Countries of Europe - Andorra (Principality of Andorra)

8/14/2019 Countries of Europe - Andorra (Principality of Andorra)

1/7

AndorraI INTRODUCTION

Andorra: Flag and Anthem

Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved./ Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Andorra, country in southwestern Europe, located high in the eastern Pyrenees Mountains between France to the north

and Spain to the south. Andorra is one of the smallest nations in the world, with an area of 468 sq km (181 sq mi) and

a population (2007 estimate) of 71,822. The capital and largest city is Andorra la Vella (population, 2004 estimate,

22,035).

Andorra is a rugged land marked by deep gorges, narrow valleys, and towering mountains. The lowest part of Andorra

stands about 914 m (3,000 ft) above sea level. Due to its alpine location, winters are cold, and heavy snowfall

frequently blocks the mountain passes, especially the road linking Andorra to France. Summers are cool, dry, and

sunny.

Andorran Village

The tiny mountainous principality of Andorra draws tourists to the Pyrenees year-round for sightseeing, skiing, and duty-free

shopping. Although tourism is the nation's main source of revenue, some villagers retain a pastoral way of life, moving with cattle and

sheep to high mountain pastures in summer.

Everett C. Johnson/Leo de Wys, Inc.


2/7

Isolated for centuries, Andorra had become a popular tourist destination by the 1950s. Although tiny, Andorra offers

some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the Pyrenees. Great hiking, mountain biking, and stunning alpine scenery

attract visitors in summer. But most of the visitors to Andorra are day travelers from France or Spain, who take

advantage of Andorras duty-free shopping. Merchants selling electronic goods, alcohol, tobacco, and luxury items

crowd the streets of Andorra la Vella and other nearby towns.

Tourism is Andorras main source of revenue, but some Andorrans still raise sheep and cattle as they have since

ancient times. In the summer months, villagers herd livestock up the mountains to graze in alpine pastures. Most ofthe small patches of land suitable for cultivation are used to grow tobacco.

For more than 700 years Andorra was ruled jointly by the leader of France and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Urgel in

northwestern Spain. These leaders, known as the princes of Andorra, served as overlords of Andorra. The country

formally remains a co-principality (jointly ruled by princes) to the present day. In 1993 Andorrans adopted their first

constitution, which established the country as an independent democratic co-principality. Today, the president of

France and the Bishop of Urgel remain Andorras heads of state, but their roles are largely ceremonial.

II LAND AND RESOURCESGeography of Andorra

Area 468 sq km181 sq mi

Coastline 0 km0 mi

Highestpoint

Pic de Coma Pedrosa2,946 m/9,665 ft

Andorra occupies a region of gorges and valleys in the eastern Pyrenees. The country is almost completely encircled

by high mountains. The Coma Pedrosa, which rises to 2,946 m (9,965 ft), is Andorras highest peak.

Andorran Landscape

Andorra is a region of deep gorges, narrow valleys, and towering mountain peaks. Andorra is located in the eastern Pyrenees, nestled

on the border between France to the north and Spain to the south.


3/7

Andorra Tourist Office

Over the centuries, settlers have cleared much of Andorras original alpine forest cover, including birch, pine, and fir,

creating pastures in valleys and on the slopes. Overgrazing by livestock has caused soil erosion in some mountain

meadows.

Andorra is drained by the Valira River. Many streams meet to form the Valira, which flows south into Spain. Waterpower

is one of Andorras few significant natural resources, and it permits the country to produce nearly half of its electricity

needs. Andorra has small deposits of iron and lead, but they have not been mined extensively because of the high

costs of transportation. Some marble is also quarried.

III PEOPLEPeople of Andorra

Population 71,822 (2007 estimate)

Population density 159 persons per sq km413 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)

Urban populationdistribution 90 percent (2003 estimate)

Rural population distribution 10 percent (2003 estimate)

Largest city, with population Andorra la Vella, 22,035 (2004 estimate)

Official language Catalan

Chief religious affiliations Roman Catholic, 89 percentNonreligious, 5 percentOther, 6 percent

Life expectancy 83.5 years (2007 estimate)

Infant mortality rate 4 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)

Literacy rate Not available

The citizens of Andorra account for only about one-fourth of the entire population. French and Spanish immigrants,allowed residence in Andorra under a strict quota system, make up the majority of the remaining population. Most

native Andorrans trace their ancestry to Catalonia.


4/7

Andorra la Vella

In the years since World War II (1939-1945), once-isolated Andorra la Vella, the capital of Andorra, has grown with a booming tourist

industry. Retail shops selling duty-free goods crowd Andorra la Vellas commercial center.

Jos Fuste Raga/age fotostock

Andorras official language is Catalan, which is spoken by about 30 percent of the population as a first language.

Spanish is spoken by more than half the population, and a small percentage of residents speak French as a mother

tongue. Few Andorrans speak English. Roman Catholicism, the religion of 89 percent of Andorrans, exerts a strong

influence on social and cultural life.

Most of the people of Andorra live in seven small towns. The capital and largest town is Andorra la Vella, with a

population of 22,035. Located on the Valira River in west central Andorra, the town is a center for the retail trade in

duty-free goods. Other sizable towns include Escaldes-Engordany, Encamp, Saint Juli de Lria, and La Massana. The

overall population density of Andorra is 159 persons per sq km (413 per sq mi).

IV ECONOMYEconomy of Andorra

Gross domestic product (GDP in U.S.$) Not available

GDP per capita (U.S.$) Not available

Monetary unit European Union (EU) single currency, the euro ().

