Andorra
Name
| Official name | Principality of Andorra |
|---|---|
| In Catalan | Principat d'Andorra |
| Demonym | Andorran |
| Meaning of the name | Uncertain — derived by some from a Basque or Navarrese word for a shrubby place, by others from the Arabic al-durra, "the pearl," or from a local name of the valleys |
| Also called | The Valleys of Andorra (les Valls d'Andorra), its historic name |
Quick facts
| Capital | Andorra la Vella — also the largest town, at about 1,023 m (3,356 ft), the highest capital in Europe |
|---|---|
| Official language | Catalan — the only country in the world where Catalan is the sole official language; Spanish, Portuguese and French are widely spoken |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) — under a monetary agreement with the European Union of 2011; Andorra has minted its own euro coins since 2014 but issues no banknotes |
| Time zone | Central European Time, UTC+1; summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +376 |
| Internet domain | .ad |
| ISO 3166 codes | AD · AND · 020 |
| Vehicle registration code | AND |
| Driving side | Right |
| Electricity | 230 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and F |
| Founded | 1278 — the first Paréage, by which the bishop of Urgell and the count of Foix agreed to share sovereignty over the valleys; a second Paréage followed in 1288 |
| Constitution | Approved by referendum on 14 March 1993 — Constitution Day; before it Andorra had no written constitution at all |
| National day | 8 September — the feast of Our Lady of Meritxell, the patron of Andorra |
| Population | About 85,000 — 87,000 by the national statistics office, 83,000 by the World Bank (2025); fewer than half are Andorran citizens |
| Area | 468 km² (181 sq mi) — the sixth smallest country in Europe and the largest of its microstates |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | A vertical blue-yellow-red tricolor with the coat of arms on its slightly wider yellow band — the colors of France and Spain on the flag of the co-principality; said to date from 1866, standardized in 1993.Flag of Andorra |
|---|---|
| Coat of arms | A quartered shield — the mitre and crosier of Urgell, the bars of Foix, the bars of Catalonia, the cows of Béarn — over the motto Virtus Unita Fortior, "strength united is stronger" |
| National anthem | "El Gran Carlemany" ("The Great Charlemagne") — words by Bishop Joan Benlloch i Vivó, music by Enric Marfany Bons; first sung on 8 September 1914, official since 1921 |
| National motto | Virtus Unita Fortior — "strength united is stronger" |
| National colors | Blue, yellow and red |
| Patron | Our Lady of Meritxell, whose feast on 8 September is the national day |
| National flower | The grandalla (Narcissus poeticus), the poet's narcissus of the high meadows — widely cited |
| National animal | The Pyrenean chamois (isard) — widely cited |
| National dish | Escudella, the winter stew of meats, vegetables and pasta — widely cited; trinxat, the potato-and-cabbage cake, is the other national plate |
| Symbol status | The flag, arms and anthem are fixed by the Constitution and the 1999 regulations; the flower, animal and dish are widely cited, not designated |
Geography
| Location | Landlocked in the eastern Pyrenees, between France to the north and Spain to the south |
|---|---|
| Coastline | None — landlocked; the Mediterranean is about 100 km (60 mi) away |
| Land borders | 118 km (73 mi) with two countries |
| Border with Spain | 63 km (39 mi) |
| Border with France | 55 km (34 mi) |
| Highest point | Coma Pedrosa, 2,942 m (9,652 ft), in the northwest; the CIA World Factbook gives 2,946 m |
| Lowest point | The Riu Runer at 840 m (2,756 ft), where the Gran Valira leaves for Spain |
| Mean elevation | 1,996 m (6,549 ft) — one of the highest of any country |
| Longest river | The Gran Valira, formed at Escaldes-Engordany by the Valira del Nord and the Valira d'Orient, flowing south into the Segre in Spain |
| Largest lake | Estany de Juclar, a glacial lake in the northeast |
| Mountain range | The Pyrenees — some 65 peaks above 2,500 m (8,200 ft) |
| Valleys | Three main valleys, of the two Valiras and the Gran Valira, whose seven parishes hold all the towns |
| Climate | Mountain temperate — snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers |
