World Edition
2008
La Massana
El Serrat li ra
d el
N o rd
Ordino
Canillo a
V lir a d el
Oriente
Encamp
ANDORRA LA VELLA
G ra n
Va lir a
Les Escaldes
Soldeu
Sant Julià de Lòria
Ireland
Atlantic
Ocean
United
Kingdom
Netherlands
English
Channel
Poland
Germany
Belgium
Luxembourg
Czech
Republic
Austria
France
Bay of
Biscay
Andorra
Monaco
Corsica
(FRANCE)
Switzer-
land
Italy
Spain
Mediterr anean
Sea
Tunisia
Portugal
Algeria
Boundary representations are not necessarily authoritative.
BACKGROUND
Land and Climate.
Andorra is a landlocked country in southwestern Europe. Situated high in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain, it is one of the world’s smallest nations, with an area of 181 square miles (468 square kilometers), or about two and half times the size of Washington, D.C.
Three steep valleys punctuate the mountainous terrain, and two rivers run through the country, forming a Y-shape. Even at its lowest elevations, Andorra is 2,760 feet (840 meters) above sea level. The highest point is Coma Pedrosa, with an elevation of 9,665 feet (2,946 meters). The high altitude makes for cold and snowy winters, with temperatures regularly dipping below freezing. Snow sometimes remains on the highest summits even in the summer, when temperatures often exceed
25
°
C (77
°
F). Conditions may change rapidly during the warmer months, with sunny skies suddenly giving way to storms and fog.
History.
The origin of the Principality of Andorra dates to the time of Charlemagne, the medieval ruler whose kingdom included most of western and central Europe. In AD 803,
Charlemagne defeated the Moors in what is present-day
Andorra. According to tradition, Charlemagne then gave the land to the Andorrans as a reward for their support in the campaign. After Charlemagne’s death, his grandson Charles II made Spain’s Count of Urgell the ruler of Andorra.
In 1133, the new Count of Urgell gave the land to the Bishop of Urgell, who in turn placed it under the protection of a Spanish nobleman, the Lord of Caboet. A French nobleman, the
Count of Foix, then married into the Lord of Caboet’s family and inherited all the Spanish lord’s lands. A dispute over the status of Andorra then arose between the then Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix. In 1278, the two men signed an agreement that gave France and Spain joint sovereignty of Andorra.
More than three hundred years later, in 1607, the French king
Henry IV issued an edict stating that the French head of state and the Bishop of Urgell were co-princes of Andorra. The unique arrangement allowed Andorra to remain a separate principality, not incorporated into either France or Spain.
Andorra remained neutral during World War I (1914–18).
Then, during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39), it became a hub for smuggling goods from France into Spain and, during
World War II (1939–45), a hub for smuggling goods from
Spain into France. After the Second World War, smuggling was replaced by duty-free shopping, which became a mainstay of the Andorran economy.
The president of France and the Spanish bishop of Urgell continue to serve as Andorra’s co-heads of state, though the positions are now largely ceremonial. (In recognition of nominal French and Spanish sovereignty, Andorra for many years paid a tribute of four hams, forty loaves of bread, and some wine to France and then to Spain in alternating years.)
In 1993, Andorrans voted to adopt their first constitution, which established Andorra as a parliamentary democracy under the two symbolic heads of state. The principality joined the United Nations in 1993 and the Council of Europe in 1994.
THE PEOPLE
Population.
Andorra has a population of about 71,800 people.
It is growing at slightly under 1 percent per year. The country is divided into seven administrative units, or parishes: Canillo,
Encamp, Ordino, La Massana, Sant Julià de Lòria, Escaldes-
Engordany, and Andorra la Vella (the capital). About a quarter of the population lives in Andorra la Vella.

Andorra
Nearly two in three Andorrans are immigrants without
Andorran citizenship. The immigrants are mostly Spanish (43 percent of the population), though Portuguese (11 percent),
French (7 percent), and a combination of English, German,
Dutch, Belgian, and dozens more nationalities (6 percent) are also present. Many immigrants come to the principality to work, while a few are retirees looking to take advantage of the many clubs and associations catering to elderly people. Legislation does not allow for dual citizenship. If expatriates want to give up their nationality and gain Andorran citizenship, they have to live in the principality for 25 years, pass a test on
Andorra, and demonstrate proficiency in Catalan.
