50 Fun Facts About Andorra

Andorra lies in which mountain range, between France and Spain?

It is landlocked and borders only those two countries.

Andorra's two co-princes are the Bishop of Urgell and which head of state?

The French claim descends from the Counts of Foix via the kings of France.

Tradition holds that Andorra was created by which Frankish emperor for help against the Moors?

The story says 5,000 Andorran soldiers under Marc Almugaver earned the charter.

The first paréage that created shared sovereignty over Andorra was signed in which year?

King Peter III of Aragon mediated between the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix.

Which French king's 1607 edict made France's head of state and Urgell's bishop co-lords of Andorra?

He had inherited the Count of Foix's claim as Henry III of Navarre.

Before 1993, Andorra's tribute to its episcopal co-prince included six cheeses, six live chickens and six what?

In odd years the French ruler got about $460 instead.

Andorra's General Council, founded in 1419, is described as Europe's second-oldest what?

It has met at the Casa de la Vall since 1702.

Inside the Casa de la Vall stands the Closet of the Six Keys, one key held by each of what?

The constitution and other key documents were kept in it.

Andorra approved its constitution by referendum in March of which year, when it also joined the UN?

74.2% voted yes on a 76% turnout; the country joined the Council of Europe the same year.

Which adventurer proclaimed himself king of Andorra in July 1934 and declared war on the co-prince?

The Belarusian-born swindler was arrested within a fortnight and expelled from Spain.

Andorra la Vella holds which record among European capital cities?

It sits at 1,023 metres above sea level.

How many official languages does Andorra have?

Catalan is the sole official language; Spanish, Portuguese and French are also widely used.

Andorra, at 468 sq km, is the largest European microstate and which smallest state in Europe?

Its population was estimated at just under 90,000 in 2026.

Coma Pedrosa, Andorra's highest mountain, rises to roughly what height?

The lowest point is 840 m at the Riu Runer confluence.

Andorra's two main rivers meet in Escaldes-Engordany to form which principal river?

The population is concentrated along the valley floors.

Roughly how many tourists visit Andorra each year?

Tourism accounts for about 80% of GDP.

Tourism accounts for roughly what share of Andorra's GDP?

Skiing is a mainstay, with over 175 km of ski grounds.

Which currency does Andorra use, under a 2006 monetary agreement with the EU?

It had used the French franc and Spanish peseta side by side until 1999, and now mints its own euro coins.

Which two currencies did Andorra use in banking until 31 December 1999?

The country had no currency of its own.

Is Andorra a member of the European Union?

It is a member of the Council of Europe and the UN.

How many airports for fixed-wing aircraft are there inside Andorra?

The nearest is Andorra-La Seu d'Urgell in Spain, 12 km south of the border; heliports serve the country.

Andorra is divided into how many parishes?

Each is run by an elected local council called a comú.

How can Andorra's sole UNESCO site, the Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley, be reached?

The glacial valley covers about 9% of the country and was listed in 2004.

Which parish was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2020?

The poet Jacint Verdaguer lived there in the 1880s.

Pas de la Casa, on the French border, sits at 2,408 metres, making it one of the loftiest what in Europe?

Its name means 'pass of the house', after the single shepherd's hut that once stood there.

What is Andorra's national day, 8 September?

Meritxell is the country's patron saint.

Which national group is the largest in Andorra, ahead of Andorrans themselves?

Spaniards are 34.3%, Andorrans 32.1%, Portuguese 10%; two-thirds of residents lack citizenship.

Andorra competed in Eurovision from 2004 to 2009 as the only country to sing in which language?

Marta Roure's 2004 entry got 12 points, all from Spain, and did not qualify.

Andorra's football team beat which country 1-0 in 2017 for its first competitive win since 2004?

Marc Rebés scored; the earlier win had come against Macedonia.

Which footballer's Kosmos group bought FC Andorra in December 2018?

The club now plays in Spain's Segunda División.

Radio Andorra, once Europe's top music station, broadcast from Andorra between 1939 and which year?

It was the only station to keep its independence from French pressure after the war.

During the Second World War, neutral Andorra was an important route for what?

The Hostal Palanques network, in touch with MI6, helped nearly 400 fugitives escape.

Which crop, introduced around 1692, is still grown locally in Andorra?

Iron forges were the other historic industry, from the 15th century.

Which French colonel led the gendarmes who occupied Andorra in 1933 and again in 1936-40?

The 1933 revolt by Joves Andorrans demanded political reform and universal suffrage.

Which composer's 1848 opera Le val d'Andorre spread the country's romantic image across Europe?

Andorra also took part in the Catalan cultural revival, the Renaixença.

The episcopal co-prince threatened in 2014 to abdicate if Andorra's General Council did what?

Pope Francis affirmed the position in 2018 and abortion remains illegal.

The Roc de les Bruixes, Andorra's most important Bronze Age site, translates as what?

It lies in the parish of Canillo and holds engraved murals and funeral rituals.

Which circle dance from across the border features in Andorran folk culture with the contrapàs?

The contrapàs survives especially in Sant Julià de Lòria.

Which Andorran office, created in 1364 to represent the people to the co-princes, now presides over the General Council?

This made possible the local departments known as comuns, quarts and veïnats.

Andorra la Vella hosted the Games of the Small States of Europe in 2005 and which earlier year?

The city was also Andorra's applicant for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Which Roman-era road linked the Andorran valleys' trade with La Seu d'Urgell across the Segre?

Wine and cereals were the main goods traded across the Segre.

Andorra's social health insurance system, the CASS, was created in which decade?

It dates from April 1968.

What percentage of Andorra's population did the CIA World Factbook estimate to be Catholic in 2020?

The Church's own yearbook counts 98.6% baptised.

La Balma de la Margineda, settled as a hunters' passing place in 9500 BCE, lies in which parish?

The Madriu valley became a permanent Neolithic camp in 6640 BCE.

Over how many kilometres of ski grounds does Andorra offer?

The season usually runs from late November to early April.

In 2010 Andorra became the first country in the world to do what?

The whole network is run by a single national operator, SOM, better known as Andorra Telecom.

Which two countries pledged in a 1993 treaty to respect Andorra's sovereignty, since it has no army?

Before a professional police force arrived in 1931, order was kept by the Sometent, a parish militia; a 1989 decree even required every head of household to own a shotgun.

Andorra's national rugby union team plays under which nickname?

Rugby's popularity in Andorra owes much to southern France; the Andorra la Vella club VPC Andorra XV even plays in the French championship.

Andorra's first competitive football win in a European Championship qualifier came in 2019 against whom?

The federation was only founded in 1994 and admitted to UEFA and FIFA in 1996.

Which Greek historian mentioned the Andosini, a people long linked to the name Andorra?

He listed them among the peoples Hannibal subdued between the Ebro and the Pyrenees in 218 BC, though newer research doubts the connection.