Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

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

year England was conquered by the

French forces ofWilliam, duke of Normandy,

during what is known as the

Norman Conquest.

#More to explore

England • Norman Conquest

Buddhist monks walk toward the main

temple building at Angkor Wat.

A rare gold coin shows an

Anglo-Saxon king.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Anglo-Saxon 121

 

Angola

The country of Angola lies on the southwestern

coast of Africa. After about 500

years as a colony of Portugal, Angola

suffered decades of civil war beginning

in 1975. The capital and largest city is

Luanda.

Geography

Angola is bordered by Congo, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo,