Situated on the southern slopes of the Pyrenees, tiny Andorra measures just 25km (16mi) north to south and 30km (20mi) east to west. Geographically speaking, it's little more than a bump on the border between France and Spain, sharing its 125km (75mi) of borderlands roughly equally between the two. By road, Andorra is about 180km (110mi) from Toulouse, 225km (140mi) from Barcelona, 465 km (290mi) from Nice, 855km (530mi) from Madrid and 885km (550mi) from Paris.
The capital, Andorra la Vella, is south-west of the country's centre at the confluence of the Gran Valira, the Valira del Oriente and the Valira del Norte rivers. Most of the country's 40 or so towns and hamlets - some with just a few dozen people - sit in a group of mountain valleys whose streams join to form the Gran Valira, the country's main river. Pic de Coma Pedrosa on the Spanish border in north-western Andorra is the principality's highest point at 2942m (9650ft), while La Farga de Moles on the south-western Spanish frontier is the lowest at 838m (2750ft).
Andorra enjoys a temperate climate, with snowy winters and warm summers. The country's mountain peaks often remain snowcapped until July.
Population
69,150 (July 2003 est.)
Area
468 sq km
Ethnicity/ Race
Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other 6% (1998)