Number of workers Not available

Unemployment rate Not available

Before World War II, Andorras economy was based largely on farming and the processing of tobacco and timber (see

Forestry). Tourism has boomed since the 1950s and now dominates the principalitys economic life. Andorra receives

more than 3 million tourists and more than 8 million excursionists (day trippers) every year. Visitors are drawn by the

excellent facilities for winter sports, the sunny alpine climate, the old churches and quaint towns, and the availability


5/7

of a wide assortment of duty-free goods. Andorra also collects revenues on the sales of its distinctive postage stamps,

which are purchased by tourists and collectors.

Tobacco Plantation in Andorra

Andorra's economy was formerly based on timber, pastoral farming, and the processing of tobacco, which grows in abundance here.

Since the 1950s, however, tourism has steadily gained importance, and it now dominates the economy.Francesc Muntada/Corbis

Financial services emerged as an important facet of Andorras economy in the 1990s, aided by strict banking secrecy

laws and low business taxes. In 2002 Andorra refused to sign an Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development (OECD) agreement on tax evasion that would have compelled the country to share information about

potential tax evasion and make transparent its own banking arrangements.


6/7

Skiing in the Pyrenees

Tucked away in the Pyrenees, with no airports or railway system of its own, tiny Andorra is accessible only by roads leading from

neighboring France to the north and Spain to the south. Despite this-and a total land area of 468 sq km (181 sq mi)-the country is

visited by an estimated 12 million tourists annually. Andorra's skiing industry is based on five major resorts-Pas de la Casa, Arinsal,

Arcalis, Pal, and Soldeu.

P. Wysocki/Explorer/Photo Researchers, Inc.

Because only about 4 percent of Andorras land is suitable for cultivation, most food is imported. Nevertheless, farming

especially sheep and cattle grazing and the growing of tobaccoremains a visible feature of Andorran life and

culture. Andorra manufactures cigarettes and cigars, and timber harvested from Andorras slopes is used to produce

furniture. In 2004, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed Andorras

Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley as a World Heritage Site (see World Heritage Committee) for its living tradition of

mountain pastoral farming and culture.

Although Andorra is not a member of the European Union (EU), in 1990 it signed a customs union with the EU that

regulates the duty-free allowances permitted visitors to the country. In 2002 Andorra adopted the EUs common

currency, the euro. Previously, Andorra had used the Spanishpeseta and the French franc, both of which were also

replaced by the euro.

Andorra has no railroad or airport but possesses an excellent road system. Even so, heavy traffic frequently clogs the

streets of Andorras towns. Public television and radio broadcasting services are provided by Andorra Televisi and

Radio Nacional dAndorra. Andorrans also have access to broadcasts from France and Spain. There are two major daily

newspapers, el Periodic and Diari dAndorra.

V GOVERNMENT

For 715 years Andorra was ruled jointly by Spanish and French co-princesrespectively the Bishop of Urgel and, in

modern times, the president of France. Under this arrangement, which granted Andorra a limited form of autonomy,

responsibility for domestic affairs was delegated to an elected general counsel (Consell General de las Valls). Judicial

matters, foreign affairs, and defense remained under the control of the co-princes.

In March 1993 Andorrans voted to end this semifeudal system (see Feudalism) in a referendum establishing Andorra as

an independent democracy. Under the constitution approved by the referendum, Andorras first-ever executive,


7/7

judicial, and legislative bodies were set up. The Andorran legislature is the General Council. The councils 28 members

are popularly elected to four-year terms. The executive organ of government is the Executive Council, which is headed

by a president (prime minister) who is elected by the General Council and formally appointed by the co-princes. The

president appoints the other members of the Executive Council.

Andorras constitution permits it to pursue its own foreign relations and to join international organizations of its own

choosing. In 1993 Andorra was admitted to the United Nations (UN), and it joined the Council of Europe in 1994. The

co-princes formally remain Andorras heads of state but retain little real authority; they hold veto power only overlegislation affecting Andorras borders or security. France and Spain share responsibility for Andorras defense.

VI HISTORY

Andorra has been an independent principality since the early Middle Ages. It is the last surviving remnant of the March

States, or buffers states, created by Charlemagne in the early 900s AD to prevent Muslims in Spain from advancing

north into Christian France. According to Andorran tradition, Charlemagne granted autonomy to Andorrans as a reward

for fighting against the Muslims.

For many years, the right to rule Andorra was disputed by the Count of Foix of France and the Bishop of Urgel of Spain.The dispute was resolved in 1278 when the count and bishop were made joint overlords, or co-princes, of Andorra. The

counts rights later passed to the French crown and later to the president of France. To this day, Andorra pays an

annual token tribute, called the questia, alternately to the president of France and to the Bishop of Urgel.

Andorra remained neutral in both World War I and World War II. The principality gained a reputation as a smuggling

center during the Spanish Civil War, when French goods passed through Andorra to Spain, and during World War II,

when Spanish goods passed through Andorra to France.

In 1970, women were granted the right to vote. In 1991, representatives of the president of France and the Bishop of

Urgel agreed to recognize Andorras sovereignty and to permit the principality to draft a constitution. Despite someopposition from traditionalists, a referendum in March 1993 approved a new constitution, which came into force on

May 4, 1993. The first general election under the new constitution took place in December 1993, and Oscar Ribas Reig

was elected president (prime minister) of the Executive Council. Reig resigned in November 1994 and was replaced by

Marc Forn Moln. In elections in February 1997 and March 2001 Molns government was overwhelmingly reelected.

Microsoft Encarta 2008. 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Countries of Europe - Andorra (Principality of Andorra)

Documents

Transcript of Countries of Europe - Andorra (Principality of Andorra)