Note: Today begins the first of the April A-Z challenge. See Running a Small Country for more details.
Fast Facts
- Named for: The “Andosins” i.e. Big People or Water People or “land covered with bushes” or “the wild valleys of hell” as in Andor in the Bible. That is, nobody really knows.
- Long/Lat: 42.30 N/1.30 E. 6,000 miles east of Castro Valley, 10 hours.
- Population: 89,000 or 1.3 Castro Valleys
- Size: 467 sq mi or 30 Castro Valleys
- Avg temp in April: 55 F, very similar to CV
- Median income: 28,000€ ($30k)
- Ethnicity: 35% Spanish, 32% Andorran, 10% Portuguese
- Main industries: Tourism, Banking (tax haven)
Andorra is a carve-out in the Pyrenees, the mountain border separating France and Spain, a roundish dot, balancing the stability between those two large personalities. It’s far larger than my Castro Valley, but more sparsely populated. That’s due to the mountains: average elevation is 6500 ft. Mountains mean ski resorts, which explains the 20 millions of tourists per year, 117 tourists per inhabitant.
It’s also a tax haven, meaning taxes so low that international companies are headquartered there. Nothing like wealthy people skiing after they’ve finished their banking. Meanwhile, the people serving them coffee earn a pittance. Same as it ever was.
The Andorrans fought off the Islamic invaders in the ninth century so fiercely that Charlemagne gave them the country. Later, the newly-forming France and Spain began to squabble over the borders, Catholic Spain on behalf of the Bishop of Urgell and France for the Count of Foix. After a decade of skirmishing, they agreed to co-rule, and that’s lasted since 1278.
Thus, Andorra is now the world’s only Co-Principality, a biarchy–yeah, that’s a word. It’s a fulcrum balancing the two giant neighborhoods, neither able to conquer because of the hills. Besides, why not just share the revenue and let all your own aristocrats ski there at a co-principality discount.
There was the curious sory of Boris Skossyreff. Boris waltzed into Andorra in 1934 and began suggesting he was the king. Or at least The Prince (one, not two).
The year before, some self-styled revolutionaries had taken over parliament, until the gendarmes came and bid adieu to La Revolucion. Still, when Boris arrived (from Belarus), the Andorrans were itching for something new. For about a year, he convinced them to give him power, promised even more tax reform, and likely collected a few bribes. He was booted out in late 1934 by the Spanish Bishop, and the French Count’s guard stayed on the lookout for Boris. They’re still looking.
Boris may not be the last self-proclaimed king we come across with these small countries. I also suspect this is not the last time we see a small country act as a buffer zone.
