Andorra

Abstract

The independence of the valleys of Andorra is of Carolingian origin. Their political status was regulated by the Paréage of 1278, according to which they were placed under the joint suzerainty of the Comte de Foix and of the Bishop of Urgel. The rights vested in the house of Foix passed by marriage to that of Béarn and, on the accession of Henri IV, to the French crown; they are now exercised by the President of the French Republic. The country consists of gorges, narrow valleys and defiles, surrounded by high mountain peaks of the Eastern Pyrenees. Its maximum length is 30 km. and its width 20 km.; it has an area of 465 square km. and a population of about 5,000, scattered in 6 villages. The surface of the country is rough and irregular, with an altitude varying between 880 and 1,800 metres. A ‘General Council of the Valleys’ submits motions and proposals to the Permanent Delegations. Its 24 members are elected for 4 years; half of the council is renewed every 2 years. The council nominates a First Syndic (Syndic Procureur Général) and a Second Syndic who must not be members of it.