Le Perthus Pyramid

The Perthus Tunnel is a twin-bore railway tunnel between France and Spain under the Eastern Pyrenees, built as part of the high-speed railway line Perpignan-Figueres. It has made possible the implementation of direct high-speed trains connecting the two countries' railway systems since December 2013, linking the Spanish AVE network with the French TGV. The tunnel is named after the nearby border town of Le Perthus.The Perthus Tunnel was built between July 2005 and February 2009, and it first opened to traffic on December 19, 2010. It was designed, built, and operated under a 50-year concession by the TP Ferro consortium. The tunnel has been designed to allow the movement of freight train as well as high speed passenger traffic. It also facilities the full interoperability of qualifying trains from either Spanish or French network without distinction. It is 8.3 kilometres (5.2 mi) long. During late 2016, TP Ferro went into liquidation, leading to a new company jointly held by Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF) and SNCF Réseau becoming responsible for the tunnel's operation.

Le Perthus (French: [lə pɛʁtys] , Catalan: El Pertús, IPA: [əl pəɾˈtus]) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Natives of Le Perthus are called Perthusiens and, in 2016, there were 586 inhabitants. Le Perthus is also one of French territories on the Iberian Peninsula.

The Col du Perthus (in Catalan: Coll de Pertús) is a mountain pass of the Pyrenees on the France–Spain border, between the Pyrénées-Orientales in Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées and the Province of Girona in Catalonia. Rising to an altitude of 290 metres (950 ft), it is one of the lowest border passes in the Pyrenees. It marks the western boundary of the Albera Massif. The village of Le Perthus was founded at the col in 1836. The location is the subject of a noted engraving by Gustave Doré, reproduced in Doré’s Spain.

Els Límits (Catalan pronunciation: [əlz ˈlimits]) is a Spanish village, a civil parish of the municipality of La Jonquera, situated in the province of Girona, Catalonia, in Spain. As of 2005 its population was of 115. Its Spanish name is Los Límites.

The Fort de Bellegarde (Fort or Castell de Bellaguarda / Bellaguàrdia in Catalan) is a 17th-century bastion fortification located above the town of Le Perthus, in the Pyrénées-Orientales département of southern France.

The siege of Bellegarde commenced on 23 May 1793 and ended on 24 June 1793 when Colonel Boisbrulé's French garrison surrendered the Fort de Bellegarde to a Spanish army under the command of Antonio Ricardos. The capture of the fort gave Spain control of an important road through the Pyrenees. The siege took place during the War of the Pyrenees, part of the French Revolutionary Wars. Fort de Bellegarde is on a height overlooking the border town of Le Perthus, which lies on the modern A9 autoroute and Autovía A-7.

The Battle of the Col de Panissars was fought on 30 September and 1 October 1285 between the forces of Philip III of France and Peter III of Aragon. It was a severe defeat for the French, who were already retiring over the Pyrenees when the Aragonese fell on them. It was the last battle of the Aragonese Crusade, a papally-sanctioned war on behalf of Charles of Valois to secure the Aragonese throne from the excommunicated king Peter III, who had conquered Sicily against papal interests. The battle followed on the heels of the naval victory at Les Formigues on 4 September.

Les Cluses (French pronunciation: [le klyz] ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.

L'Albère (Catalan: L'Albera) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.

Montesquieu-des-Albères (Catalan: Montesquiu d'Albera) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.

Maureillas-las-Illas (French pronunciation: [moʁɛjas laz‿ijas] ; Catalan: Morellàs i les Illes) is a rural commune in the Vallespir, Pyrénées-Orientales in the south of France. The commune belongs to the Communauté de communes of Vallespir uniting Maureillas-las-Illas with nine other communes.

The Priory of Santa Maria del Vilar at Villelongue-dels-Monts in the department of the Pyrénées-Orientales, France, houses the Romanian Orthodox Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of Western and Southern Europe.