Contents
Andorra | 
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Past | Andorra | ||
| Background: | For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived under a unique co-principality, ruled by French and Spanish leaders (from 1607 onward, the French chief of state and the Spanish bishop of Urgel). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the titular heads of state retained, but the government transformed into a parliamentary democracy. Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous Andorra 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. | ||
Environment | Andorra | ||
| Location: | Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain | ||
| Geographic coordinates: | 42 30 N, 1 30 E | ||
| Map references: | Europe | ||
| Area: | total: 468 sq km | ||
| Area - comparative: | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC | ||
| Land boundaries: | total: 120.3 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 | ||
| Natural resources: | hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead | ||
| Land use: | arable land: 2.13% | ||
| Irrigated land: | NA | ||
| Natural hazards: | avalanches | ||
| Environment - current issues: | deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal | ||
| Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes | ||
| Geography - note: | landlocked; straddles a number of important crossroads in the Pyrenees | ||
People | Andorra | ||
| Population: | 71,822 (July 2007 est.) | ||
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 14.5% (male 5,433/female 4,984) | ||
| Median age: | total: 41.5 years | ||
| Population growth rate: | 0.842% (2007 est.) | ||
| Birth rate: | 8.45 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | ||
| Death rate: | 6.45 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | ||
| Net migration rate: | 6.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | ||
| Gender ratio: | at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female | ||
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 4.03 deaths/1,000 live births | ||
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 83.52 years | ||
| Total fertility rate: | 1.31 children born/woman (2007 est.) | ||
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA | ||
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA | ||
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA | ||
| Nationality: | noun: Andorran(s) | ||
| Ethnic groups: | Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other 6% (1998) | ||
| Religions: | Roman Catholic (predominant) | ||
| Languages: | Catalan (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese | ||
| Literacy: | definition: NA | ||
Government | Andorra | ||
| Country name: | conventional long form: Principality of Andorra | ||
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its chiefs of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are represented locally by coprinces' representatives | ||
| Capital: | name: Andorra la Vella | ||
| Administrative divisions: | 7 parishes (parroquies, singular - parroquia); Andorra la Vella, Canillo, Encamp, Escaldes-Engordany, La Massana, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria | ||
| Independence: | 1278 (formed under the joint suzerainty of the French Count of Foix and the Spanish Bishop of Urgel) | ||
| National holiday: | Our Lady of Meritxell Day, 8 September (1278) | ||
| Constitution: | Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991, approved by referendum 14 March 1993, effective 28 April 1993 | ||
| Legal system: | based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | ||
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal | ||
| Executive branch: | chief of state: French Coprince Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by Philippe MASSONI (since 26 July 2002) and Spanish Coprince Bishop Joan Enric VIVES i SICILIA (since 12 May 2003); represented by Nemesi MARQUES i OSTE (since 30 July 2003) | ||
| Legislative branch: | unicameral General Council of the Valleys or Consell General de las Valls (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 14 from a single national constituency and 14 to represent each of the seven parishes; to serve four-year terms) | ||
| Judicial branch: | Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of the Courts or Tribunal de Corts; Supreme Court of Justice of Andorra or Tribunal Superior de Justicia d'Andorra; Supreme Council of Justice or Consell Superior de la Justicia; Fiscal Ministry or Ministeri Fiscal; Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional | ||
| Political parties and leaders: | Andorran Democratic Center Party or CDA (formerly Democratic Party or PD); Century 21 or S21 [Enric TARRADO]; Liberal Party of Andorra or PLA [Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA] (formerly Liberal Union or UL); Social Democratic Party or PS [Jaume BARTUMEU CASSANY] (formerly part of National Democratic Group or AND) | ||
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA | ||
| International organization participation: | CE, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, Union Latina, UNWTO, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WTO (observer) | ||
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) | ||
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | the US does not have an embassy in Andorra; the US Ambassador to Spain is accredited to Andorra; US interests in Andorra are represented by the Consulate General's office in Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada, 23, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; telephone: [34] (3) 280-2227; FAX: [34] (3) 205-5206 | ||
| Flag description: | three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat of arms features a quartered shield; similar to the flags of Chad and Romania, which do not have a national coat of arms in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which does bear a national emblem | ||
Business | Andorra | ||
| Business - overview: | Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for more than 80% of GDP. An estimated 11.6 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 neighboring France and Spain have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods and lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its partial "tax haven" status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production is limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing output 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 (purchasing power parity): | $2.77 billion (2005) | ||
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $NA | ||
| GDP - real growth rate: | 3.5% (2005 est.) | ||
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $38,800 (2005) | ||
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: NA% | ||
| Labor force: | 42,420 (2005) | ||
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 0.3% | ||
| Unemployment rate: | 0% (1996 est.) | ||
| Population below poverty line: | NA% | ||
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% | ||
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 3.2% (2005) | ||
| Budget: | revenues: $333.5 million | ||
| Agriculture - products: | small quantities of rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep | ||
| Industries: | tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, banking, tobacco, furniture | ||
| Industrial production growth rate: | NA% | ||
| Electricity - production: | NA kWh | ||
| Electricity - production by source: | NA | ||
| Electricity - consumption: | NA kWh | ||
| Electricity - exports: | NA kWh | ||
| Electricity - imports: | NA kWh; note - most electricity supplied by Spain and France; Andorra generates a small amount of hydropower | ||
| Exports: | $148.7 million f.o.b. (2005) | ||
| Exports - commodities: | tobacco products, furniture | ||
| Exports - partners: | Spain 59.5%, France 17.0% (2006) | ||
| Imports: | $1.879 billion (2005) | ||
| Imports - partners: | Spain 53.2%, France 21.1% (2006) | ||
| Economic aid - recipient: | $0 | ||
| Debt - external: | $NA | ||
| Currency (code): | euro (EUR) | ||
| Currency code: | EUR | ||
| Exchange rates: | euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003) | ||
| Fiscal year: | calendar year | ||
Communications | Andorra | ||
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 35,400 (2005) | ||
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 64,600 (2005) | ||
| Telephone system: | general assessment: NA | ||
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998) | ||
| Radios: | 16,000 (1997) | ||
| Television broadcast stations: | 0 (1997) | ||
| Televisions: | 27,000 (1997) | ||
| Internet country code: | .ad | ||
| Internet hosts: | 15,486 (2007) | ||
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000) | ||
| Internet users: | 23,200 (2006) | ||
Transportation | Andorra | ||
| Roadways: | total: 269 km | ||
Security | Andorra | ||
| Military branches: | no regular military forces, Police Service of Andorra | ||
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 18,418 (2005 est.) | ||
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 14,721 (2005 est.) | ||
| Manpower reaching military service age annually: | males age 18-49: 369 (2005 est.) | ||
| Military - note: | defense is the responsibility of France and Spain | ||
International | Andorra | ||
| Disputes - international: | none | ||
| This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008 Source: The World Factbook | |||
