The population of Andorra: number, nationality

A miniature state lurking on the southern slope of the Pyrenees next door to France and Spain, Andorra, has a long and unique history. The population of the state of Andorra is an unusual mixture of nationalities, but the inhabitants of the country call themselves Andorrans and are proud of their homeland. Who is wearing this proud name - Andoran? Consider the characteristics and characteristics of the population of the country.

Government structure

The Principality of the Andorran Valley belongs to the mini-states of Europe. The country's uniqueness lies in the fact that, despite such powerful neighbors as Spain and France, it has managed to maintain its independence for many centuries. The population of Andorra before 1993 paid for its sovereignty a tribute to the French government and the Bishop of Uruguay.

The main governing body of the country is the General Council of the Valleys. Since ancient times, the nominal power of the princes has been preserved, but today they perform predominantly representative functions. The state, by agreement with large neighbors, has no army, France and Spain are engaged in defense of the country, the internal order is supported by the police.

The main court in Andorra is called the Magistrates' Court, there is also a constitutional, supreme and criminal courts. The capital of the country is the city of Andorra la Vella, located high in the mountains. The country has a unique culture in which Spanish and French roots are mixed, but the idea of uniqueness and independence determines the basis of traditions and self-consciousness of its people. For residents of such a small country it is very important to keep identity and to differ from neighbors, and therefore Andorrans carefully preserve their cultural rites and rituals. There are many festivals and celebrations, most of which are of a religious nature.

Geography

Andorra is a highland country, there is not one point below 900 meters above sea level. This small state, the sixth of the smallest in the world, is located in the valleys of the southern Pyrenees. Its area is about 450 square kilometers.

The country's landscape is mountainous, with a large number of rivers, with forests and miniature plains in the valleys between the peaks. The population of Andorra is accustomed to the fact that they have to live in rather harsh conditions. There is very little land that can be cultivated, but due to the proximity of the Mediterranean Sea and covering it with mountains from the northern air streams, a subtropical mountain climate develops here, which is very useful for health. Here is a long but relatively mild winter with a lot of precipitation. The average annual temperature in the valleys is +22 degrees. In the mountains, of course, it is colder, especially in winter.

Language

The population of Andorra is overwhelmingly speaking the Catalan language. It was formed within the Gallo-Roman group. Catalan is closer to French, with which they have common roots than to the Spanish, with which it has only some mutual influence. About 40% of the country's population speaks this language. Slightly more than 30% speak Spanish, about 15% - in Portuguese. The remaining languages account for a small number of residents. Moreover, English is also widely used in Andorra, especially in tourist areas.

History of settlement

The first sites on the territory of the archaeologists date back to the ice age. The first settled population of Andorra is the Romans, who captured these lands in 220 BC, bringing their language and culture here. Under the rule of Rome, the territory remained until 414 years. After this, the land was managed for some time by the Visigothic tribes.

The foundation of the state of Andorra is attributed to Karl the Great, who in 790 guaranteed the independence of these lands. He defeated the Saracens troops with the help of the inhabitants of the Andorran valley. For this he called the people sovereign and granted him his protection. The state became part of the Urchelian bishopric.

In 817, the country officially became part of the Frankish Empire, Louis the Pious gave the principality the Great Charter of Liberty. For several centuries the country experienced raids of invaders, but successfully reflected them. In 1278, an agreement was signed on the dual sovereignty of Andorra. From that moment, she paid tribute (in the form of food) to France and Bishop Urhel (Spain). This situation persisted until 1993, when the new Constitution of Andorra was adopted. Since that time, the state has become a member of the UN, in 1994 it is a member of the Council of Europe.

Dynamics of the population and its density

Andorra, the population (with a population of 71 thousand people in 2015) has a weak tendency to increase, diversifies and stimulates fertility and fights mortality. These efforts give results, the first indicator today is almost twice as high as the second. During the year, about 700 children are expected to be born and about 450 deaths. The rate of population growth should amount to one person per day in 2016.

The territory of Andorra is 468 square kilometers. They live, as we noted, 71 thousand people. Thus, simple calculations make it possible to understand that the population density of the country is 153 people per square kilometer. It ranks 48th in the world in this indicator. For comparison, in another dwarf state - Monaco - the density is 16 thousand people per square kilometer.