Language.
Andorra is the only independent state where Catalan is the official language. While most people living in the principality understand Catalan, many speak another language, usually Castilian (Spanish), French, or Portuguese.
Still, Catalan—which is derived from Latin and is also spoken in areas of Spain, France, and Italy—is part of the Andorran culture. It is the seventh most widely spoken language in the
European Union, ahead of or level with Finnish, Danish,
Swedish, Greek, and Portuguese.
Religion.
Andorra’s predominant religion is Roman Catholicism, to which 9 out of 10 Andorrans adhere. However, an article in the 1993 constitution gives all Andorran residents the right to practice whichever religion they want or to practice no religion at all. By tradition, the valleys of Andorra are watched over by Mare de Déu, the virgin of Meritxell. Legend has it that in the 12th century inhabitants of the small village of Meritxell found a statue of a virgin at the foot of a wild rose bush and that every time they moved the statue it returned to the bush. A church was built next to the bush. It was later destroyed by fire but was rebuilt in 1976 by the Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill.
General Attitudes.
Andorrans are on the whole a confident people. They work hard and demonstrate commitment to their values and loyalty to their friends. Straightforwardness is appreciated and hypocrisy despised. Andorrans are very welcoming and offer their hospitality graciously. Preparing a nice dinner is considered the best way to welcome guests, as sharing “salt and bread” is thought to lead to friendship.
Particularly in predominantly Catalan-speaking areas of
Andorra, the people tend to be conservative and traditional. In other areas, they are more cosmopolitan and eager to modernize Andorran society. The younger generation is influenced by cultural trends from France, Spain, and the United States.
Andorra is one of the rare countries in which there is almost no crime. Neighbors look out for each other, and burglary is almost unheard of.
Personal Appearance.
Andorran men and women have adopted a look that is not noticeably different from France,
Spain, and a number of other Western countries. The climate ensures that Andorrans wear gloves and scarves more often than their French and Spanish neighbors, but the usual name brand clothing (much of it purchased from the country’s dutyfree stores) can be found all over. Businessmen and women dress well. Women usually wear dresses or pants and highheeled shoes, even during the winter. Traditional clothes— white shirts with large sashes and Catalan hats—are often worn at celebrations.
CUSTOMS AND COURTESIES
Greetings.
Andorra is such a small country that people tend to know each other, or at least have a sense of who everyone else is. As a result, serious formalities in greetings are generally dispensed with. In greeting, Catalan speakers may say Hola
(Hello), Bon dia (Good morning), Bona tarda (Good evening), or Bona nit (Good night), while Spanish speakers may say
Hola, ¿qué tal?
(Hi, how’s it going?), and French speakers might say Bonjour (Hello) or Salut (Hi). Often, Andorrans, particularly young people and students, mix greetings from all three languages. Depending on how well two people know each other, they shake hands, kiss each other on the cheek, or hug on meeting.
Andorrans typically use first names in informal settings, inserting el or la before each name. In formal gatherings, they usually address each other by title— Senyor (Mr.), Senyora
(Mrs.), and Senyoreta (Miss), for example—and by family name. When people leave, they often say Fins aviat (See you soon). Friends may also say O cuida’t (Take care) or Que vagi bé (All the best).
Gestures.
Especially by Mediterranean standards, Andorrans are relatively restrained in their gestures. Nodding the head is enough to acknowledge someone’s presence, for example.
Holding the hand out, palm down, and tilting it slightly to the left and right indicates an approximation and can be used to mean “so-so” in response to the question “How are you doing?” Andorrans of relatively recent French or Spanish origin tend to be more demonstrative. Andorrans close to their
French heritage may express disbelief (the equivalent of
“Yeah, right” or “My foot”) by pulling down the skin under one of their eyes. Spanish Andorrans may hold out their hand, palm down, and move their fingers up and down to indicate
“come here.”
Visiting.
Andorrans visit each other for a variety of reasons.
