Map of Andorra | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: For 715 years from 1278 to 1993 Andorrans lived under a unique co-principality ruled by 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.


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Location: Southwestern Europe between France and Spain

Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N 1 30 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 468 km²
Water: 0 km²
Land: 468 km²
Comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries
Total: 120.3 km
Border countries: (2) 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
Extremes highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m

Natural resources: hydropower mineral water timber iron ore lead

Land use
Arable land: 2.22%
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 97.78% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: avalanches

Geography
Note: landlocked; straddles a number of important crossroads in the Pyrenees


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Population: 69,150 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 1.06% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Andorran
Adjective: Andorran

Ethnic groups: Spanish 43% Andorran 33% Portuguese 11% French 7% other 6% (1998)

Languages: Catalan (official) French Castilian Portuguese

Religions: Roman Catholic (predominant)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.1% (male 5,473; female 4,974)
15-64 years: 71.7% (male 26,063; female 23,542)
65 years and over: 13.2% (male 4,543; female 4,555) (2003 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 39.1 years
Male: 39.4 years
Female: 38.8 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 1.06% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 9.65 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 5.74 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 6.67 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal
International agreements party to: Hazardous Wastes
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.1 male/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male/female
65 years and over: 1 male/female
Total population: 1.09 male/female (2003 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.06 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.7 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 4.4 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 83.49 years
Male: 80.58 years
Female: 86.58 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.27 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: 100%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its heads 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: Andorra la Vella

Administrative divisions: 7 parishes (parroquies singular - parroquia); Andorra la Vella Canillo Encamp La Massana Escaldes-Engordany Ordino Sant Julia de Loria

Dependent areas

Independence: 1278 (was 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; came into force 4 May 1993

Legal system: based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: French Coprince Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by Philippe MASSONI (since 26 July 2002); Spanish Coprince Episcopal Monsignor Joan Enric VIVES SICILIA (since 12 May 2003), represented by Nemesi MARQUES OSTE (since NA)
Elections: Executive Council president elected by the General Council and formally appointed by the coprinces for a four-year term; election last held 4 March 2001 (next to be held NA 2005)
Election results: Marc FORNE Molne elected executive council president; percent of General Council vote - NA%
Cabinet: Executive Council or Govern designated by the Executive Council president
Head of government: Executive Council President Marc FORNE MOLNE (since 21 December 1994)

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 4 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2005)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PLA 46.1%, PSD 30%, PD 23.8%, other 0.1%; seats by party - PLA 15, PSD 6, PD 5, independents 2

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
Note: there are two other small parties

International organization participation: CE ECE ICAO ICCt ICRM IFRCS Interpol IOC ITU OSCE UN UNESCO WCO WHO WIPO WToO WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jelena V. PIA-COMELLA
In the us chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10,017
In the us fax: [1] (212) 750-6,630
In the us telephone: [1] (212) 750-8,064
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 23 8,034 Barcelona Spain; telephone: (3,493) 280-2,227; FAX: (3,493) 205-7,705

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: 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 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 - 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.8% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $19,000 (2000 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%

Agriculture products: small quantities of rye wheat barley oats vegetables; sheep

Industries: tourism (particularly skiing) cattle raising timber banking

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 33,000 (2001 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 1%
By occupation industry: 21%
By occupation services: 78% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 0%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $385 million
Expenditures: $342 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.3% (2000)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $58 million f.o.b. (1998)
Commodities: tobacco products furniture
Partners: Spain 58% France 34% (2000)

Imports: $1.077 billion (1998)
Commodities: consumer goods food electricity
Partners: Spain 48% France 35% US 2.3% (2000)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002) 1.12 (2001) 1.09 (2000) 0.94 (1999)


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Electricity
Production: NA kWh
Production by source fossil fuel: 0%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source other: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: NA kWh
Exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Imports: NA kWh; note - most electricity supplied by Spain and France; Andorra generates a small amount of hydropower

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 32,946 (December 1998)
Mobile cellular: 14,117 (December 1998)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges
International: landline circuits to France and Spain

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .ad
Service providers isps: 1 (2000)
Users: 24,500 (2001)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: none (2002)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none; border is undemarcated in sections but is not in dispute (a few French farmers still remain upset about the transfer of 35 hectares of land to Andorra)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs