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long and in most places are no wider than

200 miles (320 kilometers).

Many Andean peaks are higher than any

mountains in North America. At 22,831

feet (6,959 meters), Argentina’s Mount

Aconcagua is the highest mountain anywhere

in the world outside Asia.

Plants and Animals

Plant and animal life in the Andes varies

based on height and climate. The highest

peaks and some very dry places have

very few plants. But rainy parts of the

eastern Andes have lush tropical forests.

Animals of the Andes include pumas,

chinchillas, and several relatives of the

camel, including llamas, guanacos, and

alpacas. The Andean condor is a vulture

that is one of the world’s largest flying

birds.

People

Humans first settled in the Andes more

than 10,000 years ago. Indian peoples

such as the Inca established cities in high

valleys and built roads through mountain

passes. Most people in the Andean

region even today have at least some

Indian ancestors.

Most of the people of the mountains are

involved in farming. Most crops are

grown for use within the region, but

some are exported. Increasing numbers

of people have also become involved in

mining. The Andean region is one of the

world’s richest sources of minerals. Copper,

iron ore, tin, lead, zinc, silver, gold,

platinum, and emeralds are all produced

in the Andes, especially in the south.

#More to explore

Inca • Mountain • South America

Mount Fitzroy, or El Chalten, is part of the southern Andes Mountains. It rises above a

plain in the Patagonia region of Argentina.

118 Andes BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Andorra

The European country of Andorra is

one of the smallest in the world. The

capital is Andorra la Vella.

Geography

Andorra lies in the southern Pyrenees

Mountains between Spain and France.

The Valira River runs through its valleys.

Andorra has a number of natural

sources of hot water called thermal

springs.

The climate of Andorra is generally dry.

It has cold, snowy winters and warm

summers.

Plants and Animals

Pines and firs grow in Andorra’s mountains,

where chamois (goatlike animals)

and birds of prey also live. Andorra has

reintroduced several threatened animals,

including species of trout and deer, to

their former habitats.Wild boars and

weasels are other native animals.

People

Most Andorrans are of Spanish origin

and Roman Catholic. Catalan, a language

of eastern Spain, is the official

language. Andorrans also speak Spanish

and French. Only about one third of the

people are Andorran citizens. The rest

are mostly citizens of Spain, France, or

Portugal.

Economy

Tourism, banking, trade, and construction

are the most important parts of

Andorra’s economy. Some tourists visit

the medieval churches, castles, and

bridges. Others come for skiing and

other winter sports.

Manufacturers in Andorra make electrical

equipment, cars and car parts, newspapers,

and clothes. A few farmers raise

tobacco, hay, potatoes, and sheep.

History

The emperor Charlemagne captured

Andorra from the Muslims in AD 803. It

later passed to the Spanish bishops of

the town of Urgel. In the late 1200s

Andorra became a coprincipality, a land

governed by two princes: the bishop of

Urgel and the leader of France. In 1993

Andorrans voted for a new constitution

that gave more power to their legislature,

the General Council.

..More to explore

Andorra la Vella • Charlemagne • France

• Pyrenees • Spain

Facts About

ANDORRA

Population

(2008 estimate)

84,100

Area

179 sq mi (464

sq km)

Capital

Andorra la Vella

Form of

government

Parliamentary

coprincipality

Major urban

areas

Andorra la Vella,

Les Escaldes-

Engordany,

Encamp

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Andorra 119

 

Andorra la Vella

Population

(2008 estimate)

24,574

Andorra la Vella is the capital of the tiny

western European country of Andorra.

The town lies in a valley of the Pyrenees

Mountains.

Andorra la Vella is popular with tourists

because of its scenic beauty and winter

sports areas. It is also a retail shopping

center for goods from Asia and other

parts of Europe.

Andorra la Vella was long isolated from

the outside world. Roads built in the

1930s helped make it more modern. In

the second half of the 1900s the town’s

population grew along with its industries.

AngkorWat

A temple dating back to the 1100s,

AngkorWat is located in Cambodia. It

is the world’s largest religious structure.

Physical Features

AngkorWat is about 5,100 feet (1,554

meters) long and 4,498 feet (1,371

meters) wide. It is surrounded by a wall

and a moat. Of its original nine towers,

five still stand.

The temple was originally dedicated to

the Hindu god Vishnu. Carvings illustrate

Hindu legends and glorify the king

who ordered the temple built. Sculptures

portray him as Vishnu or show

him performing kingly functions. Many

Hindu images were later replaced by

Buddhist art.

History

From the 800s to the 1400s the city of

Angkor was the capital of a powerful

Cambodian kingdom called the Khmer

Empire. AngkorWat is the most famous

of the city’s temples. The Khmer started

building the temple during the reign of

King Suryavarman II, which lasted from

about 1113 to 1150. It was not finished

until after his death. In 1177 Angkor

was looted by invaders. The next king

decided that the Hindu gods had failed.

He made AngkorWat a Buddhist

shrine.

The city of Angkor was abandoned in

the 1400s. However, AngkorWat itself

was maintained by Buddhist monks as a

Andorra la Vella sits in a mountain valley.

One of the main tourist sites in the city is the

Casa de la Vall. It is where Andorra’s legislature

meets.

120 Andorra la Vella BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

pilgrimage site. Even so, parts of it were

damaged by plant roots or worn away by

water.

#More to explore

Buddhism • Cambodia • Hinduism

• Monk • Pilgrimage

Anglo-Saxon

Hundreds of years ago people known as

the Anglo-Saxons lived in and ruled

England. They were descendants of

three different peoples. The Angles and

Saxons came from different parts of

what is now Germany, and the Jutes

came from Jutland, a part of Denmark.

In the 400s the Celtic Britons who were

living in England asked the Angles, Saxons,

and Jutes to protect them from

fierce tribes in the north. In return for

their services the Angles, Saxons, and

Jutes were given land. Gradually they

became more powerful and pushed the

Britons aside. They became the rulers of

the land.

Eventually the name Anglo-Saxon came

to be used for all people living in

England, as the Angles, Saxons, and

Jutes mixed with other invaders and the

original Britons. The Anglo-Saxons

spoke an early form of English that is

now called Old English. They lived in

houses made of wood, thatch (straw),

and twigs woven together and covered

with mud or clay. When the mud or clay

hardened it made a solid roof or wall.

Anglo-Saxons fed themselves by farming.

They harvested grains, fruits, and

vegetables and raised livestock.

Anglo-Saxon rule ended in 1066. In that