Country Name
Andorra or officially The Principality of Andorra or The Principality of the Valleys of Andorra.
Location
Andorra is located in southwestern Europe, between France and Spain (it is a small landlocked country between them) Specifically in the eastern Pyrenees.
Capital
Andorra la Vella.
Reason for Naming
The origin of the word Andorra is unknown, although several hypotheses have been formulated. The oldest derivation of the word Andorra is from the Greek historian Polybius who describes the Andosins, as historically located in the valleys of Andorra. Another theory suggests that the word Andorra may derive from the old word Anorra which contains the Basque word meaning water. Another theory suggests that Andorra may derive from Arabic al-durra, meaning Diamond. Other theories suggest that the name means "land covered with bushes".
Flag
The national flag of Andorra was adopted in 1866. The flag consists of three vertical stripes of Blue, Yellow, and Red colors with an Andorra coat of arms in the middle, the coat of arms contains a shield divided into four sectors. The national motto Virtus Unita Fortior ("United Virtue is Stronger") is displayed below it. One-half of the coat of arms refers to the ties with Spain, whereas the second point to relations with France. Miter and crutches in the upper left quarter of the coat of arms are signs of a Spanish bishop and two red cows at the bottom right should commemorate the French province of Bearn. The design is related to the flags of France, Spain, and the flag of Romania but without the coat of arms. The colors represent the county’s independence from both Spain and France.
* Flag Facts:
- The civil flag of Andorra is similar to the Romanian Flag. - The flags of Chad, Romania, Andorra, and Moldova all share a very similar color scheme of blue, yellow, and red in the design. - The difference between the four flags is that the two flags of Moldova and Andorra feature their coat of arms in the middle of the yellow stripe.
Language
The official language in Andorra is Catalan, it is from a Romance language family. French, Portuguese and Spanish are also commonly spoken.
English is less commonly spoken among the general population.
Religion
Most of the population of Andorra is Roman Catholic. The country's patron is St. Marit Axel, most of the population of Andorra is Roman Catholic. Other Christian denominations include the Anglican Church, the Unification Church, the New Apostolic Church, and Jehovah's Witnesses. The small Muslim community is primarily made up of North African immigrants. There is a small community of Hindus and Bahais and roughly 100 Jews live in Andorra. Their patron saint is Our Lady of Meritxell.
Currency
Euro (€) (EUR).
Time Zone
+01:00 GMT.
+02:00 GMT. (Summer Time)
Government Regime
Unitary parliamentary semi-elective diarchy
Climate
Andorra has a temperate climate like its neighbors, but because of its high elevation, the northern valleys in the country are completely snowed in for several months of the year., with reduced humidity, and a bit of cold in the summer, On average, 300 days a year of sunshine. The best time to visit Andorra runs from June to mid-September, since it is the least cold in the mountains, while in the valley bottom it's warm but not too much.
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