Captivating Countries: Andorra

This country is landlocked and is the sixth smallest country in the world. This country has never been involved in a war for over 1,000 years. This tiny country draws in over 10 million tourists a year. This country is Andorra.

Geography

Andorra is about 2.5 times the size of Washington DC and is nestled high in the Pyreénees Mountains situated on the French-Spanish border. It’s capital is Andorra la Velle. Andorra’s terrain is made up of rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys. Andorra’s climate is temperate so it has snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers. Andorra is also unusually sunny, experiencing 300 days of complete sunshine annually. To put this into your perspective, Miami receives a mere 74 days of complete sunshine a year.

Economy

The average person in Andorra makes $37,200 a year and tourism, retail sales, and finance account for over three-quarters of Andorra’s GDP. The other quarter relies mainly on agriculture. Andorra only cultivates 2% of its land and tobacco is mostly grown on the farmland there. Cigarette smuggling in Andorra has become a pressing issue in recent years because of the substantial profit smugglers make off buying cigarettes in Andorra and sneaking them back into neighboring France and Spain. Why Andorra? Because its taxes on tobacco are so low. Andorra’s monetary unit is the Euro.

People & Culture

Andorra’s people are primarily Spanish and Andorran and Andorra’s official language is Catalan. Andorra is the only country in the world that has Catalan as its official language. Andorra claims a literacy rate of 100% and Andorra’s major religion is Roman Catholic. 78,360 people live in Andorra.

Fun Facts

1. Andorra is the world’s only co-principality (ruled by two princes).

2. Andorra is ranked fourth in the world when it comes to human life expectancy. The expected life span of a person in Andorra is 82 years old.

3. By law, the male head of each family in Andorra is required to own a gun in case of attack or emergency.