it inhabited by the Iberians, speaking the Iberian language. ... Map showing the distribution of Afro-Asiatic languages The Afro-Asiatic languages are a language family of about 240 languages and 285 million people widespread throughout North Africa, East Africa, the Sahel, and Southwest Asia. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ...

In Cerdagne they mixed with the native inhabitants, and the resulting people were known as the Kerretes, from the native word ker or kar meaning rock, related to old Basque karri (modern Basque harri, stone). The Kerretes were probably essentially of Basque and Aquitanian-related stock, as the Iberians who mixed with the native inhabitants were a small number of people. The Kerretes kept talking a language related to old Basque and Aquitanian, although some Iberian words may have entered the language, and Iberians clans probably occupied positions at the top of the Kerrete society.

The main oppidum of the Kerrete, commanding the whole country, was called Kere and was built on the hill above the modern-day village of Llívia (Spanish exclave in French territory). Later the Kerretes came under Roman rule, and the Roman renamed the oppidum Julia Libyca, with a significant number of Roman citizens settling there. During the Roman Empire, the area of Cerdagne was a pagus known as pagus Liviensis (name derived from its capital Julia Libyca), part of the province of Hispania Tarraconensis. The pagus Liviensis was itself divided in two: the eastern part around Julia Libyca was known as Cerretania Julia, while the western part was known as Cerretania Augusta. The name Cerdagne comes from Cerretania, itself coming from the old name of the inhabitants the Kerretes. As for Julia Libyca, the name evolved into Julia Livia, and then Llívia. To the Romans, an oppidum (pl: oppida) was Latin for the main settlement in any administrative area. ... Llívia is a town of Cerdagne, located in the Catalan comarca of Baixa Cerdanya, province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain, that forms a Spanish exclave surrounded by French territory (Pyrénées-Orientales département). ... D is Bs exclave, but is not an enclave. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus). ... Roman Imperial province of Hispania Tarraconensis, 120 AD Hispania Tarraconensis was a Roman province in what is known today as modern Spain. ...

The Kerretes seem to have kept their old language until very late, probably as late as the 8th or 9th century. Romanization in the area was extremely slow, even though eventually the native language gave way, and people in Cerdagne ended up speaking Catalan, which is a language coming from Latin. At the end of the Roman Empire, Julia Libyca entered a period of decadence, and lost much of its importance. It is around this time that the town of La Seu d'Urgell (in Catalonia, but outside of Cerdagne) started to replace Julia Libyca as the main center of population in that area of northern Catalonia, and in the 6th century when the diocese (bishopric) of Urgell was founded, Cerdagne was inside its limits. Catalan or Valencian (Català, Valencià) is a Romance language understood by as many as 12 million people in portions of Spain, France, Andorra and Italy, although the majority of active Catalan speakers are in Spain. ... La Seu dUrgell is the capital of the comarca of Alt Urgell, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. ... Catalonia (Catalan: Catalunya ; Spanish: Cataluña ; Aranese: Catalonha ; French: Catalogne) is a formerly independent country in southern Europe, situated in the north-east of Spain and the adjoining portion of France. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ...

Devastated by the Vandals and other Germanic tribes, Cerdagne was part of the Visigoth kingdom of Toulouse and later Toledo, until eventually it was conquered by the Arabs, although they did not really settle in the area. Then in the end of the 8th century the Franks defeated the Arabs, and conquered the area of Catalonia. The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century and created a state in North Africa, centered on the city of Carthage. ... The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. ... The Capitole, the 18th century city hall of Toulouse and best known landmark in the city; in the foreground is the Place du Capitole, a hub of urban life at the very center of the city Toulouse (pronounced in standard French, in local Toulouse accent) (Occitan: Tolosa, pronounced ) is a... The façade of Toledo cathedral Toledo is a city located in central Spain, the capital of the province of Toledo and of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. ... The Franks or the Frankish people were one of several west Germanic tribes who entered the late Roman Empire from Frisia as foederati and established a lasting realm (sometimes referred to as Francia) in an area that covers most of modern-day France and the region of Franconia in Germany...

County of Cerdagne

The county of Cerdagne has its origin in the Spanish Marches established by Charlemagne. In the 9th century Cerdagne was one of the lordships united in the person of the counts of Barcelona, who were also counts of Gerona, Narbonne and Urgell. Guifred I "le Velu" (count from 870 - 897) had three sons and established the youngest, Miron (died 927), as Count of Cerdagne. Mark or march (or various plural forms of these words) are derived from the Frankish word marka (boundary) and refer to an area along a border, e. ... Charlemagne is also the name of a column in The Economist on European affairs. ... The now-extinct title of Count of Barcelona was, through much of its history, merged with that of King of Aragon; see also List of Aragonese Monarchs. ... Girona (Catalan: Girona, Spanish: Gerona, French: Gérone) is a city located in the northwest of Catalonia, Spain on the confluence of the rivers Ter and Onyar. ... Cathedral in Narbonne. ... Urgell is one of the historical Catalan counties, bordering on the counties of Pallars and Cerdanya. ...

The county of Cerdagne bordered the counts of Urgell, the county of Barcelona, the county of Besalú, the county of Roussillon, and the county of Razès. The county of Cerdagne was made up of Cerdagne proper, but also included other areas which it managed to acquire over time through inheritance, such as Capcir and Conflent. Thus, the county of Cerdagne was actually quite an important county. The counts of Cerdagne were great patrons of abbeys, most famously Saint-Michel de Cuxa (Catalan: Sant Miquel de Cuixà), located in Conflent; and Martin-du-Canigou built by count de Cerdagne Guifred in 1009. This is a list of the counts of Urgell. ... History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Muslim Conquest of Iberia Timeline of Muslim Occupation Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History... Besalú is a medieval town in the Catalan comarca of Garrotxa. ... Mount Canigou (2785m), a Catalan landmark Roussillon (Catalan Rosselló; Spanish Rosellón) is one of the historical Catalan Countries corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees). ... Razès is a historical area in southwestern France, in todays Aude département. ... Capcir is a catalan comarca, in North Catalonia, and presently under French administration. ... Conflent is a Catalan comarca in North Catalonia, and currently under French administration. ... Martin-du-Canigou Monastery. ...

However, the line of the counts died out in 1117 and the county was inherited by the counts of Barcelona, later to become kings of Aragon. Events May 3 - Merton Priory (Thomas Becket school) consecrated. ... Here is a list of the rulers of Aragon, now a region of north-eastern Spain. ...

Current division

Cerdagne proper was split between Spain and France at the Treaty of the Pyrenees of 1659, with the north of Cerdagne becoming French, while the south of Cerdagne remained Spanish. Capcir and Conflent also became French at that time. The Treaty of the Pyrenees was a treaty signed in 1659 to end the war between France and Spain that had begun in 1635 during the Thirty Years War. ... // Events May 25 - Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the republican government called the Commonwealth. ...

