Profile
Official name Principat d’Andorra (Principality of Andorra)
Form of government parliamentary coprincipality with one
legislative house (General Council [28])
Chiefs of state President of France; Bishop of Urgell, Spain
Head of government Head of Government
Capital Andorra la Vella
Official language Catalan
Official religion none1
Monetary unit euro (€)
Population estimate (2008) 84,100
Total area (sq mi) 179
Total area (sq km) 464
1Roman Catholicism enjoys special recognition in accordance with
Andorran tradition.
Main
small independent European coprincipality situated among the
southern peaks of the Pyrenees Mountains and bounded by France
to the north and east and by Spain to the south and west. It is
one of the smallest states in Europe. The capital is Andorra la
Vella.
Geography
Andorra consists of a cluster of mountain valleys whose streams
unite to form the Valira River. Two of these streams, the Madriu
and the Perafita, flow into the Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley,
which occupies about one-tenth of Andorra’s land area and is
characterized by glacial landscapes, steep valleys, and open
pastures. The valley was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site
in 2004.
Andorra has traditionally had a strong affinity with the
region of Catalonia in northern Spain. Andorra’s official
language is Catalan (Spanish and French are also spoken); its
institutions are based in Catalonian law, and a large proportion
of the Spanish immigrants (or their descendants) in Andorra are
Catalan. Most Andorrans are Roman Catholic; Andorra is part of
the diocese of Urgel. More than nine-tenths of the population is
classified as urban, and some two-thirds of residents are
foreign nationals, mainly from Spain, France, and Portugal.
With only a tiny proportion of Andorra’s land cultivable, the
traditional economy centred on the pasturing of sheep and the
harvesting of modest quantities of tobacco, rye, wheat, olives,
grapes, and potatoes. Industry was limited to processing these
products and to handicrafts. Because of the lack of customs
duties and low or nonexistent taxes, Andorra has become an
important international centre of retail trade that has
attracted millions of shoppers from all over Europe with its
duty-free imported consumer goods, including alcoholic
beverages, electronic devices, tobacco, and clothing. Tourism is
another of Andorra’s leading industries, and the area has
excellent opportunities for winter sports. The construction
industry flourished in response to the increase in tourism. The
banking sector is also economically significant. Because Andorra
has no national monetary unit, the primary currency used is the
euro. No railway system exists, but good roads link Andorra with
France and Spain. The University of Andorra was established in
1997; it has faculties in nursing, computer studies, and virtual
studies and continuing education. Virtually all Andorrans are
literate.
Historically, the coprinces (the French president and the
bishop of Urgel) represented Andorra internationally and jointly
headed the government through their delegates. The elected
members of Andorra’s unicameral legislature, the 28-member
General Council of the Valleys, were responsible for internal
administration and functioned as both an informal legislature
and a cabinet headed by a prime minister. The 1993 constitution,
approved by Andorran voters in a referendum, changed this
structure and transferred most of the powers of the coprinces to
the General Council, which became a true national parliament
elected by universal suffrage. Every four years, the General
Council elects an Executive Council president who heads the
government and who then chooses cabinet members.
The government was newly empowered to raise revenues through
taxation, to create an independent judiciary, to give citizens
the right to form political parties and trade unions, and to
control its foreign policy and join international organizations.
The coprinces remained the constitutional heads of state, though
this role was largely ceremonial. In the early 21st century the
three main political parties were the conservative Liberal Party
of Andorra, the Social Democratic Party, and the centrist
Andorran Democratic Centre.
History
Andorra’s independence is traditionally ascribed to Charlemagne,
who recovered the region from the Muslims in 803, and to his son
Louis I (the Pious), who granted the inhabitants a charter of
liberties. Charlemagne’s grandson, Charles II, granted Andorra
to the counts of Urgel, from whom it passed to the bishops of
Urgel. Andorra’s dual allegiance to two princes, one in Spain
and one in France, originated in the late 13th century in a
proprietary quarrel between the Spanish bishops of Urgel and the
French heirs to the countship of Urgel. Andorra was subsequently
governed jointly by representatives of the Spanish bishop of
Urgel and of the French head of state, each of whom received an
annual payment of a token tribute. This feudal system of
government remained intact until 1993, when a constitution was
adopted that greatly reduced the power of the coprinces and
established separate executive, legislative, and judicial
branches of government. Andorra subsequently joined the United
Nations (1993) and the Council of Europe (1994).
Vicente Rodriguez
