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geographic situation of North Catalonia gives the region an
important role to play in the exchanges between north and south
Europe. This land contains the natural passage between France
and French-speaking North Africa through Spain, and the majority
of products and tourists travel North-South/South-North on the
A9 Autoroute ‘La Catalane.’
The region of North Catalonia is a land of permanent osmosis
with the south thanks to a dozen other natural passages like
the Coll d’Ares, the Coll de Banyuls, the Coll del Belitre,
the Coll de la Manrella or the essential Coll del Portiús
(Col du Perthus) – joining the A9/AP7 Autoroutes continuing
through Figueres, Girona, Barcelona and Valencia.
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A9 motorway "La catalane" |
Perpinyà
(Perpignan) the major town, benefits from a privileged position.
Situated 191km from Barcelona, 201km from Toulouse, 153km from
Montpellier, 316km from Marseilles and 905km from Paris, Perpinyà
has recently seen the rebirth of development hopes after the
announcement of the arrival of the TGV (fast train) in 2009.
Moreover, the orientation towards the south has been cemented
by the ever-increasing use of Catalan in the public arena and
by the development of cultural and economic partnerships with
the population south of the Pyrénées. The closeness
between Perpinyà and the grand city of Barcelona, accepted
bit by bit after the forgotten years of border control, has
given birth to a new period, a shift towards Catalonia facilitated
by the new European framework. This trend towards the obliteration
of psychological distances and the combination of both populations
will help to make exchanges between north and south more common-place,
and will encourage even more North Catalans to refer to the
south as simply the other side. Like all other frontier dwellers
in France, the North Catalans live the ‘new Europe’ everyday.
Many hundreds among them choose to practice their profession
‘on the other side’ while maintaining their principal residence
in the north.
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