Andorra

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Country summary

Capital

Andorra la Vella

Borders

France 56.6 km, Spain 63.7 km

Government type

parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its chiefs of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the president of France and bishop of Seu d'Urgell, Spain, who are represented in Andorra by the coprinces' representatives

Population

83,888 (July 2010 est.)[1]

Population growth

1.135% (2010 est.)[1]

Life expectancy

82.51 years[1]

Unemployment

7% (2008)[1]


For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived under a unique co-principality, ruled by French and Spanish leaders (from 1607 onward, the French chief of state and the Spanish bishop of Seu d'Urgell). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the titular heads of state retained, but the government transformed into a parliamentary democracy. For decades Andorra enjoyed its status as a small refuge of fiscal and banking freedom and benefitted from Spanish and French tourists attracted to the country's duty-free shopping. The situation has changed in recent years as Andorra started to tax foreign investment and other sectors. Tourism accounts for over 80% of Andorra's gross domestic product.[1]

Economical characteristics

  • Currency: Euro (ISO code: EUR)
  • This country does not seem to have a central bank.


Statistics

Statistic / Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
GDP (million USD)[2] 1 240 1 134 1 265 1 456 1 918 2 322 2 540 2 824 3 245
Govt. debt (% of GDP)[3]
Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[4]
Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[5]
Debt to revenue (years)

References

Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 CIA - The World Factbook. "Andorra", from The World Factbook. Referenced 2010-09-29.
  2. World Bank. "Andorra: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29.
  3. World Bank. "Andorra: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29.
  4. World Bank. "Andorra: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29.
  5. World Bank. "Andorra: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-29.

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