I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.
This week's country is...
Andorra
Andorra is a landlocked country in southwestern Europe. It is officially the Principality of Andorra. It lies squashed in between France and Spain, right in the middle of the Pyrenees.
The country of Andorra can fit into the City of London more than three times.
Andorra is the 16th smallest country in the world by land, and the 11th smallest by population. It is only about a 25 mile drive from one side of the country to the other. The total population of Andorra is about 85,000, which includes citizens and residents. What’s even more shocking is that despite its small size, the vast majority of the buildings are located at the bottom of the valleys because so much of the land is mountainous.
The country has rough and mountainous terrain.
Because of Andorra’s mountainous character, only about 2% of the land is suitable for crops.
Andorra is home to many ski slopes.
Today, Andorra earns most of its money from tourism, particularly in the winter sports industry, but it was not always like this. Before ski resorts became popular, it was tobacco that drove the country’s economy.
There is virtually no unemployment in Andorra.
Andorra has no airports and no rail system, but possesses an excellent road system.
Andorra has a total roadway length of just under 200 miles.
According to some estimates, Andorra is the world’s 14th oldest country.
Andorra is the only country in the world with Catalan as its official language.
Andorra la Vella is the highest capital city in Europe. At an elevation of 3356 feet, there is no higher elevation capital in all of Europe. It fact, it's the 10th highest city of any kind in Europe, and boasts a population of over 10,000.
With over 10,000,000 visitors per yer and a population of 77,000, Andorra has the most visitors in the world per capita. The vast majority of the visitors to Andorra are Spanish and French citizens who go there to shop and purchase fuel at cheaper prices.
Lake Engolasters, formed in a glacial depression, is an oblong shaped lake at an elevation of 5,302 feet.
Andorra is the world's only co-principality. A principality is a place ruled by a prince. Monaco is an example of a principality. Andorra, however, is a co-principality. They have two princes who jointly share the title of prince. Surprisingly, neither of the two princes are from Andorra. One of the princes is the President of France and the other one is the Bishop of Urgell. The position is a constitutional one similar to the British Monarchy and holds no real power. Except for limited things, the two princes must exercise their authority together, not separately.
Only 12 people are part of the army of Andorra and the military's budget depends on voluntary donations. The army has not fought for over 700 year; nonetheless, if they were in need of defending the nation, all able-bodied men are required to serve. This also applies to cases of natural disasters or emergencies.
The country of Andorra can fit into the City of London more than three times.
Andorra is the 16th smallest country in the world by land, and the 11th smallest by population. It is only about a 25 mile drive from one side of the country to the other. The total population of Andorra is about 85,000, which includes citizens and residents. What’s even more shocking is that despite its small size, the vast majority of the buildings are located at the bottom of the valleys because so much of the land is mountainous.
The country has rough and mountainous terrain.
Because of Andorra’s mountainous character, only about 2% of the land is suitable for crops.
Today, Andorra earns most of its money from tourism, particularly in the winter sports industry, but it was not always like this. Before ski resorts became popular, it was tobacco that drove the country’s economy.
There is virtually no unemployment in Andorra.
Andorra has no airports and no rail system, but possesses an excellent road system.
Andorra has a total roadway length of just under 200 miles.
According to some estimates, Andorra is the world’s 14th oldest country.
Andorra is the only country in the world with Catalan as its official language.
With over 10,000,000 visitors per yer and a population of 77,000, Andorra has the most visitors in the world per capita. The vast majority of the visitors to Andorra are Spanish and French citizens who go there to shop and purchase fuel at cheaper prices.
Andorra is the world's only co-principality. A principality is a place ruled by a prince. Monaco is an example of a principality. Andorra, however, is a co-principality. They have two princes who jointly share the title of prince. Surprisingly, neither of the two princes are from Andorra. One of the princes is the President of France and the other one is the Bishop of Urgell. The position is a constitutional one similar to the British Monarchy and holds no real power. Except for limited things, the two princes must exercise their authority together, not separately.
Only 12 people are part of the army of Andorra and the military's budget depends on voluntary donations. The army has not fought for over 700 year; nonetheless, if they were in need of defending the nation, all able-bodied men are required to serve. This also applies to cases of natural disasters or emergencies.
With a life expectancy of 82.9 years, Andorra has the 8th highest life expectancy in the world.
Despite having been represented at every Olympic games since 1976, Andorra has never won an Olympic medal.
Andorra is among the safest countries in the world with almost zero pickpocketing, car theft and disorderly conduct incidents.
Andorran law requires the eldest able-bodied man of a house to keep a rifle to be used when needed for national protection.
In Andorra, pork-based dishes and seafood are very popular. People of the region also eat snails with much delight.
I decided to let this Andorra fact be the inspiration for this week's card... There are, on average, 300 days per year of sunshine in Andorra.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
Stamp Set: CC Designs Sunshine stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers
Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Summer Sun CS and DP (AMuse Studio and SU) from my scrap file
Punch: SU Large Circle
Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Enamel Dots
Despite having been represented at every Olympic games since 1976, Andorra has never won an Olympic medal.
Andorra is among the safest countries in the world with almost zero pickpocketing, car theft and disorderly conduct incidents.
Andorran law requires the eldest able-bodied man of a house to keep a rifle to be used when needed for national protection.
In Andorra, pork-based dishes and seafood are very popular. People of the region also eat snails with much delight.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Summer Sun CS and DP (AMuse Studio and SU) from my scrap file
Punch: SU Large Circle
Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Enamel Dots
Sweet card Jeanette, and a fabulous compilation of facts on a tiny country - thanks for sharing them :)
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Maxine
Love this cutie wishing us the bright and sunny days we need right now!
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