Le Perthus
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Le Perthus |
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| View from the Fort de Bellegarde. To the right the Spanish village of Els Límits | |
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 Le Perthus
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Department | Pyrénées-Orientales |
| Arrondissement | Céret |
| Canton | Céret |
| Mayor | Michèle Vert-Nibet (2001–2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 196–647 m (643–2,123 ft) (avg. 280 m or 920 ft) |
| Land area1 | 4.27 km2 (1.65 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 582 (2006) |
| - Density | 136 /km2 (350 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 66137/ 66480 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Coordinates: 42°27′54″N 2°51′48″E / 42.465°N 2.8633°E
Le Perthus[1] (French pronunciation: [lə pɛʁtys], Catalan: El Pertús, IPA: [əɫ pərˈtus]) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Inhabitants are called Perthusiens and, as of 2006, inhabitants were 582.
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[edit] History
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[edit] Geography
Le Perthus is situated in the historical region of Vallespir, 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 [2]. 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.
[edit] Economy
Le Perthus is a border town, partly in Spain 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.
[edit] Places of interest
Fort de Bellegarde is located on a hilltop above Le Perthus.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ (French) INSEE commune file
- ^ (Spanish) Map, pictures and infos on "Fronterasblog"
[edit] External links
Media related to Le Perthus at Wikimedia Commons