Today, the Spanish side of Cerdagne is a Catalan comarca known as Baixa Cerdanya (i.e. "Lower Cerdagne"), and whose capital is Puigcerdà. Puigcerdà was already the capital of Cerdagne before the division of 1659, having replaced Hix in 1178 as capital of Cerdagne. Hix is the place where the counts of Cerdagne resided, and is now a village inside the commune of Bourg-Madame on the French side of the border. Hix had itself replaced Llívia, which was the ancient capital of Cerdagne in the Antiquity. At the Treaty of the Pyrenees it was decided that Llívia would remain Spanish (allegedly because the treaty stipulated that only villages were to be ceded to France, and Llívia was considered a city and not a village, due to its status as the ancient capital of Cerdagne), so Llívia is now an exclave of Spain inside French territory. This is a list of the comarques (singular comarca) of Catalonia. ... Baixa Cerdanya is a comarca (county) in northern Catalonia, in the France and with the principality of Andorra. ... Puigcerdà Coat of Arms Puigcerdà is the capital of the Catalan comarca of Baixa Cerdanya, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain, located at 1,202 metres above the sea, by the river Segre, right by the border with France. ... Events June 18 - Five Canterbury monks see what was possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed The Sung Document written detailing the discovery of Mu-Lan-Pi (suggested by some to be California) by Muslim sailors The Chronicle of Gervase of Canterbury written The Leaning Tower of Pisa begins to... The commune (in French: commune, word appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin communia, gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common) is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. ... Llívia is a town of Cerdagne, located in the Catalan comarca of Baixa Cerdanya, province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain, that forms a Spanish exclave surrounded by French territory (Pyrénées-Orientales département). ... Antiquity means ancient times, and may be used of any period before the Middle Ages. ... D is Bs exclave, but is not an enclave. ...

The French side of Cerdagne is part of the département of Pyrénées-Orientales and has no particular status. People in France refer to it as Cerdagne française (i.e. "French Cerdagne"), or just Cerdagne, while people in Catalonia refer to it as "High Cerdagne" (Alta Cerdanya). Its main towns are Bourg-Madame and the ski resort of Font-Romeu. The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties. ... Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees, Catalan: Pirineus Orientals) is a département of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. ... French Cerdagne is the northern half of Cerdagne that became French at the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, while the southern half remained Spanish (part of Catalonia). ... Alta Cerdanya or French Cerdanya (French Cerdagne) is an alternative name for the portion of historical Cerdanya, south of the top crest of the Pyrenees, that was ceded to the French crown by the Treaty of the Pyrenees (France and for this reason was chosen as the place to build...

Municipalities

Spanish side (Baixa Cerdanya)

• Alp
• Bellver de Cerdanya
• Bolvir
• Das
• Fontanals de Cerdanya
• Ger
• Guils de Cerdanyà
• Isòvol
• Lles de Cerdanya
• Llívia
• Meranges
• Montellà i Martinet
• Prats i Sansor
• Prullans
• Puigcerdà
• Riu de Pendís
• Urús

Baixa Cerdanya is a comarca (county) in northern Catalonia, in the France and with the principality of Andorra. ... Puigcerdà Coat of Arms Puigcerdà is the capital of the Catalan comarca of Baixa Cerdanya, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain, located at 1,202 metres above the sea, by the river Segre, right by the border with France. ...

French side (Cerdagne française)(Catalan Alta Cerdanya)

• Angoustrine-Villeneuve-des-Escaldes (Catalan: Angostrina)
• Bolquère (Catalan: Bolquera)
• Bourg-Madame (Catalan: La Guingueta d’Ix)
• Dorres
• Égat (Catalan Èguet)
• Enveitg (Catalan Enveig)
• Err (Catalan Er)
• Estavar
• Eyne (Catalan Eina)
• Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via (Catalan Font-Romeu or Odelló i Vià)
• La Cabanasse (Catalan La Cabanassa)
• Latour-de-Carol (Catalan La Tor de Querol)
• Llo
• Mont-louis (Catalan Montlluís)
• Nahuja (Catalan Naüja)
• Osséja (Catalan Osseja)
• Palau-de-Cerdagne (Catalan Palau de Cerdanya)
• Planès (Catalan Planès)
• Porta
• Porté-Puymorens (Catalan Portè)
• Saillagouse (Catalan Sallagosa)
• Saint-Pierre-dels-Forcats (Catalan Sant Pere dels Forcats)
• Sainte-Léocadie (Catalan Santa Llocaia)
• Targassonne (Catalan Targasona)
• Ur
• Valcebollère (Catalan: Vallsabollera)

French Cerdagne is the northern half of Cerdagne that became French at the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, while the southern half remained Spanish (part of Catalonia). ...

External link

• Counts of Cerdagne: genealogical tree