Bishop
of Urgell & President of France
Andorra
/ænˈdɒrə/ (help·info), officially the Principality of Andorra (Catalan: Principat d'Andorra), also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a small country
in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of 468 km2 (181 sq mi) and an estimated population of 83,888 in 2009. Its capital,
Andorra la Vella, is the highest capital city in Europe, being at an elevation of 1023 metres. The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, French, and Portuguese are also commonly spoken.
The Principality was formed in 1278. The rôle of monarch is shared between the President of the French Republic and the Bishop of Urgell, Catalonia, Spain. It is a prosperous country mainly because of its tourism industry, which services an estimated 10.2 million visitors annually, and also because of its status as a tax haven. It is not a member of the European Union, but the euro is the de facto currency. The people of Andorra have the 2nd highest human life expectancy in the world - 82 years at birth.
Postal Addresses
Mons. Joan Enric Vives i Sicília, El Bisbe
d'Urgell
Pati Palau, 1-5 25700 La Seu d'Urgell, Spain.
Monsieur le Président de la République
Palais de l'Elysée, 55, rue du faubourg
Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France.
A Brief History of Andorra
Andorra is the last independent of the buffer states
(Marca Hispanica) that were created by Charlemagne
(742-814) to keep the Moors from invading France.
In the
9th century the counts of Urgell became overlord
of Andorra. Later on they gave the land to the Diocese
of Urgell.
Andorra was in 1396 and 1512 briefly annexed
by the Kingdom of Aragon. The Counts de Foix were co-
prince from 1278
to 1517, the royal house of Navarre
from 1517 to 1572. Afterwards the kings of France became
co-prince. An edict
of 1607 officially established the
head of the French state and the Bishop of Urgell as
co-princes of Andorra.
First Sovereign: Joan
Enric Vives i Sicília, Bishop of Urgell
(Barcelona, Spain, July 24th, 1949). Son of Francesc
Vives y Pons and Cornèlia Sicília Ibáñez.
Succeeds Joan
Martí
Alanis, who was co-prince from 1971 to 2003.
Co-Prince since: 12 May 2003.
Second Sovereign: Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarkozy
(Paris, France, January
28th, 1955). Son of Pál Sárközy
and Andrée Mallah. Succeeds Jacques Chirac, who was co-prince
from 1995 to 2007. Co-Prince since: 16 May 2007.
The List Co-Princes of Andorra.
The Principality of Andorra in the Pyrenees Mountains
on the French-Spanish border, was established in 1278 by the Treaty of Joint Suzerainty between the Catalan Bishop of Urgell
and the Occitan Count of Foix, whose descendants inherited Navarre in 1479 and then the French Monarchy in 1589. These Princely
rights and the Dummvirate have been continued under the executive heads of the various monarchies in France, most recently
under the French Republices. Hence even today, France's elected head of state also becomes the Co-Prince of Andorra, the other
Co-Prince still being the Bishop of Urgell.
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