|
| Background: |
Long isolated and
impoverished, mountainous Andorra has 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. |
| Location: |
Southwestern
Europe, between France and Spain |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
42 30 N, 1 30 E |
| Area: |
total:
468 sq km
land: 468 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| 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:
4%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 45%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 16% (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
snowslides,
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 |
| Population: |
67,627 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
15.29% (male 5,425; female 4,917)
15-64 years: 72.06% (male 25,654; female
23,078)
65 years and over: 12.65% (male 4,299; female
4,254) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.17% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
10.29
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
5.41 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
6.82 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
4.08 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 83.47 years
male: 80.57 years
female: 86.57 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.25 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
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 |
| Literacy: |
definition:
NA
total population: 100%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| 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 heads 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, La
Massana, Escaldes-Engordany, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria |
| Independence: |
1278 (was formed
under the joint suzerainty of France and Spain) |
| 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; came into force 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 Frederic de SAINT-SERNIN (since
NA); Spanish Coprince Episcopal Monseigneur Joan MARTI
Alanis (since 31 January 1971), represented by Nemesi
MARQUES OSTE (since NA)
head of government: Executive Council President
Marc FORNE Molne (since 21 December 1994)
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 16
February 1997 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: Marc FORNE Molne elected
executive council president; percent of General Council vote
- 64% |
| 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 7 parishes; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 16 February 1997 (next to
be held NA February 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - UL
57%, AND 21%, IDN 7%, ND 7%, other 8%; seats by party - UL
16, AND 6, ND 2, IDN 2, UPO 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: |
Liberal Union or
UL [Marc Forne MOLNE] (renamed Liberal Party of Andorra or
PLA); National Democratic Group or AND [Ladislau BARO SOLA];
National Democratic Initiative or IDN [Vincenc MATEU
Zamora]; New Democracy or ND [Jaume BARTOMEU Cassany]; Union
of the People of Ordino (Unio Parroquial d'Ordino) or UPO [Simo
DURO Coma]
note: there are two other small parties |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
CCC, CE, ECE,
ICAO, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OSCE, UN, UNESCO,
WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador (vacant)
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, 23, 08034
Barcelona, Spain; telephone: (3493) 280-2227; FAX: (3493)
205-7705 |
| 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 |
| Economy
- overview: |
Tourism, the
mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for
roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 9 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 "tax haven" status, also contributes
substantially to the economy. 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 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 - $1.2 billion (1996 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $18,000 (1996 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
1.62% (1998) |
| Labor
force: |
30,787 salaried
employees (1998) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 1%,
industry 21%, services 78% (1998) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$385 million
expenditures: $342 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1997) |
| Industries: |
tourism
(particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, tobacco,
banking |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA% |
| 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 |
| Agriculture
- products: |
small quantities
of tobacco, rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep |
| Exports: |
$58 million
(f.o.b., 1998) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
tobacco products,
furniture |
| Exports
- partners: |
France 34%, Spain
58% (1998) |
| Imports: |
$1.077 billion
(c.i.f., 1998) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
consumer goods,
food, electricity |
| Imports
- partners: |
Spain 48%, France
35%, US 2.3% (1998) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
none |
| Currency: |
French franc (FRF);
Spanish peseta (ESP); euro (EUR) |
| Currency
code: |
FRF; ESP; EUR |
| Exchange
rates: |
euros per US
dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386
(1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367
(1997), 5.1155 (1996); Spanish pesetas per US dollar -
149.40 (1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
32,946 (December
1998) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
14,117 (December
1998) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: NA
domestic: modern system with microwave radio
relay connections between exchanges
international: landline circuits to France and
Spain |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 0, FM 15,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
0 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
27,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ad |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
5,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
269 km
paved: 198 km
unpaved: 71 km (1994 est.) |
| Airports: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of France and Spain |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
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