They may stop by a friend’s house for a quick drink, stay a little longer for tea and cake, or spend an entire evening there eating a gourmet dinner. Guests customarily present flowers or chocolate to the woman of the house as well as a bottle of wine, which will be opened and drunk at dinner. When visits last for days, it is considered good form for a guest to take the host family out for a meal. Picnics bringing together family and friends are common.
Eating.
Andorrans frequently start the day at a local bar that serves breakfast foods and cortados , coffee made with warm milk and served in a small glass. In warm weather, young people often meet to drink and admire the view at the placa del poeble , a trendy area in Andorra la Vella. In their homes,
Andorrans usually drink coffee as soon as they wake up and then may eat eggs, bread, and meat later in the morning. Lunch is typically eaten between 1 and 4 p.m. Whether going out or staying in, people eat dinner relatively late in the evening.
Most restaurants don’t even start serving dinner until 8 p.m.
Some restaurants, known as bodegas , serve tapas (starters) and pata negra (a premium class of ham) until 2 a.m. At home, people eat family style. Dinner is an occasion for everyone to catch up on the events of the day and the latest news.
LIFESTYLE
Family.
The typical Andorran family tends to run on patriarchal principles. The young often defer to their father in making important decisions, especially those concerning business.
However, as women have increasingly found employment outside the home, their influence has grown within it. Although young people become nominally independent at 18, they may remain in the parental home until well into their thirties if they do not marry or if they lack the resources to live in their own

place. Relations between grandparents and their grandchildren are generally close. In a country so small, many Andorrans are related by blood or marriage. As a result, preserving harmonious family relationships is a good way of promoting good relationships within the community. Single-parent homes, once extremely rare, are on the rise, and the number of children couples have is on the decline.
Housing.
The typical Andorran house is called a borda . A traditional house made from stone and wood, it can be found throughout rural areas. In the cities, where there is a high concentration of immigrants and seasonal workers, most people live in apartments. Where there are houses, they have usually been built out of brick and cement and partly covered by indigenous stones. The roofs are typically made of slates, which look silver when the sun shines on them. In a country as small as Andorra, space for building is at a premium. Most condos are small. The few large and luxurious ones (which may even have elevators inside) are found in the capital or in the mountains next to the ski resorts.
Andorrans value the preservation of their architectural heritage. As a result, even as new European styles have been imported, local measures have been passed encouraging the maintenance and restoration of old properties.
Dating and Marriage.
Young people usually start dating in high school, where many couples meet. Others may get together while playing sports or engaging in other social activities. Typical dates include trips to restaurants, movie theaters, and night clubs.
When relationships get serious, some young people get married and others move in together. In the past, when marriage provided a means of cementing alliances between ruling families, a person’s choice of spouse was often limited. Even today in the more traditional Catalan-speaking families, parents tend to want their children to date and marry within their own socioeconomic class. A notice of all marriages is given in the Official Bulletin of the Principality of Andorra. Wedding celebrations are often highly elaborate, and they involve lots of music and dancing. A wife does not take her husband’s name. However, children take both their father’s and mother’s names.
Life Cycle.
The most important life-cycle events are widely celebrated. The ceremonies that mark important events—notably, birthdays, baptisms, communions, weddings, and funerals—are always an occasion for members of an extended family and close friends to come together.
Andorrans typically retire in their fifties. Funerals are generally very well attended. Relatives, friends, and neighbors all attend a Mass, after which they march behind the funeral car as it heads toward the cemetery.
Diet.
Although Andorrans can get food from all over the world, the typical Andorran diet mainly merges local fare with elements of Spanish and French diets. Local products include coca masegada (a popular kind of bread), charcuterie (an assortment of cooked meats), poultry, trout, cheeses and other dairy products, mushrooms, and salads. More exotic local dishes are wild boar, thyme soup, llonganissa (dry sausage), calcots (onions cooked on hot coals), and ham rostes amb mel
(fried with honey).
The Spanish influence can be seen in the popularity of paella (a saffron-flavored rice dish), pa amb tomàquet (toast with garlic, tomato, and olive oil), and pica-picas (similar to tapas ). The French influence is evident in the croissants and pastries sometimes eaten at breakfast and the wines served with meals. Desserts typically consist of strawberries, raspber-
Andorra ries, or wild berries, sometimes mixed with honey and cream cheese to make a popular dish called meli mato . Traditional drinks include cava (a sparkling wine), aiguardent de cireres bordes (wild cherry spirit), ratafia (plum spirit), and licor d’aranyons (a red liqueur with aniseed and coffee).
