Andorra

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain

Area

Total area: 450 sq km
Land area: 450 sq km
Comparative area: slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land Boundaries

Total 125 km, France 60 km, Spain 65 km

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime Claims

None; landlocked

International Disputes

None

Climate

Temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers

Terrain

Rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
lowest point: Riu Valira 840 m
highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m

Natural Resources

Hydropower
Mineral water
Timber
Iron ore
Lead

Land Use

Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 56%
Forest and woodland: 22%
Other: 20%

Irrigated Land

Environment

Current issues: deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion
Natural hazards: snowslides, avalanches
International agreements: NA

Note: Landlocked

PEOPLE

Population

72,766 (July 1996 est.)
65,780 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

16% (male 5,829; female 5,851) (1996)
18% (male 5,985; female 5,503) (1995)

15-64 Years

73% (male 28,724; female 24,757) (1996)
70% (male 24,334; female 21,873) (1995)

65 Years and Over

11% (male 3,718; female 3,887) (July 1996 est.)
12% (female 4,020; male 4,065) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

2.96% (1996 est.)
2.72% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

10.2 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
12.92 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

2.9 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
7.25 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

22.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
21.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 0.96 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.11 male(s)/female

Infant Mortality Rate

2.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
7.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 90.94 years (1996), 78.52 years (1995)
Male:86.47 years (1996), 75.65 years (1995)
Female: 95.2 years (1996 est.), 81.66 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.14 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.72 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Andorran(s)
Adjective: Andorran

Ethnic Divisions

Spanish 61%
Andorran 30%
French 6%
Other 3%

Religions

Roman Catholic (predominant)

Languages

Catalan (official), French, Castilian

Literacy

Labor Force

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: Principality of Andorra
Conventional short form: Andorra
Local long form: Principat d'Andorra
Local short form: Andorra

Digraph

Type

Parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its heads of state a co-principality; the two princes are the president of France and Spanish bishop of Seo de Urgel, who are represented locally by officials called veguers

Capital

Andorra la Vella

Administrative Divisions

7 parishes (parroquies, singular - parroquia); Andorra, Canillo, Encamp, La Massana, Les Escaldes, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria

Independence

1278

National Holiday

Mare de Deu de Meritxell, 8 September

Constitution

Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991; adopted 14 March 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

Chiefs of state: French Coprince Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995) and Spanish Episcopal Coprince Monseigneur Juan MARTI Alanis (since 31 January 1971); each coprince is represented by a veguer (current names NA)
Head of government: Executive Council President Marc FORNE Molne (since 21 December 1994) was elected by the General Council and formally appointed by the coprinces
Cabinet: Executive Council; designated by the executive council president

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

General Council of the Valleys

(Consell General de las Valls); elections last held 12 December 1993 (next to be held NA 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (28 total) AND 8, UL 5, ND 5, CNA 2, IDN 2, other 6

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court of Andorra at Perpignan (France) for civil cases, two civil judges appointed by the veguers, one appeals judge appointed by the co-princes alternately; Ecclesiastical Court of the Bishop of Seo de Urgel (Spain) for civil cases; Tribunal of the Courts (Tribunal des Cortes) for criminal cases, presided over by the two civil judges, one appeals judge, the veguers, and two members of the General Council

Political Parties and Leaders

National Democratic Group (AND), Oscar RIBAS Reig and Jordi FARRAS; Liberal Union (UL), Francesc CERQUEDA; New Democracy (ND), Jaume BARTOMEU; Andorran National Coalition (CNA), Antoni CERQUEDA; National Democratic Initiative (IDN), Vincenc MATEU; Liberal Union (UL), Marc FORNE

Note: There are two other small parties

Member of

CE, ECE, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, WIPO

National Anthem

National anthem

Flag

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 that do not have a national coat of arms in the center

ECONOMY

Overview

Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 13 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 "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.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1993 est.), $760 million (1992 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

National Product Per Capita

$16,200 (1993 est.)
$14,000 (1992 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

Unemployment Rate

Budget

Revenues: $138 million
Expenditures: $177 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1993)

Exports

$46.2 million (f.o.b., 1993)

Commodities:

Electricity
Tobacco products
Furniture

Partners:

France 35%
Spain 59%

Imports

$920.2 million (1993)

Commodities:

Consumer goods
Food

Partners:

France
Spain
U.S. 2.6% (1992)

External Debt

Industrial Production

Growth rate NA

Electricity

Capacity: 35,000 kW
Production: 140 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 2,570 kWh (1992)

Industries

Tourism (particularly skiing)
Sheep
Timber
Tobacco
Banking

Agriculture

Sheep raising; small quantities of tobacco, rye, wheat, barley, oats, and some vegetables

Economic Aid

None

Currency

1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes; 1 peseta (Pta); the French and Spanish currencies are used

Exchange Rates

French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.0056 (January 1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991); Spanish pesetas (Ptas) per US$1 - 123.19 (January 1996), 124.69 (1995), 133.96 (1994), 127.26 (1993), 102.38 (1992), 103.91 (1991), 101.93 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

0 km

Highways

Total: 296 km
Paved: 198 km
Unpaved: 71 km (1991 est.)

Ports

None

Airports

None

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

21,258 telephones (1983 est.); digital microwave network

Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: landline circuits to France and Spain

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 10,000 (1993 est.)

Television

Broadcast stations: 0
Televisions: 7,000 (1991 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Note: Defense is the responsibility of France and Spain

History
World Atlas

last updated: 17 november 1997

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