Time in Andorra (Europe)
What is the time in Andorra (Europe)
The analog clock above is displaying the current local time in Andorra which
is a country located in Europe. The zone time of Andorra is UTC+1:00 hours CET or Central
European Time. But between March and October every year the
Andorra government announces DST or Daylight Saving Time and the clocks are
advanced by one hour to read UTC+2:00 hours CEST or Central European Summer Time.
In the month of October this extra one hour is removed and the clocks are reverted back to
the Andorra Original Time Zone time of UTC+1:00 hours CET. This is done every year.
However, irrespective of the DST or not the analog clock above will show the
current local time in Andorra as the above analog clock is also adjusted accordingly.
Area and Population At this Time in Andorra (Europe)
At this time in Andorra is the sixth smallest country in Europe with an area
of about 467.6 square kilometers out of which 0.26% or 121 square kilometers is
covered by water. The Capital of Andorra is Andorra la Vella which is the
highest capital city in Europe at an elevation of 1,023 meters or 3,356 feet
above the mean sea level. At this time in Andorra, the total population is
estimated to be around 85,500 in 2014 and this population has actually grown
from a meagre 5000 people in 1900. Considering the total area of Andorra the
population density is 466 per square kilometer. The basic ethnic groups at this
time in Andorra constitutes 49% Andorrans, 24.6% Spanish, 14.3% Portuguese, 3.9%
French and 8.2% other ethnic group. Generally the population of Andorra are
called Andorran. The GDP of Andorra (nominal) as estimated in 2008 is around
$4.5 billion which is 155th in the world with a per capita of $53,380 which is
ranked nineth in the world. At this time Andorra does not have its own currency
and continues to use Euro. Andorra never had any wars in the past 1000 years and
even at this time in Andorra there is no military because the safety of Andorra
is the responsibility of Spain and France.
Languages at this Time in Andorra (Europe)
At this time in Andorra the Official Language is Catalan. Andorra is the only
country in the world to have Catalan as its official language. However, Spanish,
French as well as Portuguese are also recognised languages. Catalan is a Romance
language and at this time in Andorra, the government is encouraging the use of
Catalan. The government is funding a Commission for Catalan Toponymy and is
provinding a free Catalan Classes to assist the immigrants. Even the Andorra TV
and radio stations are using Catalan. Languages like French, Spanish and
Portuguese are being spoken commonly because of the proximity geographically.
Most Andorran residents speak more than one language in addition to Catalan and
parents are allowed tochose what languages their children learn in schools.
English is less commonly spoken but is understood to varying degrees in major
tourist locations only. Catalan is spoken by 38.8%, Spanish by 35%, Portuguese
by 15%, French by 5.5% and others by 5.4% people at this time in Andorra.
Climate at this Time in Andorra (Europe)
At this time in Andorra, the climate is alpine climate and continental
climate. The higher elevation of Andorra only means that there is a lot of snow
in the winter and lower humidity. It is of course cooler in summer as well. On
an average one can see the sun for about 300 days in the year. The climate makes
only 2% of the land available for agriculture and the principal live stock
activity gets ristricted to domestic sheep raising.
Tourism at this Time in Andorra
At this time in Andorra, Tourism is the mainstay of the flourishing economy
which accounts for over 80% of Andorra's GDP. It is estimated that over 10
million tourists visit Andorra yearly mostly attracted by the Andorra's duty
free status and by its summer and winter resorts. Recently, even France and
Spain adjoining Andorra has openned up and has made the attraction to Andorra a
little lesser than before. But skiing resorts with 175 kilometers of ski ground
brings in over 7 million visitors still all by itself with an estimated income
of about 340 million euros per year sustaining about 2000 odd direct and over
10,000 jobs indirectly at this time in Andorra. The banking sector with its tax
heaven status contributes about 19% of GDP. There are about five banking groups
one each specialising in credit entity, investment undertaking management
entities, insurance companies and asset management companies. Tourism also gets
affected because there are no airports or railways in Andorra and the nearest
airport to Andorra are Perpignan which is in France and 156 km away, Lleida in
Spain about 160 km from Andorra and the airport at Barcelona in Spain is 210 km
away. But hourly bus service from these airports are the main mode of transport
for the tourists.
Government at this Time in Andorra (Europe)
At this time in Andorra, the government is Unitary Parliamentary Diarchy with
a Co Princes a Representative and Prime Minister. Andorra has been independent
since 1278 for over seven centuries and was being ruled by the king and later
the president of france and by the Spain's Roman Catholic Bishop of the diocese
of Urgel who were all acknowledged as co-princes. The Andorra government did not
have any clear division of powers into executive, legislative or judicail
aspects till the 20th century. In 1993 Andorran voters for the first time
approved their first written consitution by transferring all the powers to the
parliamentary principality and proclaimed a sovereign parliamentary type
democracy and defined the rights and responsibilities of the citizen as well as
the functions to be performed by the legislative, executive and judicial
branches of the government. The co-princes at this time in Andorra do not have
the right to veto over government acts and serve coequally with very limited
powers whose representatives are the ones to take part in the government's
deliberations of issues. It is a fact that till 1993, the principality of
Andorra had to pay every year as per medieval treaties a tribute or US $2.0 only
to the French President and US $8.0 to the Spanish Bishop. Additionally, Andorra
also paid the Bishob a contribution of 6 hams, 6 cheeses and a dozen chickens.
Why the Name Andorra?
Andorra the name actually means strong, manly and brave in English language. Otherwise at this time in Andorra, the etymology is unknown as to how or who gave Andora its name. Andorra is divided into seven parishes and their names are Andorra la Vella, Encamp, Canillo, Escaldes-Engordany, Ordinp, La Massana, and Saint Julia de Loria.