Andorra History

By | March 8, 2021

Andorra is a small country located in the Pyrenees mountains between Spain and France. According to homosociety, it has a population of approximately 77,000 people and an area of 181 square kilometers. The official language is Catalan while French and Spanish are also spoken. The currency used in Andorra is the Euro (EUR). The capital city of Andorra is Andorra la Vella which has a population of around 22,000 people. The climate in Andorra varies from continental in the north to Mediterranean in the south with warm summers and cold winters. Agriculture plays an important role in the economy with dairy products being one of the main exports. Andorra also has rich mineral resources such as lead, zinc and iron ore. Despite its natural resources however it remains one of the richest countries in Europe due to its low taxes and tourism industry.

According to tradition, Andorra’s independence goes back to Karl the Great’s time. He withdrew the 803 area from the Moors. His son Louis the Pious gave it 819 to the Bishop of Urgel in Catalonia, but the area was disputed. In 1278 Andorra was placed under the joint dominance of the Bishop of Urgel and the Count of Foix. The latter surrendered its rights to France’s head of state in 1607. This purely feudal arrangement was abolished during the French Revolution but reintroduced by Napoleon. Andorra still pays his two regents a symbolic fee, the so-called questia.

Andorra’s status was long unclear. There was no constitution, political parties and trade unions were basically banned. See abbreviationfinder for geography, history, society, politics, and economy of Andorra. Formally, the two regents, the bishop of Urgel and the president of France, had all power, but no clear definition of their areas of competence had been made since 1278. The regents each had deputies in Andorra (veguers) and there was also a general council (Consell general de las valls d’Andorra) with 28 well appointed members. The Council acted as supreme administrative body but had no right to enact laws. Since 1982, however, they had to appoint a six-man government and a head of government.

  • COUNTRYAAH.COM: Provides latest population data about Andorra. Lists by Year from 1950 to 2020. Also includes major cities by population.

Andorra was an age-old society where changes over the years have been few. During the 1980s, however, the constitutional problems began to be discussed more and more. This led to Andorra conducting a referendum in March 1993, in which a large majority of the people entitled to vote voted in favor of Andorra’s first constitution, which came into force two months later. Andorra thus became a sovereign state. Admittedly, the system was maintained with the two regents, but these were now given only symbolic power. Political parties and trade unions were also formed, and general voting rights were introduced to a parliament with 28 seats. For the first time in Andorra’s history, the government got the right to tax the residents. The first election to the new parliament was held in December 1993, see State of the State and Politics. Andorra joined the UN in 1993 and in the Council of Europe in 1994.