State of Greater Soldeu
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Pyrenees, southwest Europe | |||||||
| Capital | Soldeu | ||||||
| Largest city | Canillo | ||||||
| Official languages | Catalan, French | ||||||
| Demonym(s) | Soldeun | ||||||
| Government | Unitary Presidential Republic | ||||||
| Legislature | General Council | ||||||
| Establishment | 26/01/19 | ||||||
| Population | |||||||
• Census | 9300 | ||||||
| Currency | Euro | ||||||
| Time zone | Central European Time | ||||||
Website Map of Greater Soldeu | |||||||
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Etymology
Greater Soldeu is named after the town of Soldeu, located in the centre of the country. The General Council and the Presidential Palace are both located within the town.
History
Government and Politics
Executive
| Picture | Name | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcos Juclar | 26/01/19 | 17/03/19 | ||
| Jose Salandros | 17/03/19 | Incumbent |
National Union Party (19)
Labour Party (5)
Soldeun Military (3)
Soldeun Catholic Church (3)
Liberal Party (3)
Soldeu is a unitary presidential Republic, although the significant powers of the Presidency have led to accusations of dictatorship.
Soldeu has a unicameral legislature called the General Council. The Council is rather unique in that three Catholic Bishops are granted an immediate seat on the Council, as are three representatives of the Soldeun Military.
The National Union Party dominates politics in Soldeu, with 19 seats in the Council. The party is closely intertwined with the military and the church, who are often used to skew electoral results in favour of the party.
Two opposition parties - the Labour Party and Liberal Party - also have seats on the Council.
Geography
Administrative Divisions
Soldeu consists of six populated parishes and four unpopulated national parks.
| Flag | Arms | Name | Pop. | Area (km2) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parishes | ||||||||||||
| Parish of Soldeu |
1007 | 0.9 | ||||||||||
| Parish of Canillo |
4826 | 9.5 | ||||||||||
| Parish of Incles |
102 | 1.4 | ||||||||||
| Parish of El Pas de la Casa |
2996 | 10.9 | ||||||||||
| Parish of Meritxell |
75 | 5.6 | ||||||||||
| Parish of Ransol |
294 | 3.9 | ||||||||||
| National Parks | ||||||||||||
| Grau Roig National Park | 0 | 45.2 | ||||||||||
| Independence National Park | 0 | 30 | ||||||||||
| Soldeu National Park | 0 | 12.3 | ||||||||||
| Royal National Park | 0 | 45.8 | ||||||||||
Physical Geography
Soldeu consists predominantly of rugged mountains, which form part of the eastern Pyrenees mountain range. From the mountains in the north, three valleys flow into a larger valley, in which all of Soldeu's major settlements are located.
The southern mountains of Grau Roig are perhaps the hardest to access, and are dotted by many lakes and small rivers.
Notable rivers include the Riu d'Incles, which flows through Incles and Soldeu; the Riu de la Coma, which flows through Ransol; and the Riu de la Vall del Riu, which flows through El Vilar in Canillo.
Significant lakes include the Estany Primer de Juclar and the Estany Segon de Juclar, both of which are located close to the northern French border; and the Estany de l'Illa, found on the southern Andorran border.
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Estany Primer de Juclar -
Riu d'Incles -
Soldeu in winter -
A brown cow -
Canillo in winter
Climate
Soldeu has an alpine climate; the high elevation of the Pyrenees means there is, on average, more snow during winter, lower humidity, and slightly cooler summers - although temperatures can still comfortably exceed 20 degrees Celsius.
This otherwise stable climate experiences irregular relief from the warmer Mediterranean, resulting in a great diversity of microclimates.