| Natural hazards | Avalanches; floods in the narrow valleys |
| Natural resources | Hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead |
| Land use | Agricultural land 40%, almost all of it pasture; forest about 39%; arable land 1.6% (2023 est.) |
| Protected areas | Three natural parks — the Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley, the Sorteny valley, and Comapedrosa — about a tenth of the country |
| UNESCO World Heritage | 1 — the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley (2004), a cultural landscape of the high Pyrenees |
| Administrative divisions | 7 parishes — Canillo, Encamp, Ordino, La Massana, Andorra la Vella, Sant Julià de Lòria, Escaldes-Engordany |
People
| Population | About 87,000 (national statistics, 2025); 83,000 (World Bank, 2025) |
|---|---|
| Population density | About 180 per km² (470 per sq mi) |
| Nationalities | Andorran citizens are a minority — under half; Spanish, Portuguese and French residents form most of the rest |
| Life expectancy | 84.2 years (2024, World Bank) — among the highest in the world |
| Median age | About 46 years — one of the oldest populations in Europe |
| Urban population | About 88% |
| Adult literacy | About 100% |
| Languages | Catalan the official and school language; Spanish the most widely spoken at home; Portuguese and French follow |
| Religion | Roman Catholic, the great majority; the bishop of Urgell is co-prince |
| Largest towns | Andorra la Vella, Escaldes-Engordany, Encamp, Sant Julià de Lòria, La Massana |
| Human Development Index | 0.88 (2023 data, 2025 report) — very high human development |
Government
| Form of government | Parliamentary co-principality — a diarchy with two heads of state, under the Constitution of 1993 |
|---|---|
| Episcopal co-prince | Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat, bishop of Urgell, since 31 May 2025; represented in Andorra by Eduard Ibáñez |
| French co-prince | Emmanuel Macron, president of France, since 14 May 2017 |
| Head of Government | Xavier Espot Zamora, since 16 May 2019 — re-elected after the election of April 2023 |
| Parliament | The General Council (Consell General), unicameral, 28 members — 14 elected nationally and two from each of the seven parishes — for four-year terms |
| Legal system | Mixed civil and customary law; a Constitutional Tribunal since 1993 |
| Armed forces | None — France and Spain are responsible for its defense; a small police force and a ceremonial militia |
| United Nations | Member since 28 July 1993 |
| Council of Europe | Member since 10 November 1994 |
| European Union | Not a member; a customs union for industrial goods since 1991, the euro since 2011, and an association agreement concluded in 2024 |
| Other memberships | OSCE, the International Organisation of La Francophonie, the IMF (2020), WTO observer |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$4.5 billion (2025, IMF April 2026) |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita | About US$50,400 (2025) — among the highest in the world |
| GDP growth | About 3–4% a year (2025) |
| Economy by sector | Services dominate — tourism, retail, banking and finance, real estate — about nine-tenths of output |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) |
| Tourism | About 8 million visitors a year — nearly a hundred for every resident — for skiing, hiking and duty-free shopping |
| Skiing | Grandvalira, the largest ski area in the Pyrenees, and Vallnord |
| Banking | A long-established financial center; bank secrecy ended and exchange of information with the EU began in 2017 |
| Taxes | Low by European standards — a personal income tax of at most 10% (introduced 2015), a general indirect tax of 4.5% |
| Exports | Small — tobacco products, furniture, timber, water; imports several times larger, mostly through Spain and France |
| Income classification | High income (World Bank) |
Transport & infrastructure
| Airport | None in the country — Andorra–La Seu d'Urgell airport lies just across the Spanish border; Barcelona and Toulouse are the nearest large airports, each about 2–3 hours by road |
|---|---|
| Railways | None — the nearest stations are L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre in France and Puigcerdà in Spain |
