Concept and design: Jecom disseny. Narration: Andorra Turisme and Comuns of Andorra. Special thanks: · Photo page 8, granted by the Andorra Nacional Library. · Photos pages 18 and 20, Water and Madriu Visitor Centre (CIAM) and Festival Colors de Música, Escaldes-Engordany, and Sant Joan, granted by Comú d’Escaldes-Engordany. Printing: Gràfiques Andorranes. Legal Deposit: AND. 263-2012 IDENTITY CARD 06 HISTORICAL SUMMARY 08 GEOGRAPHY | CLIMATE | NATURE 10 LEISURE | SPORTS | HEALTH 12 CULTURE 18 FESTIVITIES 21 SHOPPING 22 GASTRONOMY 24 ACCOMMODATION 26 TRANSPORT 28 BUSINESS TOURISM 32 TOURISM | PARISHES 34 PRACTICAL INFORMATION 40 USEFUL PHRASES 46 Oslo 2.385 km Dublin Copenhagen 1.709 km 2.028 km London 1.257 km La Haye 1.328 km Berlin 1.866 km Bruxelles 4 1.180 km 5 Paris 861 km Zurich 1.053 km Toulouse 185 km Madrid Andorra 613 km Lisboa Barcelona Roma 1.239 km 208 km 1.362 km We invite you to visit the Principality of Andorra, the smallest state in Europe in the heart of the Pyrenees. On a stage of 468 km2, you will be the main characters in numerous unforgettable experiences which you can enjoy throughout the whole year. Andorra is nature par excellence, a space of incomparable beauty, ideal for open-air sports activities both in the sum- mer and in the winter. Trekking and skiing are two examples of the activities you might find in the Principality. The Madriu-Perafi ta-Claror Valley Moscow 3.592 km FRANCE Canillo Ordino Pas de la Casa La Massana Encamp Escaldes-Engordany Andorra La Vella Sant Julià de Lòria ESPAÑA Andorra is also a millenary country: Romanesque art, mu- seums and monuments, culture trails, festivities and cele- brations... are just a small sample of its rich historical legacy. Discover a country in which two pillars of our civilisation, respect and love of nature and its origins, live together in perfect harmony with comfort, modernity and the la- test technologies. Over 1,400 stores with the products of the best trademarks, an exquisite gastronomy, an extensive quality hotel offer, international cultural and sports events… and much more. Geographical location Administrative Eastern Pyrenees, bet- organisation ween France (Arriege) The territory is struc- and Spain (Catalonia). tured into seven local administrative divisions known as parishes: Ca- Surface area nillo, Encamp, Ordino, 468 km2 la Massana, Andorra · 8% urbanised and la Vella, Sant Julià de cultivated. Lòria and Escaldes- · 92% forests, lakes, Engordany. They are rivers, mountains. represented and mana- ged by the town halls (comuns). Capital Andorra la Vella. Religion Catholicism is the main religion of the state, Population although the Constitution 78,115 inhabitants* of Andorra establishes freedom of religion. Average age between 40* 6 7 Offi cial language Catalan is the offi cial lan- guage of Andorra. However, due to the diversity of natio- nalities among the resident population, other languages such as Spanish, French and Portuguese are also very widespread. * Census 2011 Casa de la Vall, former Andorran Parliament, Andorra la Vella Political system Economy Parliamentary co-principa- Trade and tourism (60%) lity. The only country in the and fi nance (16%) are world with two Heads of the three motors behind State, a peculiarity inherited the economy and, at the from the medieval document same time, the sectors known as Pareatges and which generate most jobs. deriving from the country’s historical evolution. Agriculture and stock- breeding, the two axes of The co-princes, the Bis- the traditional economy hop of Urgell and the pre- until the arrival of tourism sident of the French Repu- in the 1960s, now only blic, represent the people account for 0.36% of the of Andorra jointly and in- paid population. divisibly, personally and exclusively. At the present www.estadistica.ad time they are his Excellen- cy Mr. Joan Enric Vives i Sicília and his Excellency Mr. François Hollande. Offi cial currency euro, which was the suc- On 14th March 1993, the cessor of the Spanish fi rst written constitution of peseta and the French Andorra was signed and franc, which coexisted in the Principality became a the country until the Eu- democratic, social state ropean currency came in law. into force. The General Council exer- cises legislative power and its members, the general councillors, are elected by free, equal, direct and se- cret universal suffrage, and serve terms of four years. www.andorra.ad Andorran Coat-of-Arms IDENTITY CARD Parliamentary lunch 10.500 - 700 bC - From prehistoric times to the pre- Roman period: fi rst inhabitants of the territory of Andorra as in La Balma de La Margineda, El Cedre in Santa Coloma or l’Antuix in Escaldes-Engordany. 