Precipitation is heaviest during spring and summer - May, June and August are usually the rainiest months. Precipitation is lower in the winter, subject to the influence of fronts from the Atlantic.
| Climate data for the nearby Andorra La Vella (Roc de Sant Pere), elevation: 1,075m (1971–2000, extremes 1934–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.0 (64.4) |
20.0 (68) |
24.8 (76.6) |
29.0 (84.2) |
29.2 (84.6) |
36.0 (96.8) |
39.0 (102.2) |
35.9 (96.6) |
32.0 (89.6) |
31.0 (87.8) |
21.2 (70.2) |
19.0 (66.2) |
39.0 (102.2) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 6.9 (44.4) |
8.9 (48) |
11.7 (53.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
17.6 (63.7) |
21.9 (71.4) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.4 (77.7) |
21.4 (70.5) |
16.0 (60.8) |
10.7 (51.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
15.6 (60.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.2 (36) |
3.5 (38.3) |
5.8 (42.4) |
7.5 (45.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
15.4 (59.7) |
18.8 (65.8) |
18.5 (65.3) |
14.9 (58.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
5.7 (42.3) |
3.0 (37.4) |
9.8 (49.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -2.5 (27.5) |
-1.8 (28.8) |
-0.2 (31.6) |
1.7 (35.1) |
5.3 (41.5) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.4 (52.5) |
11.4 (52.5) |
8.5 (47.3) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.6 (33.1) |
-1.4 (29.5) |
3.9 (39) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15.0 (5) |
−16.0 (3) |
−11.0 (12) |
−7.0 (19) |
−2.0 (28) |
0.0 (32) |
3.0 (37.4) |
2.0 (35.6) |
0.0 (32) |
−6.0 (21) |
−19.5 (-3.1) |
−13.0 (9) |
−19.5 (−3.1) |
| Average Precipitation mm (inches) | 53.1 (2.091) |
37.9 (1.492) |
40.5 (1.594) |
71.2 (2.803) |
89.8 (3.535) |
84.2 (3.315) |
60.7 (2.39) |
85.6 (3.37) |
80.9 (3.185) |
72.4 (2.85) |
68.4 (2.693) |
67.9 (2.673) |
812.3 (31.98) |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
Economy
Soldeu's economy is heavily dependent upon tourism, especially during the winter months, during which many tourists arrive for the Skiing season.
Each of Soldeu's towns possess at least one active ski resort, and the population of a Soldeun town can more than triple during peak times. Roughly 85% of Soldeu's GDP is comprised of tourism-related industries.
Although levels of tourism are lower during the summer months, many still visit the country, enticed by the many hiking walks available, of varying difficulties.
Other than the principle industry of tourism, Soldeu has continued the Andorran practice of acting as a Free port; taxes are extremely low, attracting specialist secondary sector businesses. Soldeu also lacks custom duties, and does not tax Alcohol.
Soldeu's sole bank is the Grand Central Bank, a government institution tasked with managing the state's money supply, interest rates and reserves. The international Bank of Akebar also operates commercially.
Demographics
Population
Soldeu has a population of just 9300; this would make it the second smallest country by population, behind only the Vatican State.
Of the nine recognised towns and villages within Soldeu, Canillo is the largest, with a population of 4826; El Pas de la Casa, located on the Soldeun-French border is the second largest town, with a population of 2996.
The town of Soldeu - for which the nation is named - is only the third largest settlement, with a population of 1007.
Soldeu's small population is centred around the CG-2, a road running from El Pas de la Casa to the Andorran capital of Andorra la Vella. Its four national parks, which make up the majority of land in Soldeu lack permanent populations.
Languages
Soldeu is a multilingual country, with Catalan, French and Spanish being widely spoken - the prior two are official languages. English is also spoken, due to the large number of tourists, to varying degrees.
Religion
Soldeu is a heavily Catholic country, of which some 88% are Catholics. Soldeu is also an officially Catholic country; clericalism plays a significant role in Soldeu, and the ruling government often intertwine it with nationalist rhetoric.
Smaller Christian denominations include the Anglican Church and the New Apostolic Church. A small community of Bahá'ís also exist.
Soldeu's patron saint is Our Lady of Meritxell, a Marian apparition dating back to the 12th century.
Culture
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Transport
Transport in Soldeu is entirely road-based; the CG-2 road runs from Andorra la Vella to El Pas de la Casa, connecting to France via the Envalira Tunnel.
Public transport consists of several bus services connecting the various towns of Soldeu together; buses also run to Andorra la Vella. There are also long-distance coach services from Andorra la Vella to Barcelona and Toulouse, through which Soldeuns can reach Spain and France.