ESSENTIAL ANDORRA

Andorra is located in south-west Europe, in the heart of the Eastern Pyrenees. It lies between Spain and the autonomous community of Catalonia, and France, where it borders the Ariège region. 

Andorra covers 180 square miles, of which only 8% is built-up. The remaining 92% is forest land, making the country a paradise for nature lovers.

Andorra is organised into seven administrative and territorial divisions called "parishes": Canillo, Encamp, Ordino, La Massana, Andorra la Vella, Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes-Engordany.  The capital of the Principality is Andorra La Vella. 

Like Spain and France, we use Central European Time or CET (Greenwich Mean Time +1 hour). 

We enjoy a high-mountain climate with influences from the Mediterranean, meaning a hot summer and cold winter with plentiful snow. The average minimum temperature is -2ºC, with an average maximum of 24ºC. Precipitation in the form of snow is frequent, with the highest rainfall between the months of May and October. 

Catalan is our official language, although the rich diversity of nationalities resident here means that other languages such as Spanish, French and Portuguese are also widely spoken. 

The euro has replaced the Spanish peseta and the French franc, which were both used in the country until the European currency was introduced in 2001.

Catholicism is the main religion, with the greatest number of adherents, although the Andorran Constitution passed in 1993 guarantees religious freedom.

Since the Middle Ages, Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality. We have two Heads of State, the Bishop of Urgell and the President of the French Republic, who represent the people jointly and equally. The Consell General is our parliament, with 28 members elected by universal suffrage every four years. In 1993, the country's first constitution was signed, making Andorra a constitutional, democratic and social state.

The country has a population of 80,209 with an average age of 41 (figures from the 2017 census).

Andorra's economy is mainly based on commerce and tourism, which account for 60% of the total. Financial services are the third pillar of Andorra's economy.