Recreation.
Andorra is a popular spot for people who love snow. During the winter, tens of thousands of locals and tourists head for ski resorts that feature some of the largest slopes in the Pyrenees. In January, the Pyrena , an international dogsled race, takes place partly in Andorra. During the summer, people hike on well maintained trails, from which they can see numerous lakes and discover hundreds of species of flowers and wild animals. Sports enthusiasts enjoy canoeing, mountain biking, and shooting. For fishermen the mountain lakes and rivers are always well stocked with trout. In the towns, people enjoy ice skating and swimming. The capital boasts an Olympic size pool and a famous spa, where thermally heated water attracts more than 300,000 guests per year.
Movie theaters are also well attended, as are state-sponsored courses in painting, woodcarving, pottery, carpet weaving, theater, dance, music, and writing.
The Arts.
In Andorra, musical events are held throughout the year. One is the Festival International Narciso Yepes, which is named after a famous classical guitarist. During this event, accomplished singers and dancers perform for the public.
Other art festivals and traditions are specific to different parts of Andorra. Traditional Andorran dances include the marratxa
(first danced in the 13th century), the sardana (the 16th century), and el contrapas (the 18th century).
Andorra has several museums, including the Viladomat, which is home to more than 250 sculptures, and the rather unusual Museum of the Parfum Júlia Bonet, which features many of the scents of Andorra. Some of Andorra’s churches are like museums. The Sant Romà de les Bons, for example, was built in 1164 and is now considered a monument to the
Roman art that dominated Andorra’s artistic scene in the 11th and 12th centuries. It is full of reproductions of many of the
Roman paintings available in Barcelona’s Museum of
National Art of Catalunya. Another church, the Sant Joan de
Caselles, features a statue of Christ from the 12th century.
Holidays.
There are several major national holidays, notably
Meritxell (8 Sept.), when a Mass is held at the Meritxell Sanctuary; Constitution Day (14 Mar.), which is marked by numerous political speeches commemorating Andorra’s independence; and Sant Joan (24 June), which doubles as a celebration of the summer solstice. Most Christian, specifically Catholic, holidays are also widely celebrated. On Christmas Eve, a Mass called Missa de Gall is held at midnight, after which those in the congregation drink hot wine, eat coca bread, and sing carols. Christmas Day itself is typically spent at home, while on the next day, known as Sant Esteve, people start visiting and bringing gifts to extended family and friends. This visiting period lasts for several days and includes the Kings’ period, which starts New Year’s Day and ends 8 January. This is also a time for parades and parish-wide festivities.
More parish celebrations, the Festes Majors , occur at other times of the year. During these celebrations, families may gather to eat paella and dance the sardana . Parades featuring gegants (giants) reenact important historic events. In others, children of all ages dress up and march. Easter is marked by the Day of Rams, where children walk about carrying branches of white flowers and then join with their families to eat mona , an almond cake covered in chocolate eggs. Some monas are

Andorra true works of art, as bakeries sponsor mona -making contests.
In August, shepherds come down from the mountains to bless their animals and share a meal with the locals.
SOCIETY
Government.
Technically, Andorra’s chiefs of state remain the president of France and the bishop of Seo de Urgel in Spain.
Through their representatives, they exert some influence as consultants, but they don’t interfere in the business of the state.
Political power resides with the president of the Executive
Council (currently Albert Pintat Santolària), the president’s cabinet, and the General Council of the Valleys, or parliament, that elects the president. Members of the General Council are elected by popular vote to four-year terms. Of the 28 seats in the General Council, two are elected from each of Andorra’s seven parishes, and the other 14 represent the country at large.
The Executive Council president, or Cap de Govern , submits an annual budget to the General Council for approval. Parliamentary sessions are held regularly, and each is followed by a press conference. Andorra has no army.
At the local level, each parish has its own government and a mayor. Andorran citizens may participate in elections for local and national seats starting at the age of 18. Andorra’s many non-citizen residents may participate in deciding some parish matters but may not vote. The Andorran constitution and the Pareatges (the original agreements between the Count of Foix and the Bishop of Urgell) provide the basis for political decision-making.
