Cerdagne

Cerdanya
Natural region
Spring landscape of the Cerdanya in Llívia.
Map showing the Higher and Lower Cerdanya
Country	Pyrénées-Orientales, France Catalonia, Spain
Elevation	1,100 m (3,600 ft)

Cerdanya (Catalan pronunciation: [sərˈðaɲə], Latin: Ceretania or Ceritania, French: Cerdagne, Spanish: Cerdaña), often la Cerdanya, is a natural comarca and historical region of the eastern Pyrenees divided between France and Spain. Historically it was one of the counties of Catalonia.

Cerdanya has a land area of 1,086 km² (419 sq mi), divided almost evenly between Spain (50.3%) and France (49.7%). In 2001 its population was approximately 26,500, of whom 53% lived on Spanish territory. Its population density of 24 residents per km² (63 per sq. mile) is one of the lowest in Western Europe. The only urban area in Cerdanya is the cross-border urban area of Puigcerdà-Bourg-Madame, which contained 10,900 inhabitants in 2001.

The area enjoys a high annual amount of sunshine – around 3,000 hours per year. For this reason, pioneering large-scale solar power projects have been built in several locations in French Cerdagne, including Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via, the Themis plant near Targassonne, and Mont-Louis Solar Furnace in Mont-Louis.

The first inhabitants of Cerdanya probably spoke a language related to the old Basque language and to Aquitanian. Many place names testify to this.