La Jonquera
| La Jonquera | |||
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| Municipality | |||
Panorama of the Requesens Castle
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 La Jonquera
La Jonquera
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| Coordinates: 42°25′11″N 2°52′31″E / 42.41972°N 2.87528°ECoordinates: 42°25′11″N 2°52′31″E / 42.41972°N 2.87528°E | |||
| Country |
 Spain
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| Community |
 Catalonia
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| Province |
 Girona
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| Comarca |
 Alt Empordà
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| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Sònia Martínez Juli (2015) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 56.9 km2 (22.0 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 110 m (360 ft) | ||
| Population (2014) | |||
| • Total | 3,115 | ||
| • Density | 55/km2 (140/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Jonquerenc, jonquerenca, jonquereño, jonquereña | ||
| Website | www |
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La Jonquera (Catalan pronunciation: [ɫə ʒuŋˈkeɾə]) is a municipality in the comarca of l'Alt Empordà, in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated next to the border with France, opposite the municipality of Le Perthus.
The area has always been an important pass through the Pyrenees. A contemporary motorway runs not far from the ancient Roman road, the Via Augusta. Not far from there is an altar erected by Pompey at the Coll de Panissars.
La Jonquera was the site of a conflict involving the retreating French crusaders in 1285 that ended in their defeat.
La Jonquera (2,888 inhabitants in the village) has got 4 civil parishes (poblaciónes). The village of Els Límits is situated on the French-Spanish border, contiguous to its French twin town, Le Perthus.
The New York Times reported that one of Europe's largest brothels opened in La Jonquera in 2010, taking advantage of Europe's open borders and "lax laws". Many of its clients reportedly come from France. According to the paper, "Advocates and police officials say that most of the women are controlled by illegal networks — they are modern-day slaves."
The area around La Jonquera was seriously affected by fatal wildfires that devastated large swathes of forestry in northern Catalonia in July 2012.
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Wikipedia