Ethnic composition

In Andorra, there are quite severe conditions for migrants, so there are few settlers here, mostly relocations are associated with historical waves. But the country was not overtaken by the tendency for the whole of Europe to move peoples. Therefore, the population of Andorra, whose nationalities are represented in diversity, can not be called homogeneous. Its ethnic composition reflects the stages and features of the settlement of the country. 45.9% of the population are Andorans. The largest colony of foreigners is the Spaniards (26.37% of the total population). The Portuguese make up 14.2%, the French - just under 5%, the British - 1.27%, other nationalities - 7.32%.

Age differentiation

The distribution of the country's population by age shows the following. The average age of a resident of Andorra is 42.4 years. Life expectancy is 82.6 years, according to this indicator the country is on the seventh place in the world. At the same time, 15.6% of the total number of Andorrans are children under 15 years old.

The population of Andorra, children in which a minority, is a concern, since there is a risk of moving into a group of countries of an aging type. The largest age group of residents is the able-bodied population aged 16 to 64, which is 71.4%. The elderly population is 13%. This number of older people and an increase in life expectancy can call Andorra a country of demographic aging. It will gradually increase the number of the population of venerable age, this can lead to serious economic problems, so the government is seriously engaged in solving the demographic issue.

Demographic load factor

In 2016 the population of Andorra is 71 thousand people, with the largest part - the able-bodied population. This indicator allows us to calculate the overall coefficient of demographic load - it is 40%. This is a very low figure on the world scale, which means the following: the able-bodied population can easily support their children. The assessment of the ratio between the able-bodied population and the elderly residents makes it possible to calculate the pension load factor, in Andorra it is 18.2%. In total, with a steadily growing life expectancy and low birth rate, this is an alarming indicator, which indicates that it will be increasingly difficult for the country to support its retirees.

The Andorran age and sex pyramid is as follows:

- at the age of 15 years, men today in the country are 5760, women - 5456;

- at the age of 16 to 65 men 26726, women - 24602;

- at the age of over 65 men and women equally - 4661.

Such a model suggests that Andorra is a country of decreasing, regressing or aging type. Hence the indicator on the pension load, and the alarming prospects for the country to provide for the elderly. This tendency is typical for almost all countries of Europe, and each state tries to solve this problem in its own way. In many countries it is removed due to the influx of migrants, but for Andorra this way is almost impossible.

Sexual differentiation

Statistics of the sex distribution of the inhabitants of the country show that the number of women in it is less than that of men. At the age of 15, the difference is about 300 people. In adulthood, this difference is 2 thousand people, and only in old age the number of sexes is equalized. This is due to the fact that the population of Andorra, men in which live in general is smaller than women, does not grow by external tributaries, but exists within the limits of natural fertility, and boys are always born more, and to a certain age they survive better.

Economy

Considering the population of Andorra, its distribution throughout the country, you can see a specific feature. Even recently, local residents mostly lived in small settlements for 5-6 families, but the density of such buildings as a whole was high.

Today, residents mostly moved to cities, and villages in Andorra are few. This is due to the peculiarities of the country's economy. Andorra is a state that exists mainly due to tourism (80% of revenues). This is a real paradise for mountain skiing, and annually about 9 million tourists come here.

In terms of GDP, the country is on the 19th place in the world. In its territory, mainly tobacco, furniture, woolen and handicraft products are produced. All the main products of consumption in Andorra are imported. A great help to the economy is the agreement on duty-free trade, which makes a number of goods cheaper than in neighboring countries. This leads to the fact that the Spaniards and the French often come to Andorra for one day for shopping, buying most often tobacco and alcohol products.

Employment

Specificity of the country's economy leads to the fact that 94,4% of the population work in the service sector, less than 1% in agriculture, 4.7% in industry. For a high season, many labor migrants come to Andorra, which allows them to cover the need for additional work resources. However, this also creates a problem with employment for the local population. The unemployment rate in the country is 2.9%. The peculiarities of the labor market lead to the fact that the population of Andorra, especially women, can not always find a job. To the greatest extent, this applies to the fair sex at the age of 25-45 years with higher education.