Andorra Facts

Andorra Facts and History

Europe

Andorra – Europe’s largest miniature state

The largest “dwarf state” in Europe is idyllically situated in the mountains of the eastern Pyrenees. It has a few special features: Andorra is ruled by two heads of state who act as a kind of co-prince. On the one hand, there is the Bishop of La Seu d’Urgell and the President of the French Republic. The state does not have an independent railway line, let alone an airport, so Andorra can only be reached by car.

And what is also interesting: In 1993 an old custom was abandoned. The Andorrans had to alternately pay a symbolic tribute to their liege lords every year. The French President received 960 francs, and the Spanish bishop received 460 pesetas, twelve chickens, twelve hams and twelve cheeses. Although the country is so remote, around 11 million tourists visit Andorra annually. The small state is famous for its winter sports opportunities and its cures. You can also shop there very well.

Andorra is known in German-speaking countries not least for the play “Andorra” by Max Frisch. However, the fictional state of Frisch has nothing to do with the state in the Pyrenees.

Name of the country Principat d’Andorra/Principality of Andorra
Form of government constitutional principality
Head of state the French President and the Bishop of Urgellare co-princes of the country’s collective head of state
Geographical location eastern Pyrenees, between France u. Spain
National anthem El Gran Carlemany
Population approx. 86,200 (Credit: Countryaah: Andorra Population)
Ethnicities Catalans, Spaniards, Portuguese, French
Religions Roman Catholic Christianity
Languages Catalan, Spanish, French
Capital Andorra la Vella, which is at an altitude of 1,000 mand is therefore the highest capital in Europe
Surface 467.8 km²
Highest mountain Pic Alt de la Coma Pedrosa (2,946 m altitude)
Longest river Valira
International license plate A
National currency Euro
Time difference to CET = CET
International phone code 00376
Mains voltage, frequency 220 volts, 50 hertz
Internet Top Level Domain (TLD) .ad

Andorra: history

Prehistoric finds such as the stone engravings of Ordino and the cave drawings of La Roca de les Bruixes have shown that the valleys of today’s Andorra were inhabited by humans even before the Bronze Age.

According to Abbreviationfinder website, Andorra was first mentioned in a Carolingian document from 805. The area was later under the suzerainty of the Catalan Bishop of Urgell until the French Count of Foix also claimed the territory in the 13th century. As a result, Andorra was declared a “condominium” in the Paréage treaty between Roger Bernard III, Count of Foix, and Pere d´Urtx, Bishop of Urgell in 1278. This means that rulership over Andorra was granted to several states in a joint trust and exercised jointly. The bishop’s rulership rights still exist today. The rights of the Count of Foix initially went to the Crown of Navarre, later to the French royal family and, at the end of the monarchy, to the President of France.

During the Spanish Civil War and World War II, Andorra retained its neutrality. In 1993, Andorra was converted into a parliamentary principality by a new constitution. The state became a member of the UN and the Council of Europe.

Andorra Facts