Principality of Andorra
Southern Europe
Alpine · Tiny · Duty-free
Andorra (officially Principality of Andorra) is a country located in Southern Europe. Its capital city is Andorra la Vella, with other major cities including Escaldes-Engordany and Encamp. With a population of approximately 77,000, the main language spoken is Catalan. The country covers an area of 468 km². The official currency is the euro (€). Traffic drives on the right side.
Andorra la Vella, at 1,023 m, is the highest capital city in Europe — the entire principality is governed as a co-principality by two heads of state: the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell in Spain.
Andorra la Vella serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Andorra, positioned in Southern Europe. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Escaldes-Engordany, Encamp — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Andorra la Vella at 1,023 metres is the highest capital city in Europe — a small Pyrenean city whose medieval Romanesque church of Sant Esteve (12th century) coexists with duty-free shopping streets serving 10 million annual visitors to a country of 77,000 residents, making Andorra's per-capita visitor ratio one of Europe's highest and its retail economy one of the world's most unusual.
With a population of approximately 77,000, Andorra is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Catalan, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Andorra is reached via the dialling code +376. Andorrans built a co-principality with two co-princes — the Bishop of Urgell and the President of France — that has governed the country under the same feudal arrangement since 1278, making it the world's only surviving feudal co-principality and the only country whose head of state changes automatically when France elects a new president without any Andorran citizens having a vote in the matter.
Andorra spans 468 km², in the Southern Europe subregion of Europe. Geographically centred around 42.5°N, 1.5°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Europe convention.
The official currency is the euro (€), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Andorra's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+01:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football / Skiing holds a special place in the heart of Andorra's national identity. Skiing is Andorra's dominant sport and economic engine — the Grandvalira ski area is one of the Pyrenees' largest, and the country's snow sports focus has produced Olympic participants in alpine skiing events despite its tiny population, while the Andorra Ultra Trail mountain running race through high Pyrenean terrain draws international competitors to a country whose mountain landscape provides topographic challenges unavailable at lower European altitudes.
The highest point in Andorra is Coma Pedrosa, rising to 2,942 metres above sea level. Andorra's Coma Pedrosa at 2,942 metres is the country's highest peak in a Pyrenean landscape where ibex, chamois, and golden eagles inhabit protected natural areas that cover 40% of the territory — a conservation proportion remarkable for a country with such high visitor numbers, maintained through strict planning controls that have kept the mountain landscape largely intact despite development pressure.