Canillo

Canillo is one of the seven parishes of Andorra. It is in the northeast of the country. Canillo is also the name of the main town of the parish.

Canillo
Parish
Sant Joan de Caselles church
Flag Coat of arms
Canillo parish, in red, in Andorra
Coordinates: 42°34′00″N 1°36′00″E
Country	Andorra
Capital	Canillo
Villages	See list
Government [1]
• Mayor	Josep Mandicó Calvó
Area
• Total	121 km2 (47 sq mi)
Elevation	1,530 m (5,020 ft)
Population  (2015)[2]
• Total	4,124
• Density	34/km2 (88/sq mi)
Demonym	canillencs
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	AD100
ISO 3166 code	AD-02
Website	Official website

The town of Canillo is the religious centre of Andorra because here is the Mare de Déu de Meritxell ("Our Lady of Meritxell") Basilica. Our Lady of Meritxell is the patron saint of Andorra.

Geography

The Canillo parish is in the northeastern part of the country and borders with the Ariège department to the north and east, with the Pyrénées-Orientales department (France) to the southeast, with the Encamp parish to the south and the Ordino parish to the west.

The highest mountain in the parish is Pic de l'Estanyó (42°36′31″N 1°35′33″E) with an elevation of 2,915 m (9,564 ft) above sea level; it is on the border with the Ordino parish.^[3]

The main river in Canillo is the Valira d'Orient, also known as Valira d’Encamp.

The largest lake of Andorra, Estany de Juclà ("Juclar lake"), is in the Canillo parish; it has an area of 0.21 km² (0.08 sq mi).

Population

The parish had a population, in 2015, of 4,124 inhabitants,^[2] for a population density of 34.1 persons/km².

Evolution of the population in Canillo^[4]

Change in population

1981	1986	1991	1996	2001	2006	2011	2015
808	1,153	1,915	2,518	3,014	5,067	4,826	4,124

Villages

The urban areas in the parish are:

No.	Town	Population[5] (2015)	Altitude[6] (m)	Notes[6]
1	L'Aldosa de Canillo	194	1,675	Also known simply as L'Aldosa.
2	Canillo	1,977	1,531	The capital of the parish.
3	El Forn	75	2,178	Also known as Les Cases del Forn.
4	El Tarter	672	1,721	On the right side of the Valira d'Orient river.
5	El Vilar	9	1,675	Also known as El Vilar de Canillo. On the right side of the Valira d'Orient river.
6	Els Plans	11	1,722
7	Incles	330	1,925	On the right side of the Incles river.
8	Meritxell	62	1,527	On the right side of the Valira d'Orient river. Here is the Our Lady of Meritxell Basilica.
9	Prats	51	1,326
10	Ransol	184	1,745	On the right side of the Valira d'Orient river.
11	Soldeu	559	1,825	On the right side of the Valira d'Orient river.

Economy

The main economic activity is tourism and the parish is a major tourism destination during winter.

Sites of interest

• The new Our Lady of Meritxell Basilica in Meritxell.
• Sant Joan de Caselles church. It is similar to the church in Mérens-les-Vals, Ariège, France.
• Valley of the Incles river with the Estany de Juclà ("Juclar lake"), the largest lake of Andorra.
• Soldeu-El Tarter ski resort, part of the Grandvalira ski resort.

Gallery

• 
  The old Our Lady of Meritxell Basilica
• 
  The Incles river valley
• 
  School in Canillo