Andorra

§1. Andorra Introduction

Background:
  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 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.

§2. Andorra Geography

Location:
  Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain

Geographic coordinates:
  42 30 N, 1 30 E

Map references:
  Europe

Area:
  total: 468 kmē
  land: 468 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

Area - comparative:
  2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
  total: 120.3 km
  border countries: 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
  highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m

Natural resources:
  hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead

Land use:
  arable land: 2.13%
  permanent crops: 0%
  other: 97.87% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  NA kmē

Natural hazards:
  avalanches

Environment - current issues:
  deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion;
  air pollution; wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Hazardous Wastes
  signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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

§3. Andorra People

Population:
  71,201 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 14.7% (male 5,456/female 4,994)
  15-64 years: 71.4% (male 26,632/female 24,172)
  65 years and over: 14% (male 4,918/female 5,029) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 40.9 years
  male: 41.2 years
  female: 40.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.89% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  8.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  6.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  6.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 4.04 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 4.38 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 3.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 83.51 years
  male: 80.61 years
  female: 86.61 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.3 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  NA

Nationality:
  noun: Andorran(s)
  adjective: Andorran

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

Religions:
  Roman Catholic (predominant)

Languages:
  Catalan (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese

Literacy:
  definition: NA
  total population: 100%
  male: 100%
  female: 100%

§4. Andorra Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Principality of Andorra
  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 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, Escaldes-Engordany, La Massana, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria

Independence:
  1278 (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, effective 4 May 1993

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

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
    Bishop Joan Enric VIVES i SICILIA (since 12 May 2003), represented by
    Nemesi MARQUES i OSTE (since NA)
  head of government: Executive Council President Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA
    (since 27 May 2005)
  cabinet: Executive Council or Govern designated by the Executive Council
    president
  elections: Executive Council president elected by the General Council and
    formally appointed by the coprinces for a four-year term; election last
    held 24 April 2005 (next to be held April-May 2009)
  election results: Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA elected executive council
    president; percent of General Council vote - NA

Legislative branch:
  unicameral General Council of the Valleys or Consell General de las Valls
  (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 14 from a single
  national constituency and 14 to represent each of the seven parishes;
  members serve four-year terms)
  elections: last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held March-April 2009)
  election results: percent of vote by party - PLA 41.2%, PS 38.1%, CDA-S21
    11%, other 9.7%; seats by party - PLA 14, PS 12, CDA-S21 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:
  Andorran Democratic Center Party or CDA (formerly Democratic Party or PD)
  [leader NA]; Century 21 or S21 [Enric TARRADO]; Liberal Party of Andorra or
  PLA (formerly Liberal Union or UL) [Albert PINTAT]; Social Democratic Party
  or PS (formerly part of National Democratic Group or AND) [Mariona GONZALEZ
  REOLIT]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  ACCT (associate), CE, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU,
  OIF, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jelena V.
    PIA-COMELLA
  chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017
  telephone: [1] (212) 750-8064
  FAX: [1] (212) 750-6630

Diplomatic representation 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
  de Montcada, 23, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; telephone: [34] (93) 280-2227;
    FAX: [34] (93) 280-6175

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

§5. Andorra Economy

Economy - overview:
  Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for
  more than 80% of GDP. An estimated 11.6 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 partial "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.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $1.84 billion (2004)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  NA

GDP - real growth rate:
  4% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $24,000 (2004)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: NA%
  industry: NA%
  services: NA%

Labor force:
  48,740 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 0.34%, industry 19.63%, services 80.03% (2004)

Unemployment rate:
  0% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA%
  highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.4% (2004)

Budget:
  revenues: $373.5 million
  expenditures: $373.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004)

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

Industries:
  tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, banking

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:
  NA kWh

Electricity - exports:
  NA kWh

Electricity - imports:
  NA kWh; note - most electricity supplied by Spain and France; Andorra
  generates a small amount of hydropower

Exports:
  $145 million f.o.b. (2004)

Exports - commodities:
  tobacco products, furniture

Exports - partners:
  Spain 58%, France 34% (2004)

Imports:
  $1.077 billion (1998)

Imports - commodities:
  consumer goods, food, electricity

Imports - partners:
  Spain 51.5%, France 22.3%, US 0.3% (2004)

Debt - external:
  $NA

Economic aid - recipient:
  none

Currency (code):
  euro (EUR)

Exchange rates:
  euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626
  (2002), 1.1175 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Andorra Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  35,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  51,900 (2003)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: NA
  domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between
    exchanges
  international: country code - 376; landline circuits to France and Spain

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:
  0 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .ad

Internet hosts:
  7,058 (2005)

Internet users:
  11,000 (2004)

§7. Andorra Transportation

Airports:
  none (2005)

Roadways:
  total: 269 km
  paved: 198 km
  unpaved: 71 km

§8. Andorra Military

Military branches:
  no regular military forces, Police Service of Andorra

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of France and Spain

§9. Andorra Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none


<Factbook 2006>
