An Introduction to Andorra
Nestled in the eastern Pyrenees, the Principality of Andorra was formed in 1278 and re'ults from a gift of land made in 988. It has two joint monarchs or co-princes, the Catalan Bishop of Urgell and the President of France - this peculiar arrangement makes the latter a reigning monarch elected by a people other than the one he rules over - unique as far as we know. Also unusual is the fact that of Andorras population of around 85,000, only 31,000 are Andorran nationals. See full country profile.Latest Research News from Europe (Other)
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GOVERNMENT: Unitary parliamentary democracy and Constitutional diarchy
AREA: 467.63 sq km
POPULATION: 85,082 (July 2011 est.)
MAJOR LANGUAGE: Official Language: Catalan
Some business and general info
The Market Research Industry
Trade and Industry in Andorra
Despite this relatively unimposing military arrangement, the country declared war on Germany during World War I - fortunately for the Germans the Andorrans did not actually fight, but as the country was not mentioned in the Treaty of Versailles, the two remained officially in a state of belligerency until 1957.
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Nestled in the eastern Pyrenees, the Principality of Andorra was formed in 1278 and re'ults from a gift of land made in 988. It has two joint monarchs or co-princes, the Catalan Bishop of Urgell and the President of France - this peculiar arrangement makes the latter a reigning monarch elected by a people other than the one he rules over - unique as far as we know. Also unusual is the fact that of Andorras population of around 85,000, only 31,000 are Andorran nationals.
Andorras mountain location has shielded it from many of the events and movements of history, except for those in the two countries surrounding it - even today there are no railways, ports, or airports for fixed-wing aircraft in Andorra, though there are heliports. Modern communications have nevertheless opened it to the world and its tourist industry now services an estimated 10.2 million visitors each year. A tax haven with a high standard of living and a high life expectancy, its political system was modernised in 1993, the year it became a member of the UN and the Council of Europe.
GDP: $4.510 bn (2008 est.); $53,383 per capita
Religions Roman Catholic 90%
Currency: Euro
Telephone Code: + 376
Tourism is the key industry in Andorras prosperous economy, contributing 80% of GDP - helped by its duty-free status - but France and Spains economies now have lower tariffs and compete more effectively. Banking also contributes substantially to the economy. Most food is imported, with only 2% of land given over to arable farming, and tobacco production one of the few farming activities. The country formerly used both French and Spanish currency as legal tender and now that both use the Euro, does so also by special arrangement, but it is not an EU member.
2009 exports were $64m with the main partners Spain (58%) and France (34%). Similarly, its $1.47 bn in imports came mostly from Spain (51.5%) with much of the remainder from France (22.3%). One of the world's worst balances of payments, made up of course by tourism.
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