ANDORRA
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 450 km2; land area: 450 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than 2.5 times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 125 km total; France 60 km, Spain 65 km
Coastline: none--landlocked
Maritime claims: none--landlocked
Climate: temperate; snowy, cold winters and cool, dry summers
Terrain: rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Natural resources: hydropower, mineral water, timber,
iron ore, lead
Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and
pastures 56%; forest and woodland 22%; other 20%
Environment: deforestation, overgrazing
Note: landlocked
PEOPLE
Population: 53,197 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)
Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 16 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 1.3 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Andorran(s); adjective--Andorran
Ethnic divisions: Catalan stock; Spanish 61%, Andorran 30%,
French 6%, other 3%
Religion: virtually all Roman Catholic
Language: Catalan (official); many also speak some French and
Castilian
Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Labor force: NA
Organized labor: none
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Principality of Andorra
Type: unique coprincipality under formal sovereignty of president
of France and Spanish bishop of Seo de Urgel, who are represented locally
by officials called verguers
Capital: Andorra la Vella
Administrative divisions: 7 parishes (parroquies,
singular--parroquia); Andorra, Canillo, Encamp, La Massana, Les
Escaldes, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria
Independence: 1278
Constitution: none; some pareatges and decrees, mostly custom and
usage
Legal system: based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Mare de Deu de Meritxell, 8 September
Executive branch: two co-princes (president of France, bishop of
Seo de Urgel in Spain), two designated representatives (French veguer,
Episcopal veguer), two permanent delegates (French prefect for the
department of Pyrenees-Orientales, Spanish vicar general for the Seo
de Urgel diocese), president of government, Executive Council
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council of the Valleys
(Consell General de las Valls)
Judicial branch: civil cases--Supreme Court of Andorra at Perpignan
(France) or the Ecclesiastical Court of the bishop of Seo de Urgel
(Spain); criminal cases--Tribunal of the Courts (Tribunal des Cortes)
Leaders:
Chiefs of State--French Co-Prince Francois MITTERRAND (since 21
May 1981), represented by Veguer de Franca Jean Pierre COURTOIS;
Spanish Episcopal Co-Prince Mgr. Joan MARTI y Alanis (since 31
January 1971), represented by Veguer Episcopal Francesc BADIA Batalla;
Head of Government--Oscar RIBAS Reig (since NA January 1990)
Political parties and leaders: political parties not yet legally
recognized; traditionally no political parties but partisans for
particular independent candidates for the General Council on the basis of
competence, personality, and orientation toward Spain or France; various
small pressure groups developed in 1972; first formal political party,
Andorran Democratic Association, was formed in 1976 and reorganized in
1979 as Andorran Democratic Party
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
General Council of the Valleys--last held 11 December 1989
(next to be held December 1993);
results--percent of vote NA;
seats--(28 total) number of seats by party NA
Communists: negligible
Member of: CSCE, INTERPOL, IOC
Diplomatic representation: Andorra has no mission in the US;
US--includes Andorra within the Barcelona (Spain) Consular District
and the US Consul General visits Andorra periodically; Consul General
Ruth A. DAVIS; Consulate General at Via Layetana 33, Barcelona 3, Spain
(mailing address APO NY 09286); telephone 34 (3) 319-9550
Flag: 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
ECONOMY
Overview: The mainstay of Andorra's economy is tourism. An
estimated 12 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's
duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts. Agricultural
production is limited by a scarcity of arable land, and most food has to
be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising.
Manufacturing consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars, and furniture. The
rapid pace of European economic integration is a potential threat to
Andorra's advantages from its duty-free status.
GDP: $727 million, per capita $14,000; real growth rate NA%
(1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: none
Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital
expenditures of $NA
Exports: $0.017 million (f.o.b., 1986);
commodities--electricity;
partners--France, Spain
Imports: $531 million (f.o.b., 1986);
commodities--consumer goods, food;
partners--France, Spain
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 35,000 kW capacity; 140 million kWh produced,
2,800 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism (particularly skiing), sheep, timber, tobacco,
smuggling, banking
Agriculture: sheep raising; small quantities of tobacco, rye,
wheat, barley, oats, and some vegetables
Economic aid: none
Currency: French franc (plural--francs) and Spanish peseta
(plural--pesetas); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes and 1 Spanish peseta
(Pta) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1--5.1307 (January 1991),
5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261
(1986), 8.9852 (1985); Spanish pesetas (Ptas) per US$1--95.20 (January
1991), 101.93 (1990), 118.38 (1989), 116.49 (1988), 123.48 (1987), 140.05
(1986), 170.04 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Highways: 96 km
Telecommunications: international digital microwave network;
international landline circuits to France and Spain; stations--1 AM, no
FM, no TV; 17,700 telephones
DEFENSE FORCES
Note: defense is the responsibility of France and Spain