Andorra is officially known as the Principality of Andorra. It is also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra and is in the Southwestern part of Europe. It is a microstate, which is landlocked by France and Spain. The country is situated in the eastern Pyrenees Mountains and is the highest capital in Europe. The country is 1,023 meters high above sea level. The official language is Catalan, but people speak Spanish, Portuguese, and French commonly. The country is the sixth smallest country in Europe with a population consisting of just 85,000 according to surveys in 2012 and flourishes mainly due to the industry of tourism. Andorra la Vella is its capital and largest city.
The political system of Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality having the co-princes as President of France and the Bishop of Urgell, Spain. Both governments enthrone the legislative power. The peculiar government system makes the president of France to be the Prince of Andorra, a strangely elected reigning monarch although not elected by the population of Andorra. The chief executive is the Head of Government and the multiform party system.
On the dissatisfaction of the chief executive, he requests the co-princes to dissolve the Council and to order fresh elections. All the political matters are handled within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy with a unicameral legislature and a pluriform multi-party system.
Andorra is slowly becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. They include major ski resorts like El Tarter and Arsinal. Tourism is the main source of income for Andorra. Tourists from Spain, UK and France are very common here. It reveals many hiking trails on
the melting of the winter snow in the summer months. The main attractions to the tourists are the shrines and festivals. Places like Ordino, Encamp, Sant Julia de Loria, Les Escaldes, Santa Coloma and other villages contain Romanesque churches and old houses of interest. Our Lady of Meritxell is one of the most famous shrines between Canillo and Encamp it was Andorra’s patroness. Pilgrims from France and Spain visit every year on the festival day of Andorra’s patrones which is on 8th September. Another two famous tourist hot spots include the International Jazz Festival at Escaldes-Engordamy in the month of July and another one is the International Music Festival of Ordino in the month of September.
Andorra consists of a network of roads of just 279 kilometres of which 76 kilometres are caliche topped. The bus services owned by private companies are frequent for a period of about half an hour during peak travel time. There are no railways or ports due to mountainous and landlocked regions respectively.
Due to the mountainous nature of Andorra as stated earlier, only one road enters Andorra from France and likewise only one extensively used road from Spain. As stated, there are no airports in Andorra. Therefore, you can practically enter Andorra only by road. But if you are travelling far away in the country, then you can book a ticket to the nearest airport in Andorra. They are Perpignan in France, which is 128 kilometres from the east of the country, and Lleida in Spain, which is 157 kilometres from the south. Although people have money to dump off, there is another transportation system by helicopter from Andorra la Vella, La Massana, or Arsinal airports, for a limit of 4 passengers and it takes about 30 minutes and costs about three thousand Euros. There are also no train lines or stations in Andorra whereas, there is a railway station, which is
very, near to the Andorran border. That is the Hospitalet railway station in France, which is just 3 kilometres away from Andorra. The Andorran roads are normally of good quality. So, entering from Spain is comparatively straightforward because it excludes the hairpin bends while driving from France. Car hire companies also operate in Andorra and nowadays, Coach Services also becoming popular. Tourism in Andorra attracts an estimated 10.2 million visitors per year and making it one of the unique countries.
