Andorra Geography Location: Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 30 E Map references: Europe Area: total: 450 sq km land: 450 sq km water: 0 sq km AreaÑcomparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: total: 125 km border countries: France 60 km, Spain 65 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 Valira 840 m highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m Natural resources: hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead Land use: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 56% forests and woodland: 22% other: 20% (1993 est.) Irrigated land: NA sq km Natural hazards: snowslides, avalanches EnvironmentÑcurrent issues: deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion EnvironmentÑinternational agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements GeographyÑnote: landlocked People Population: 64,716 (July 1998 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 14% (male 4,819; female 4,474) 15-64 years: 73% (male 25,448; female 22,028) 65 years and over: 13% (male 4,041; female 3,906) (July 1998 est.) Population growth rate: 1.5% (1998 est.) Birth rate: 10.48 births/1,000 population (1998 est.) Death rate: 5.35 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.) Net migration rate: 9.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female (1998 est.) Infant mortality rate: 4.09 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 83.45 years male: 80.54 years female: 86.54 years (1998 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.23 children born/woman (1998 est.) Nationality: noun: Andorran(s) adjective: Andorran Ethnic groups: Spanish 61%, Andorran 30%, French 6%, other 3% Religions: Roman Catholic (predominant) Languages: Catalan (official), French, Castilian Literacy: NA Government Country name: conventional long form: Principality of Andorra conventional short form: Andorra local long form: Principat d'Andorra local short form: Andorra Data code: AN 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 Spanish bishop of Seo de Urgel, who are represented locally by officials called veguers National capital: Andorra la Vella Administrative divisions: 7 parishes (parroquies, singularÑparroquia); Andorra, Canillo, Encamp, La Massana, Les Escaldes, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria Independence: 1278 National holiday: Mare de Deu de Meritxell, 8 September Constitution: Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991; adopted 14 March 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) and Spanish Episcopal Coprince Monseigneur Juan MARTI Alanis (since 31 January 1971); noteÑeach coprince is represented by a veguer (French: Jean-Pierre COURTOIS; Spanish: Francesc BADIA Battalla) head of government: Executive Council President Marc FORNE Molne (since 21 December 1994) cabinet: Executive Council designated by the executive council president elections: executive council president elected by the General Council and formally appointed by the coprinces; 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 voteÑNA 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 February 2001) election results: percent of vote by partyÑUL 57%, AND 21%, IDN 7%, ND 7%, other 8%; seats by partyÑUL 16, AND 6, ND 2, IDN 2, UPO 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Andorra at Perpignan (France) two civil judges appointed by the veguers, one appeals judge appointed by the coprinces alternately; Ecclesiastical Court of the Bishop of Seo de Urgel (Spain); Tribunal of the Courts or Tribunal des Cortes presided over by the two civil judges, one appeals judge, the veguers, and two members of the General Council Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Group or AND [Oscar RIBAS Reig]; Liberal Union or UL [Francesc CERQUEDA]; New Democracy or ND [Jaume BARTOMEU Cassany]; Andorran National Coalition or CNA [Antoni CERQUEDA Gispert]; National Democratic Initiative or IDN [Vincenc MATEU Zamora]; Liberal Party of Andorra (Partit Liberal d'Andorra) or PLA [Marc FORNE]; Unio Parroquial d'Ordino or UDO note: there are two other small parties International organization participation: CE, ECE, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OSCE, UN, UNESCO, WHO, WIPO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Juli MINOVES-TRIQUELL (also Permanent Representative to the UN) 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; 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: (343) 280-2227; FAX: (343) 205-7705; noteÑConsul General Maurice S. PARKER makes periodic visits to Andorra 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 that do not have a national coat of arms in the center Economy EconomyÑoverview: Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 10 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 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 parityÑ$1.2 billion (1995 est.) GDPÑreal growth rate: NA% GDPÑper capita: purchasing power parityÑ$18,000 (1995 est.) GDPÑcomposition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Inflation rateÑconsumer price index: NA% Labor force: NA Unemployment rate: 0% Budget: revenues: $138 million expenditures: $177 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993) Industries: tourism (particularly skiing), sheep, timber, tobacco, banking Industrial production growth rate: NA% ElectricityÑcapacity: 35,000 kW (1992) ElectricityÑproduction: 140 million kWh (1992) ElectricityÑconsumption per capita: NA kWh; noteÑAndorra exports most of its electricity to France and Spain AgricultureÑproducts: small quantities of tobacco, rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep raising Exports: total value: $47 million (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: electricity, tobacco products, furniture partners: France 49%, Spain 47% Imports: total value: $1 billion (1995) commodities: consumer goods, food partners: France, Spain, US 4.2% DebtÑexternal: $NA Economic aid: none Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes; 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos; the French and Spanish currencies are used Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1Ñ6.0836 (January 1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993); Spanish pesetas (Ptas) per US$1Ñ153.94 (January 1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66 (1996), 124.69 (1995), 133.96 (1994), 127.26 (1993) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Telephones: 21,258 (1983 est.) Telephone system: domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges international: landline circuits to France and Spain Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 Radios: 10,000 (1993 est.) Television broadcast stations: 0 Televisions: 7,000 (1991 est.) Transportation Railways: 0 km Highways: total: 269 km paved: 198 km unpaved: 71 km (1991 est.) Ports and harbors: none Airports: none Military MilitaryÑnote: defense is the responsibility of France and Spain Transnational Issues DisputesÑinternational: none