Economy.
The Andorran economy is driven by services.
Roughly 80 percent of the Andorran labor force works in the service industry, control of which is largely in the hands of a few prominent Andorran families. Most of the rest work in manufacturing. With only 2 percent of the land arable, hardly anyone (less than 0.5 percent of the labor force) is employed in agriculture. One of the principal activities within Andorra’s small agricultural sector is sheep farming. Tourism is the primary service industry, accounting for nearly a fifth of
Andorra’s employment and about four-fifths of its gross domestic product. Every year, more than 11 million tourists come to Andorra to ski, hike, relax in spas, eat in restaurants, and shop duty-free for watches, jewelry, high-end electronics, alcohol, and luxury foods. Outside of tourism and commerce, the banking and finance sectors are the most important elements of the service industry. The principal output of the manufacturing sector is in furniture and tobacco products, the only commodities exported in significant quantities. Employment throughout the sectors accounts for the entire labor force— unemployment is effectively nonexistent.
Until recently, income tax did not exist either; now, it is levied at a very low rate. Most of the government’s revenue comes from taxes levied on the importation of automobiles and other high-value goods, on the provision of business and financial services, and on the production and processing of goods.
Andorra’s currency is the euro (EUR).
Transportation and Communications.
Andorrans travel only by car, bus, or motorcycle. There are no trains, boats, or planes.
In many neighborhoods, almost everyone works at home or lives so close to the office they can walk there. A national bus network connects all of Andorra’s seven parishes. The closest airports to Andorra are in Barcelona, Spain, and Toulouse,
© 2008 ProQuest LLC and Brigham Young University. It is against the law to copy, reprint, store, or transmit any part of this publication in any form by any means without strict written permission from
ProQuest. *UN Development Programme, Human Development Report 2007/2008 (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007).
POPULATION & AREA
Population .................................................................. 71,822 (rank=191)
Area, sq. mi. .................................................................... 181 (rank=184)
Area, sq. km. ..................................................................................... 468
DEVELOPMENT DATA
Human Dev. Index* rank .....................................................................NA
Adjusted for women ....................................................................NA
Real GDP per capita .................................................................. $38,800
Adult literacy rate ........................................... 99% (male); 99% (female)
Infant mortality rate ..................................................... 4 per 1,000 births
Life expectancy .................................................... 81 (male); 87 (female)
France. Within an hour’s drive from Andorra, trains depart for most European destinations.
A national telephone company is the sole provider of phone and internet services. Many Andorrans use cellular phones.
Andorra has a few radio stations in addition to a national television channel and a few private channels. Most French and
Spanish channels are also available, as are globally recognizable stations such as BBC, CNN, and others. Every village has two post offices, one French and the other Spanish. Ordinary local mail is delivered free of charge.
Education.
There are three different educational systems in
Andorra: French, Spanish, and Andorran. The French and
Spanish systems are headed by their respective governments’ ministries of education. The Andorran system, Escola Andorrana , has its own program. In it, students learn Catalan, Spanish, French, and English or German. Emphasis is placed on sports and cultural activities. Field trips are common. For everyone, school is free and mandatory until the age of 16.
Until recently, all students who wanted to go on to higher education had to leave the country, usually to France or Spain, as there were no universities in Andorra. Now, the University of
Andorra, which is closely tied to several top universities in
Barcelona, Spain, admits some Andorrans. In addition to this university, there are a number of professional or vocational schools in Andorra. Long-distance or internet classes are increasingly popular.
Health.
Andorra’s publicly funded healthcare system is free to all citizens and residents with a social security number. There are numerous primary care practitioners and specialists as well as two large modern hospitals and many more health centers and Red Cross locations. Very serious or unusual cases are often treated in hospitals in Barcelona, Spain, or Toulouse,
France. An alternative industry tapping what some claim to be the healing properties of herbs and naturally heated spring water coexists with established medical practice.
AT A GLANCE
Contact Information.
Embassy of Andorra/Permanent Mission to the UN, 2 United Nations Plaza, 27th Floor, New York,
NY 10017; phone (212) 750-8064. Andorra Tourism; web site www.andorra.ad.
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