I visited one of Europe’s smallest countries back in 2017 on a 2 days trip, and I don’t think I’m ever going back, because I covered pretty much all of the country in 3 hours. These are however 7 weird facts about Andorra.
1. The country of Andorra can fit into the City of London more than 3 times!
The whole country of Andorra is only 467.6 kilometres squared (46,760 hectares). In comparison, just the city of London is 1,572 kilometres squared (157,200 hectares), meaning that the whole of Andorra could fit inside the city of London just over three times. Andorra is in fact the 17th-smallest country in the world.
2. It’s the only country in the world that has Catalan as its only official language
Catalan is also an official language in Catalonia, but Andorra is the only place in the world where it is the only official language of the whole country. Most people speak French and Spanish as well as Catalan, though.
3. 9% of Andorra has UNESCO World Heritage status
Andorra’s largest natural park, the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, and takes up 9% of the country. It is made up of glaciers, wooded valleys, wide green pastures and rocky mountains. To be fair that might be a good reason to go back to Andorra!
4. Andorra de la Vella Is The Highest Capital in Europe
The capital of Andorra is Andorra de la Vella, which is the highest capital city in Europe at around 1,023 metres (3,356 feet) above sea level.
5. Andorra Has No Airport
Andorra is one of the few countries in the world with no airport. It can be reached only by land, via France or Spain. Two of the main international airports nearby are Toulouse in France and Barcelona in Spain.
6. People of Andorra Have One of The World’s Highest Life Expectancies
The people of Andorra live to a very old age. For males the life expectancy is around 80, while for females it is around 84.
7. Only 1/3 of People That Live in Andorra are Andorran
Two-thirds of the population of Andorra do not actually have Andorran nationality; most are Spanish, French or Portuguese. One of the largest groups is the Spanish, who make up around 43% of the population.
Goodbye Andorra!
That was it for now Andorra. Will maybe see you again, but I’m not totally sure. A small, but pretty nice country whatsoever!
Gustav
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