Background: Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous Andorra has achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through its tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are attracted to the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes.
Government type: Andorra has a parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its heads of state a co-principality; the two princes are the president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are represented locally by co-princes’ representatives
Capital: Andorra la Vella
Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes; 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos; the French and Spanish currencies are used
Geography of Andorra
Location: Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain
Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 30 E
Area:
total: 468 sq. km
land: 468 sq. km
water: 0 sq. km
Land boundaries:
total: 120.3 km
border countries: France 56.6 km, Spain 63.7 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers
Terrain: rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Riu Runer 840 m
highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m
Natural resources: hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead
Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 45%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 16% (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: snow slides, avalanches
Environment – current issues: deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; waste water treatment and solid waste disposal
Environment – international agreements:
party to: Hazardous Wastes
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography – note: Andorra is landlocked.
People of Andorra
Andorrans live in seven urbanized valleys that form Andorra’s political districts. Andorrans are a minority in their own country; Spanish, French, and Portuguese residents make the up 67.7% of the population.
The national language is Catalan, a romance language related to the Provencal groups. It is spoken by more than 6 million people in the region comprising French and Spanish Catalonia. French and Spanish also are spoken.
Education law requires school attendance for children up to age 16. A system of French, Spanish and Andorran lay schools provide education up to the secondary level. Schools are built and maintained by Andorran authorities, but teachers are paid for the most part by France or Spain. About 50% of Andorran children attend the French primary schools, and the rest attend Spanish or Andorran schools. In July 1997, the Andorran Government passed a law on universities and shortly afterward, the University of Andorra was established. Neither the geographically complex country nor the number of students makes it possible for the University of Andorra to develop a full academic program, and it serves principally as a center for virtual studies, connected to Spanish and French universities. The only two graduate schools in Andorra are the Nursing School and the School of Computer Science.
Population: 70,549 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.29%
15-64 years: 72.06%
65 years and over: 12.65%
Population growth rate: 1.17%
Birth rate: 10.29 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 5.41 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: 6.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 4.08 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 83.47 years
male: 80.57 years
female: 86.57 years
Total fertility rate: 1.25 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Andorran(s)
adjective: Andorran
Ethnic groups: Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other 6% (1998)
Religions: Roman Catholic (predominant)
Languages: Catalan (official), French, Castilian
History of Andorra
Andorra is the last independent survivor of the March states, a number of buffer states created by Charlemagne to keep the Muslim Moors from advancing into Christian France. Tradition holds that Charlemagne granted a charter to the Andorran people in return for their fighting the Moors. In the 800s, Charlemagne’s grandson, Charles the Bald, named the Count of Urgel as overlord of Andorra. A descendant of the count later gave the lands to the diocese of Urgel, headed by Bishop of Urgel.
In the 11th century, fearing military action by neighboring lords, the bishop placed himself under the protection of the Lord of Caboet, a Spanish nobleman. Later, the Count of Foix, a French noble, became heir to Lord Caboet through marriage, and a dispute arose between the French Count and the Spanish bishop over Andorra.
In 1278, the conflict was resolved by the signing of a pareage, which provided that Andorra’s sovereignty be shared between the Count of Foix and the Bishop of Seu d’Urgell of Spain. The pareage, a feudal institution recognizing the principle of equality of rights shared by two rulers, gave the small state its territory and political form.
Over the years, the title was passed between French and Spanish rule until, under the French throne of Henry IV, an edict in 1607 established the head of the French state and the Bishop of Urgel as co-princes of Andorra.
Given its relative isolation, Andorra has existed outside the mainstream of European history, with few ties to countries other than France and Spain. In recent times, however, its thriving tourist industry along with developments in transportation and communications have removed the country from its isolation.
Andorra Economy
Economy – overview:ย Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra’s tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 9 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra’s duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra’s comparative advantage has recently eroded as the economies of neighboringย Franceย andย Spainย have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods and lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its “tax haven” status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production is limited by a scarcity of arable land, and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars, and furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs) and as a non-EU member for agricultural products.
GDP:ย purchasing power parity – $1.2 billion (1996 est.)
GDP – per capita:ย purchasing power parity – $18,000 (1996 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):ย 1.62% (1998)
Labor force:ย 30,787 salaried employees (1998)
Labor force – by occupation:ย agriculture 1%, industry 21%, services 72%, other 6% (1998)
Unemployment rate:ย 0%
Budget:
revenues:ย $385 million
expenditures:ย $342 million (1997)
Industries:ย tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, tobacco, banking
Industrial production growth rate:ย NA%
Electricity – production:ย 116 million kWh (1998)
Electricity – imports:ย imports electricity from Spain and France
Agriculture – products:ย small quantities of tobacco, rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep
Exports:ย $58 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports – commodities:ย tobacco products, furniture
Exports – partners:ย France 34%, Spain 58% (1998)
Imports:ย $1.077 billion (c.i.f., 1998)
Imports – commodities:ย consumer goods, food, electricity
Imports – partners:ย Spain 48%, France 35%, US 2.3% (1998)
Economic aid – recipient:ย none
Currency:ย 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes; 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos; the French and Spanish currencies are used
Map of Andorra
