French Cerdagne

French Cerdagne is the northern half of Cerdanya, which became part of France after the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, while the southern half stayed with Spain. Catalans often call it Upper Cerdanya. It is the only piece of French land on the Iberian Peninsula, sitting on the south side of the Pyrenees Range between France and Spain. The Segre river, which flows into the Ebro, begins its journey in French Cerdagne. An interesting outcome of the treaty created the Spanish exclave of Llívia, a small area of Spain completely surrounded by French Cerdagne.

French Cerdagne is part of the department of Pyrénées-Orientales and covers an area of 539.67 km² (208.37 sq. miles). In 1999, about 12,035 people lived there, making it a very peaceful place with only 22 people per km². The area has many sunny days, which made it a perfect spot for special science projects. Two important facilities there are the Odeillo solar furnace, used for high-temperature experiments, and the Thémis solar power plant, which operated from 1983 to 1986 and is now used to study Gamma rays.

Communes

Further information: Communes of the Pyrénées-Orientales department

French Cerdagne has 26 communes, all part of the canton of Les Pyrénées catalanes in the arrondissement of Prades. Here is a list of these communes in alphabetical order:

1. Angoustrine-Villeneuve-des-Escaldes – pop. 549
2. Bolquère – pop. 730
3. Bourg-Madame – pop. 1,166
4. Dorres – pop. 219
5. Égat – pop. 494
6. Enveitg – pop. 621
7. Err – pop. 551
8. Estavar – pop. 409
9. Eyne – pop. 127
10. Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via – pop. 2,003
11. La Cabanasse – pop. 622
12. Latour-de-Carol – pop. 367
13. Llo – pop. 133
14. Mont-Louis – pop. 270
15. Nahuja – pop. 63
16. Osséja – pop. 1,282
17. Palau-de-Cerdagne – pop. 424
18. Planès – pop. 27
19. Porta – pop. 98
20. Porté-Puymorens – pop. 147
21. Saillagouse – pop. 820
22. Saint-Pierre-dels-Forcats – pop. 213
23. Sainte-Léocadie – pop. 140
24. Targassonne – pop. 203
25. Ur – pop. 308
26. Valcebollère – pop. 49