| Roads | Two main entries — the CG-1 from Spain at the Runer river and the CG-2 from France over the Envalira pass, 2,408 m (7,900 ft), or through its tunnel |
| Envalira Pass | 2,408 m (7,900 ft) — the highest paved pass in the Pyrenees, bypassed since 2002 by the Envalira tunnel |
| Heliport | Andorra la Vella; a national heliport is under way |
| Public transport | Inter-parish buses; regular coaches to Barcelona and Toulouse |
History in dates
| 795 | Charlemagne's Marca Hispanica — the buffer against the Moors of which Andorra is the last survivor |
|---|---|
| 843 | Charles the Bald grants the valleys to the count of Urgell, by the traditional account |
| 1133 | The count of Urgell cedes his rights to the bishop of Urgell |
| 1278 | The first Paréage: the bishop of Urgell and the count of Foix share sovereignty |
| 1419 | The Council of the Land, the ancestor of today's parliament, is founded |
| 1607 | The count of Foix's rights pass to the French crown with Henry IV |
| 1866 | The New Reform; the tricolor appears |
| 1933 | Universal male suffrage; women vote from 1970 |
| 1993 | The Constitution, 14 March; UN membership, 28 July |
| 2004 | The Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley becomes a World Heritage site |
| 2011 | The monetary agreement with the EU; Andorran euro coins follow in 2014 |
| 2025 | Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat becomes episcopal co-prince, 31 May |
Records & firsts
| Europe's highest capital | Andorra la Vella, about 1,023 m (3,356 ft) |
|---|---|
| The only co-principality | Two heads of state — a bishop and a president — since 1278 |
| Catalan's only state | The one country where Catalan is the sole official language |
| One of the highest countries | A mean elevation of 1,996 m (6,549 ft); the lowest point, 840 m, is above the highest point of many countries |
| Life expectancy | Among the top few in the world, at about 84 years |
| The Pyrenees' largest ski area | Grandvalira, with more than 200 km (125 mi) of runs |
| No airport, no railway, no army | A country reached only by road |
| Visitors | About 8 million a year — close to a hundred per resident |
| The oldest parliament in Europe? | The Council of the Land of 1419 is among the oldest continuously functioning parliaments |
| Romanesque churches | More than 40, among them Santa Coloma and Sant Joan de Caselles |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Andorra?
The Principality of Andorra — Principat d’Andorra in Catalan, the country’s only official language. It is a co-principality: its two heads of state are the bishop of Urgell in Spain and the president of France, an arrangement that dates from 1278.
What is the capital of Andorra, and how high is it?
Andorra la Vella, at about 1,023 m (3,356 ft) — the highest capital city in Europe. With the neighboring parish of Escaldes-Engordany it forms the country’s main urban area.
How big is Andorra, and how many people live there?
About 468 km² (181 sq mi) — the largest of Europe’s microstates but still smaller than many cities — with a population of roughly 85,000: the national statistics office counts about 87,000 residents, the World Bank about 83,000 (2025). Fewer than half are Andorran citizens.
What are the highest and lowest points of Andorra?
Coma Pedrosa, 2,942 m (9,652 ft), in the northwest, is the highest point (the CIA World Factbook gives 2,946 m). The lowest is the Riu Runer at 840 m (2,756 ft), where the Gran Valira leaves the country for Spain — Andorra’s lowest point is higher than most countries’ highest.
What currency does Andorra use, and is it in the European Union?
The euro. Andorra is not a member of the European Union but uses the euro under a 2011 monetary agreement, and has minted its own euro coins since 2014. It keeps Central European Time and has no airport of its own — the nearest are Barcelona and Toulouse.
What are the national symbols of Andorra?
The blue-yellow-red flag with the coat of arms, the arms themselves with the motto Virtus Unita Fortior, and the anthem El Gran Carlemany are the symbols the Constitution names. The grandalla (a narcissus) as the national flower, the Pyrenean chamois as the national animal and escudella as the national dish are widely cited rather than designated. The national day, September 8, honors Our Lady of Meritxell.
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