805 - The legend says that Charlemagne founded Andorra in recognition for the help given by its inhabitants against Saracens. Mid-9th century - Consecration of the cathedral of San- ta Maria d’Urgell, the fi rst document which mentions the pa- 8 rishes of Andorra as lands of the counts of Urgell. 9 1133 - The Count of Urgell gives the Bishop of Urgell his claim to the Andorra valleys. 13th century - Constant struggles between the counts of Foix and the Church of Urgell to undermine the rights of the bishops over Andorra. 1278 and 1288 - The Bishop of Urgell, Pere d’Urg and the Count of Foix, Roger Bernat III, signed the Pareatges. The Pa- reatges established the co-sovereignty of the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix over Andorra, thus creating the Principa- lity of Andorra as we know it today. Privilege of the Earth’s Regional Parliament (1419) 1419 - Creation of the Consell de la Terra (Council of the Land) as the first Parliamentary form with represen- tatives from all of the parishes to deal with the problems of the community. 1589 - Henry, King of Navarre, count of Foix, Vis- count of Bearn and Lord of Andorra, becomes king of France, and unites the rights of joint Lordship of the counts of Foix with the French crown. 1793-1806 - The French Revolution breaks the bonds between Andorra and France, but Napoleon restores the feudal tradition and the rights of joint Lordship of France over the Principality of Andorra. 1866 - Approval of the New Reform, which brings substantial changes in the political and administrati- ve arenas; a great sign of this was the attribution of the right to vote to all heads of households and the increased power of the General Council. 1933 - Male universal suffrage is established. 1970 - Female universal suffrage is established. 1978 - Escaldes-Engordany becomes the seven- th parish of Andorra thanks to its rapid economic growth connected to the use of spa waters and the increase in commercial tourism. 1981 - Creation of the Executive Council, the Go- vernment of Andorra: the reforms begin which will culminate in the will of the people of Andorra to draw up a written constitution. 14th March 1993 - First Constitution of Ando- rra, which turns the Principality into an independent democratic and social state in law, and with the new definition of competencies for the institutions. With the historical and political evolution, Andorra conti- nues to be a co-principality, with the Bishop of Ur- gell and the president of the French Republic as joint princes in person and in absolute equality. 1993 - Andorra joins the UN, which means interna- tional recognition of the country. 1994 - Andorra joins the Council of Europe. www.patrimonicultural.ad HISTORICAL SUMMARY The Andorran relief is mountainous, with 72 peaks, some over 2000 m high, which makes Andorra one of the hig- hest countries in Europe. The highest point in the territory is the Comapedrosa peak (2,942 m) and the lowest point is where the river Runer crosses the frontier with Spain (838 m). The average altitude is 1,996 m. The quaternary origin of the Andorran land is revealed by the routes of the main river axes in the country: the Valira del Nord, the Valira d’Orient and the Gran Valira. These rivers are joined by other tributaries, where the main towns are located. The lakes, mainly small and round, form part of the sce- nery of Andorra. Andorra has more than 70 lakes, the largest of which is the Juclar, which occupies an area of 29 ha, although other well-known lakes are Tristaina and Pessons, amongst others. The Andorran climate is of Mediterranean mountainous type, with hot summers and cold winters and conside- rable snowfalls. The average minimum is -2ºC and the maximum 24ºC. Snowfalls are frequent and the rain is concentrated mainly in the months of October and May. Andorran biodiversity is very rich, with more than 1,500 species of fl ora and fauna spread mainly in the four zo- nes: Mediterranean, montane, sub Alpine and Alpine. 10 Of all the vegetable species, one stands out, the Poet’s 11 Daffodil (Narcissus poeticus), the emblematic fl ower of the Principality; amongst the fauna, the two most repre- sentative animals are the river trout and the chamois, which live at the highest points. The fauna and fl ora of Andorra vary depending on the zone. Some of the most frequent animal species we fi nd are: the marmot, the ‘pallaresa’ lizard, the squirrel, the boar and the birds of prey such as the bearded vulture. Just like the fauna, the species which form part of the country’s fl ora are highly varied and we can fi nd from me- dicinal herbs (strawberry and ilex), wild mushrooms and fl owers (narcissus) to a large number of trees and bushes (hazelnut and box). The biological wealth of Andorra justifi es its preservation, and over the years different areas have been protected such as the hunting and fi shing grounds and the nature parks.