Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees, bordered by France to the north and Spain to the south. Believed to have been created by Charlemagne, Andorra was ruled by the count of Urgell until 988, when it was transferred to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell. The present principality was formed by a charter in 1278. It is currently headed by two co-princes: the bishop of Urgell in Spain and the president of France. Its capital and largest city is Andorra la Vella.
Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a sovereign landlocked microstate in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountain range and is bordered by Spain and France.
La Seu d'Urgell is a town located in Alt Urgell county in Alt Pirineu, Catalonia, Spain. The town is also the head of its judicial district and the seat of the Bishop of Urgell, one of the co-princes of Andorra. It is located the most populated town of the region, with 17.4% of its population. La Seu d'Urgell and Puigcerdà together have 30% of the population of the area.
"El gran Carlemany" is the national anthem of the Principality of Andorra. Enric Marfany Bons composed the music, while the lyrics were authored by Joan Benlloch i Vivó, written in a first-person narrative from the point of view of Andorra. It was adopted as the national anthem on 8 September 1921, which is also the national day of Andorra. The lyrics make reference to several key aspects of Andorran culture and history, such as the heritage of the Carolingian Empire.
The national flag of the Principality of Andorra features a vertical tricolour of blue, yellow, and red with the coat of arms of Andorra in the center. Although the three vertical bars may at first appear to be of equal width, the centre yellow bar is slightly wider than the other two so that the ratio of bar widths is 8:9:8 with an overall flag ratio of 7:10.
The Principality of Andorra is home to folk dances like the contrapàs and marratxa, which survive in Sant Julià de Lòria especially. Andorran folk music has similarities to the music in nearby regions of France and Spain, but is especially Catalan in character, especially in the presence of dances like the sardana. Other Andorran folk dances include contrapàs in Andorra la Vella and Saint Anne's dance in Escaldes-Engordany.
The co-princes of Andorra are jointly the heads of state of the Principality of Andorra, a landlocked microstate lying in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. Founded in 1278 by means of a treaty between the bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix, this unique diarchical arrangement has persisted through the Middle Ages to the present. Currently, the bishop of Urgell and the president of France serve as Andorra's co-princes, following the transfer of the count of Foix's claims to the Crown of France and, subsequently, to the head of state of the French Republic. Each co-prince appoints a personal representative, the episcopal co-prince by Josep Maria Mauri and the French co-prince currently being represented by Patrick Strzoda.
Canillo is one of the parishes of Andorra. Canillo is also the name of the main town of the parish. The parish is considered the religious center of Andorra with the Sanctuary and Chapel of Our Lady of Meritxell, patron saint of Andorra, and contains one of the best-preserved romanesque churches in the Pyrenees, Sant Joan de Caselles. It has a population of 4,826, as of 2011. Despite having a tourist vocation, the parish of Canillo still retains many livestock and agricultural traits. It borders France.
Ordino is the most northerly parish in the Principality of Andorra. It's mostly the main area of Valira del Nord or Valira d'Ordino river valley. Ordino is also the name of the main town of the parish. Other settlements in the parish are El Serrat, Ansalonga, Sornàs, La Cortinada, Llorts, Segudet, Arans, Les Salines and Arcalís. It is home to the Sorteny National Park, the largest nature area of Andorra. It has a population of 4,858, as of 2017. The town preserves a vast medieval center, mainly linked to the culture of the country.
Andorra has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest six times, debuting in the 2004 contest and participating every year thereafter until the 2009 contest. To date, Andorra remains the only nation to have never competed in a final, with its best result being a 12th-place finish in the 2007 contest's semi-final. Andorra withdrew from the contest following its 2009 appearance, with the national broadcaster Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA) citing financial difficulties as the reason for its withdrawal. The country has not entered the contest again since. Interest in the contest has, however, remained high in the country, while statements from the Andorran government and broadcaster indicated that a future return was possible, depending on financial backing.
Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra, S.A., shortened to RTVA, is the public television and radio broadcaster in the Principality of Andorra. It operates a television channel, ATV, and two radio stations, RNA and AM, all of which broadcast in Catalan.
El Pas de la Casa is a ski resort, town, and mountain pass in the Encamp parish of Andorra, lying on the border with France.
Andorra participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Sense tu" written by Rafael Artesero and Joan Antoni Rechi. The song was performed by Jenny, who was internally selected by the Andorran broadcaster Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA) to represent Andorra at the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece. The song, "Sense tu", was presented to the public on 8 March 2006 during a special gala show entitled Alguna cosa batega.
Andorra participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "La mirada interior" written by Rafael Artesero, Daniel Aragay and Rafa Fernández. The song was performed by Marian van de Wal. The Andorran broadcaster Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA) organised the national final Desitja'm sort in order to select the Andorran entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. The national final took place over three stages and two televised shows, resulting in the selection of Marian van de Wal as the winning artist on 19 December 2004 and "La mirada interior" as the winning song on 22 January 2005.
Andorra participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Salvem el món" written and performed by young Andorran punk-rock band Anonymous, consisting of band members: Guillem Gallego, Niki Francesca and Alejandro Martínez. The band was internally selected by Andorran broadcaster Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA) in a process called Projecte Eurovisió for the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. The internal selection ended with a total of 82 songs having been submitted to RTVA. These entries were whittled down by the broadcaster to determine the fourth Andorran representatives. Anonymous were announced as the Andorran representatives on 15 January 2007, while the song was presented in a special gala show on 1 March 2007.
Andorra debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Jugarem a estimar-nos" written by Jofre Bardagí. The song was performed by Marta Roure. The Andorran broadcaster Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA) organised the national final 12 Punts in order to select the Andorran entry for the 2004 contest in Istanbul, Turkey. The national final took place over four stages and nine televised shows, resulting in the selection of Marta Roure as the winning artist and "Jugarem a estimar-nos" as the winning song during the final on 15 March 2004.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Andorra:
Listed below are articles about or related to Andorra, arranged alphabetically:
Ester Fenoll Garcia is a poet and writer, and a civil servant living in the Principality of Andorra.
The literature of Andorra is part of Catalan literature, that is, of literature in the Catalan language. It is the literature represented by the writings created in the Principality of Andorra or by Andorran authors.
