Countries

Andorra

ID card Area: 453 km² Population: 66,000 Density: 146 inhab/km² Capital: Andorra Languages: Catalan (Castilian for the Spanish majority) Origins: Andorrans (who speak Catalan) (34 %), Spanish (42 %), Portuguese (10 %), French (7 %) Religion: catholic GDP per capita: USD 17,500 Currency: Euro (“naturally” adopted)

• History

Andorra is the only country of Europe where the nationals are a minority, and the only one to have the Catalan for official language, but, consequently, spoken like mother tongue by only 34% of the population.
At the origin, a conflict concerning the valleys of Andorra which has occurred between the bishop of Urgel and the count of Foix involved, in 1278, the mediation of the King of Aragon: this one imposed the “pariage”, or undivided suzerainty of the bishop and the count.
Remained unchanged on the Spanish side, this feudal suzerainty passed by heritage… and revolutions, to the President of the French Republic.
It is only in 1993 that this regime changed with the new Andorran constitution.
Andorra becomes a Sovereign state, integrated on the 28th of July 1993 as the 183rd member of UNO.
The coprinces reign, but do not govern any more this parliamentary “monarchy”.

• The Andorran languages

As specified above, the official language is the Catalan, spoken by the nationals, very minority, and the other languages being the Castilian, the Portuguese and more slightly the French.

Andorra did not have, before the introduction of the euro, any autonomous monetary policy.
The currencies of the two large neighbors, Spain and France, were used indifferently.
Contrary to the three other microstates, Andorra does not have any specific statute and thus adopted the Euro as currency, supplied by its neighbors…
However, it seems that Andorra feels some regrets not to be integrated, with the attached privileges, and that a full and entire entry is not considered.
It would be excellent news for the collectors, and undoubtedly a source of currencies for this small country, like philately.

Email: pays@amisdeleuro.org

- Agreements on the monetary relations (Monaco, San Marino, the Vatican, Andorra) in French.

- Council Decision (2004/548/CE) of 11 May 2004 - Official Journal of the European Union N° L244 of the 16.7.2004: relating to the position to be adopted by the EC on the subject of an agreement on the monetary relationships with the Principality of Andorra

- Council Decision (2004/750/CE) of 21 October 2004 - Official Journal of the European Union N° L332/04 of the 06.11.2004: relating to the opening of negotiations about an agreement on the monetary relationships with the Principality of Andorra

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