Andorra (2006) | Montserrat (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | 7 parishes (parroquies, singular - parroquia); Andorra la Vella, Canillo, Encamp, Escaldes-Engordany, La Massana, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria | 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 14.7% (male 5,456/female 4,994)
15-64 years: 71.4% (male 26,632/female 24,172) 65 years and over: 14% (male 4,918/female 5,029) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 23.6% (male 1,001; female 986)
15-64 years: 65% (male 2,624; female 2,864) 65 years and over: 11.4% (male 508; female 454) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | small quantities of rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep | cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products |
Airports | - | none; only airport was destroyed by volcanic activity; a helicopter service to Antigua is used |
Area | total: 468 sq km
land: 468 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 102 sq km
land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC | about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived under a unique co-principality, ruled by French and Spanish leaders (from 1607 onward, the French chief of state and the Spanish bishop of Urgel). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the titular heads of state retained, but the government transformed into a parliamentary democracy. Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous Andorra achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through its tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are attracted to the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes. | Much of this island has been devastated and two-thirds of the population has fled abroad due to the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano that began on 18 July 1995. |
Birth rate | 8.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 17.54 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $373.5 million
expenditures: $373.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004) |
revenues: $31.4 million
expenditures: $31.6 million, including capital expenditures of $8.4 million |
Capital | name: Andorra la Vella
geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 30 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Plymouth (abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat) |
Climate | temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers | tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 40 km |
Constitution | Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991, approved by referendum 14 March 1993, effective 4 May 1993 | present constitution came into force 19 December 1989 |
Country name | conventional long form: Principality of Andorra
conventional short form: Andorra local long form: Principat d'Andorra local short form: Andorra |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Montserrat |
Currency | - | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
Death rate | 6.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 7.47 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $8.9 million (1997) (1997) |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Andorra; the US Ambassador to Spain is accredited to Andorra; US interests in Andorra are represented by the Consulate General's office in Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada, 23, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; telephone: [34] (3) 280-2227; FAX: [34] (3) 205-5206 | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jelena V. PIA-COMELLA
chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-8064 FAX: [1] (212) 750-6630 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | none | Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance |
Economy - overview | Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for more than 80% of GDP. An estimated 11.6 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 partial "tax haven" status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production is limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing output 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. | Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcano and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 4.65 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | NA kWh | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh; note - most electricity supplied by Spain and France; Andorra generates a small amount of hydropower | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 5 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Riu Runer 840 m
highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chances Peak (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) 914 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal | land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Hazardous Wastes
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
Ethnic groups | Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other 6% (1998) | black, white |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) |
Executive branch | chief of state: French Coprince Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by Philippe MASSONI (since 26 July 2002); Spanish Coprince Bishop Joan Enric VIVES i SICILIA (since 12 May 2003), represented by Nemesi MARQUES i OSTE (since NA)
head of government: Executive Council President Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA (since 27 May 2005) cabinet: Executive Council or Govern designated by the Executive Council president elections: Executive Council president elected by the General Council and formally appointed by the coprinces for a four-year term; election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held April-May 2009) election results: Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA elected executive council president; percent of General Council vote - NA |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Anthony LONGRIGG (since NA May 2001)
head of government: Chief Minister John OSBORNE (since 5 April 2001) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister |
Exports | $145 million f.o.b. (2004) | $1.5 million (1998) |
Exports - commodities | tobacco products, furniture | electronic components, plastic bags, apparel, hot peppers, live plants, cattle |
Exports - partners | Spain 58%, France 34% (2004) | US, Antigua and Barbuda (1993) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
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, which do not have a national coat of arms in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which does bear a national emblem | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $31 million (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 5%
industry: 14% services: 81% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $2,400 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4% (2004 est.) | -1.5% (1999 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 42 30 N, 1 30 E | 16 45 N, 62 12 W |
Geography - note | landlocked; straddles a number of important crossroads in the Pyrenees | the island is entirely volcanic in origin and contains seven active volcanoes |
Highways | - | total: 269 km
paved: 203 km unpaved: 66 km (1995) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | $1.077 billion (1998) | $26 million (1998) |
Imports - commodities | consumer goods, food, electricity | machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials |
Imports - partners | Spain 51.5%, France 22.3%, US 0.3% (2004) | US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (1993) |
Independence | 1278 (formed under the joint suzerainty of the French count of Foix and the Spanish bishop of Urgel) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, banking | tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances |
Infant mortality rate | total: 4.04 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
7.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.4% (2004) | 5% (1998) (1998) |
International organization participation | CE, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, OIF, OIF (associate member), OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTO (observer) | Caricom, CDB, ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, WCL |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 17 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of the Courts or Tribunal de Corts; Supreme Court of Justice of Andorra or Tribunal Superior de Justicia d'Andorra; Supreme Council of Justice or Consell Superior de la Justicia; Fiscal Ministry or Ministeri Fiscal; Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court) |
Labor force | 48,740 (2004) | 4,521 (1992); note - lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 0.34%
industry: 19.63% services: 80.03% (2004) |
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
Land boundaries | total: 120.3 km
border countries: France 56.6 km, Spain 63.7 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 2.13%
permanent crops: 0% other: 97.87% (2005) |
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Catalan (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese | English |
Legal system | based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | English common law and statutory law |
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 seven parishes; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held March-April 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PLA 41.2%, PS 38.1%, CDA-S21 11%, other 9.7%; seats by party - PLA 14, PS 12, CDA-S21 2 |
unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms)
note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members elections: last held NA April 2001 (next to be held by November 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPLM 7, NPP 2 note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 83.51 years
male: 80.61 years female: 86.61 years (2006 est.) |
total population: 78.2 years
male: 76.1 years female: 80.4 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1970 est.) |
Location | Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Europe | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | - | none (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France and Spain | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | no regular military forces, Police Service of Andorra | no regular indigenous military forces; Police Force |
National holiday | Our Lady of Meritxell Day, 8 September (1278) | Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) |
Nationality | noun: Andorran(s)
adjective: Andorran |
noun: Montserratian(s)
adjective: Montserratian |
Natural hazards | avalanches | severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1996) |
Natural resources | hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead | NEGL |
Net migration rate | 6.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 74.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Andorran Democratic Center Party or CDA (formerly Democratic Party or PD); Century 21 or S21 [Enric TARRADO]; Liberal Party of Andorra or PLA (formerly Liberal Union or UL) [Albert PINTAT]; Social Democratic Party or PS (formerly part of National Democratic Group or AND) [Jaume BARTUMEU CASSANY] | National Progressive Party or NPP [Reuben T. MEADE]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 71,201 (July 2006 est.) | 8,437
note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.89% (2006 est.) | 8.43% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Plymouth (abandoned), Little Bay (anchorages and ferry landing), Carr's Bay |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 7,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 0 km (2003) |
Religions | Roman Catholic (predominant) | Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges international: country code - 376; landline circuits to France and Spain |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: NA |
Telephones - main lines in use | 35,400 (2005) | 4,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 64,600 (2005) | 70 (1994) |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (1997) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys | volcanic islands, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland |
Total fertility rate | 1.3 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 1.81 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0% (1996 est.) | 6% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |