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

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Background: The landlocked Principality of Andorra is one of the smallest states in Europe nestled high in the Pyrenees Mountains between the French and Spanish borders. 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 Seu d'Urgell). In 1993 this feudal system was modified with the titular heads of state retained but the government transformed into a parliamentary democracy. In the late 20th century Andorra became a popular tourist destination. An estimated 10 million people visit each year drawn by the winter sports summer climate and duty free goods. Andorra has also become a wealthy international commercial center because of its banking facilities low taxes and lack of customs duties. However recent economic hardships have required Andorra to start taxing foreign investments and to implement stricter economic policies. Andorra is not a member of the European Union but enjoys a special relationship with it and uses the Euro as its national currency.


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Location: Southwestern Europe Pyrenees mountains on the border between France and Spain

Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N 1 30 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 196
Land: 468 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries
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 highest point: Pic de Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m

Natural resources: hydropower mineral water timber iron ore lead

Land use
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 94.68% (2011)

Irrigated land: NA

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: 85,293 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 201
Growth rate: 0.22% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 177
Below poverty line: NA% (2008)

Nationality
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
15-24 years: 9.1% (male 4,021/female 3,702)
25-54 years: 49.5% (male 21,744/female 20,492)
55-64 years: 12.1% (male 5,566/female 4,755)
65 years and over: 13.8% (male 5,918/female 5,845) (2012 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Male: 42 years
Female: 41.5 years (2012 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.22% (2012 est.)
Rank: 177

Birth rate: 8.88 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 212

Death rate: 6.67 deaths/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 146

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 109

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 1.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: ANDORRA LA VELLA (capital) 23,000 (2011)

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2012 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 204
Male: 3.71 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.75 deaths/1000 live births (2012 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 6
Male: 80.46 years
Female: 84.83 years (2012 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.37 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 209

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.91 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 2.5 beds/1000 population (2009)

Sanitation facility access:

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

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 25.2% (2008)
Rank: 58

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 2.9% of GDP (2010)
Rank: 143

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 11 years
Female: 12 years (2008)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Andorra
Local long form: Principat d'Andorra
Local short form: 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 Seu d'Urgell Spain who are represented in Andorra by the coprinces' representatives

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N 1 31 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 1278 (formed under the joint sovereignty of the French Count of Foix and the Spanish Bishop of Seu d'Urgell)

National holiday: Our Lady of Meritxell Day 8 September (1278)

Constitution: drafted 1991 approved by referendum 14 March 1993 effective 28 April 1993 (2012)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil and customary law wi

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction dec

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: Head of Government (or Cap de Govern) Antoni MARTI PETIT (since 12 May 2011)
Cabinet: Executive Council of nine ministers designated by the Head of Government
Elections: Head of Government elected by the General Council (Andorran Parliament) and formally appointed by the coprinces for a four-year term; election last held on 3 April 2011 (next to be held in April 2015)
Election results: Antoni MARTI PETIT was elected Head of Government; percent of General Council vote - 79%; note - the leader of the party which wins a majority of seats in the General Council is usually elected Head of Government

Legislative branch: unicameral General Council of the Valleys or Consell General de las Valls (a minimum of 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); note - each voter casts two separate ballots - one for the national list one for the parish list
Elections: last held on 3 April 2011 (next to be held in April 2015)
Election results: percent of vote by party - DA 55% PS 35% Andorra for Change 7% VA 3%; seats by party - DA 22 PS 6; note - numbers of votes and percentages are for the respective national list; number of seats include seats won by the parish lists

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president and judges appointed by the Supreme Council of Justice a 5-member judicial policy and administrative body appointed 1 each by the Coprinces 1 by the General Council 1 by the executive council president and 1 by the courts; judges serve 6-year renewable terms; Constitutional magistrates appointed 2 by the Coprinces and 2 by the General Council; magistrates' appointments limited to two consecutive 8-year terms
Subordinate courts: Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of the Courts or Tribunal de Corts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: CE FAO ICAO ICC (NGOs) 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 chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza 25th Floor New York NY 10,017
In the us telephone: [1] (212) 750-8,064
In the us FAX: [1] (212) 750-6,630
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Andorra; the US Ambassador to Spain currently Ambassador James COSTOS is accredited to Andorra; US interests in Andorra are represented by the US Consulate General's office in Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada 23 8,034 Barcelona Spain; telephone: [34] (93) 280-2,227; FAX: [34] (93) 280-6,175

Flag description: three vertical bands of blue (hoist side) yellow and red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the latter band is slightly wider than the other two so that the ratio of band widths is 8:9:8; the coat of arms features a quartered shield with the emblems of (starting in the upper left and proceeding clockwise): Urgell Foix Bearn and Catalonia; the motto reads VIRTUS UNITA FORTIOR (Strength United is Stronger); the flag combines the blue and red French colors with the red and yellow of Spain to show Franco-Spanish protection

National symbols

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Joan BENLLOCH i VIVO/Enric MARFANY BONS

National heritage


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Economy overview: Tourism retail sales and finance are the mainstays of Andorra's tiny well-to-do economy accounting for more than three-quarters of GDP. Andorra's duty-free status for some products and its summer and winter resorts attract millions of visitors annually although the economic downturn in neighboring countries has curtailed tourism activity. The banking sector also contributes substantially to the economy. Andorra's comparative advantage as a tax haven eroded when the borders of neighboring France and Spain opened; its bank secrecy laws have been relaxed under pressure from the EU and OECD. Agricultural production is limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most food has to be imported making the economy vulnerable to changes in fuel and food prices. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing output and exports consist mainly of perfumes and cosmetic products products of the printing industry electrical machinery and equipment clothing tobacco products 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. Andorra uses the euro and is effectively subject to the monetary policy of the European Central Bank. Slower growth in Spain and France has dimmed Andorra's economic prospects. Since 2010 a drop in tourism contributed to a contraction in GDP and a sharp deterioration of public finances prompting the government to begin implementing several austerity measures to reduce the budget deficit including levying a special corporate tax. To bring in new revenue and diversify future sources of economic growth the government approved in July 2012 a new foreign investment law opening investment to foreign capital.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 180

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 203

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 34

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 79%
Services: 6% (2011 est.)

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

Industries: tourism (particularly skiing) banking tobacco cattle raising timber furniture

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 36,060 (2012)
Rank: 201
By occupation industry: 4.7%
By occupation services: 94.9% (2010)

Unemployment rate: 1.9% (2011 est.)
Rank: 21

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA% (2008)

Gini index

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

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Expenditures: $470 million (2011)
Surplus or deficit: -1.4% of GDP (2011)
Surplus or deficit rank: 71

Taxes and other revenues: 8.4% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 210

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: -2.5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 14

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: $72 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 192
Commodities: tobacco products furniture

Imports: $1.501 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 173
Commodities: consumer goods food electricity

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 91.24 million kWh (2011)
Production rank: 200
Consumption: 562.4 million kWh (2012)
Consumption rank: 167
Exports: 0 kWh (2011)
Exports rank: 156
Imports: 0 kWh (2011)
Imports rank: 155

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 39,000 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 170
Mobile cellular: 65,000 (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 198

Telephone system
Domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges
International: country code - 376; landline circuits to France and Spain (2012)

Broadcast media: 1 public TV station and 2 public radio stations; about 10 commercial radio stations; good reception of radio and TV broadcasts from stations in France and Spain; upgraded to terrestrial digital TV broadcasting in 2007; roughly 25 international TV channels available (2012)

Internet
Country code: .ad
Hosts: 28,383 (2012)
Hosts rank: 109
Users: 67,100 (2009)
Users rank: 171

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

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 203

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs