Andorra (i/ænˈdɔrə/; Catalan pronunciation: [ənˈdorə], locally: [anˈdɔra]), officially the Principality of Andorra (Catalan: Principat d'Andorra), also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, (Catalan: Principat de les Valls d'Andorra), is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of 468 km2 (181 sq mi) and an estimated population of 84,082 in 2009. Its capital, Andorra la Vella, is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 metres (3,356 ft) above sea level. The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, Portuguese, and French are also commonly spoken.
The Principality was formed in 1278. The role of monarch is exercised jointly by the two co-princes, the Catalan Bishop of Urgell and the President of France (the whole state is a part of Diocese of Urgell).
Andorra is a prosperous country mainly because of its tourism industry, which services an estimated 10.2 million visitors annually, and also because of its status as a tax haven. It is not a member of the European Union, but the euro is the de facto currency. The people of Andorra have the 4th highest human life expectancy in the world — 82 years at birth.
El gran Carlemany, mon Pare dels alarbs em deslliurà,
I del cel vida em donà de Meritxell, la gran Mare,
Princesa nasquí i Pubilla entre dues nacions neutral
Sols resto lúnica filla de l'imperi Carlemany.
Creient i lluire onze segles, creient i lliure vull ser.
¡Siguin els furs mos tutors i mos Prínceps defensors!
The nearer we got to Andorra
The sun set on the left
The rounded mountains pointed
To the black clouds in the West
Hey, there's a darkness
In the sky that's not the night
Hey, there's a rain cloud there
That's shutting out the light
(Chorus:)
What do I tell you, it's always the same:
When you run for the sun, you catch the rain
As soon as we reached Barcelona
The cold wind touched the beach
The sun we left in London
Is away beyond our reach
Hey, I said darling:
It seems a waste of time
Hey, all I do is sit
And drink our Spanish wine
What do I tell you, it's always the same:
When you run for the sun, you catch the rain
Of all the tales of Granada
They tell of Islam's run
They lived beneath the Moorish lord
Beneath a Moorish sun
Oh, how we yearned to turn
Our faces to that glare
When down from the mountains
Came the rain to soak our hair
What do I tell you, it's always the same:
When you run for the sun, you catch the rain
What do I tell you, it's always the same: