September 7: Andorra National Day

The small nation of Andorra came into being on this date in 1278. Here are some things you might not know about Andorra.

1. Its capital, Andorra la Vella, is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 metres (3,356 ft) above sea level.
2. The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, Portuguese, and French are also commonly spoken. Andorra is the only country in the world with Catalan as its official language.
3. Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality with the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell (Catalonia, Spain), as co-princes. This peculiarity makes the President of France, in his capacity as Prince of Andorra, an elected reigning monarch, although he is not elected by the Andorran people.
4. Tobacco is produced in Andorra.
5. There is no official army in Andorra. They are protected by France and Spain. However, if an emergency did arise, all Andorran men between the ages of 21 and 60 are required by law to serve and defend. The male head of each family in Andorra is required by law to own a gun in case of attack or emergency. Due to its non-strategic location in the Pyrenees and lack of natural resources, Andorra has been without conflict pretty much since Charlemange came through to fight the Moors. Although Andorra declared war on Germany in WWI it never sent anyone into the conflict, so they were forgotten about in the Treaty of Versailles and didn’t officially declare peace with Germany until 1957!
6. Andorra is not part of the European Union although the Euro is the country’s official currency.
7. It takes just two hours to drive from one end of the country to the other as it is only 40kms wide.
8. There is no airport in the country.
9. Andorra receives on average 300 sunny days a year.
10. The Gran Valira river is the largest river in Andorra, flowing through Andorra la Vella and exiting on the Spanish border.