Exploring the Tiny Country: Andorra

Last weekend, I traveled to a country located in the Pyrenees mountains between Spain and France. My two classmates and I decided to spend the weekend in Andorra, a country smaller in square miles than Rhode Island. Driving into the tiny country from Barcelona, the geographical layout dramatically changes from the farmlands of Catalonia to the sharp mountains. The landscape welcomes a feeling of mountainous life, with countless tunnels cutting through the landscape to allow for transportation to flow into the country. Land transportation is the best and the only way to enter the country, as there are no airports or railways. As we entered the country, I was amazed at the rapid movement of cars entering and exiting through the border crossing. The border crossing took less than two minutes as we drove through camera-controlled points from Spain to Andorra. The landscape felt like the Colorado ski towns, if anything to compare to in the United States.

Entering this country, I had many questions and knew very little about this mountainous country. One of the first things I caught onto was everyone speaking Catalan as the primary language. The government is also run as a parliamentary democracy with the President of France and the Bishop of Seu d’Urgell, Spain, forming a co-principality. With French rule in the country, I expected to see and hear more French folks around Andorra La Vella, the capital, but that was not the case. After much discussion with my friends, I learned more about the attractiveness of visiting and living in Andorra. The country is an attractive place for tourists to visit in the winter for skiing at the many mountain resorts and shops in the towns where the sales tax of goods is the lowest in Europe at 4.5%.

Economically, the country's exports of goods are focused on smart cards, dental fittings, and hand paintings. These three product markets make up $62M in export market value according to the export potential map from the International Trade Centre. The selling of paintings is one of the most interesting sectors as there is a potential of $10M unrealized in export potential. The trade balance is the only positive outlook in comparison to the rest of the top 20 export products in Andorra. The continuation of positive growth in the art industry may be reliant on a strong influx of tourists during the snowy months. With snow on the ground, the country felt very quiet as we drove through the mountains to our hiking destination.

The autumn season of Andorra shows a different side in comparison to the winter season, according to my friend. She stated that the high amounts of tourists would make traveling to the ski slopes take multiple hours due to traffic, and all the apartments nestled at the bottom of the valleys would be filled with lively foot traffic. Grandvalira and Vallnord are two large ski areas in the country that bring an income of more than 100 million euros. These resorts are a massive economic boost to the country. During the offseason, the mountains are silent and desolate with small groups of hikers. Over the past couple of years, I have grown to love exploring the wilderness, and the serenity and peacefulness of Andorra was quite a treat and a nice rest from the hustle and bustle of Barcelona.

If you have the opportunity to explore Southern Europe, I highly recommend spending a weekend in Andorra, whether you enjoy winter activities, resting in charming resorts, or hiking the mountains. The people are very welcoming and greet all with open arms. By far, it is one of my favorite countries to explore and learn more about!