I have assigned 198 countries a number. The countries I've chosen are the 193 members of the UN plus those recognised by at least 20 UN members. Each week I will pick a country using a random number generator and we will discuss that country.

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Country of the Week for week 10: Principality of Andorra

Population: 85k

Location:


Flag:

Why do countries like this even bother existing?

Only existing country I know ruled by Co-princes (namely the French President and the Bishop of Urgell), picture of MItterrand (former French president):


so our president is still a monarch in some way o.O

FRANCE! IT IS TIME FOR A NEW REVOLUTION!!!!! DEATH TO THE KING!

This country is not even really independent.

According to your opinion Infection then Canada is also not really independent because of Queen Elizabeth.

So.. he he . No. Andorra is really independent.

^but will it blend?

This country stolled romanian flag

Edited 12/10/2015 14:07:02

Andorra is much older than Romania. Same goes for the flag.

Andorra adopted blue-yellow-flag in 1866, Romania found it in 16 century
Here are links for evidence:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Andorra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Romania

Edited 12/10/2015 14:18:22

Andorra's flag dates back to the middleages so it's much older.

ohh my god I showed you links, you can search that everywere, i know they declared independence in 12 century, but their nowadays flag appeared after Romania created it, that mean they stolled it.

Are you that dumb, or whats your problem?

Their current flag is inspired from the Catalan one (blood and gold) + The French flag (for the vertical tricolor standard), so nothing again with this Romanian Flag, which is also influenced by the French model. Poor Ion you are again wrong and stop insulting people just because they disagree with you.

Edited 12/10/2015 14:45:56

http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ad_his.html

First flag was quatre barres flag from Catalonia not the blue-yellow-red flag thus making it older. They only added blue because of the French revolution, the Romanian vertical flag was also inspired from the French revolution. Also flag being 'stolen' is an overexaggeration. The flags are just similar.

Are you that dumb, or whats your problem?

There's no need to be arrogant here.

Many countrys in europe inspired their flags from French revolution, like Belgium, Italy, Romania,Holland ( but they are not stollen), but the flag of andorra is copy of romanian one, they can say that their flag existed since roman empire, but we shouln'd trust all lies

calm down, wiki-warrior

Their current flag is inspired from the Catalan one

First flag was quatre barres flag from Catalonia

Not exactly. The yellow-red flag is not originary from Catalonia, it is from Aragon. Catalonia just adopted it, as well as other former Aragonese territories.

By the way, guess which other flag was inspired by the Aragon flag. Yes, Spanish flag is also based on that flag.

This country is not even really independent.

Well, let's see if it passes the decorative theory of statehood.

1) Does it have a defined territory?
Yes, not very much territory, but it still has territory is clearly defined and is control of.

2) Does it have a permanent population?
Yes, there are 85000 people living there.

3) Does it have a government?
Yes, and their parliament is called "The General Council of the Valleys".

4) Does it have a capacity to enter into relations with states?
Yes, Andorra is a member of the UN, Spain and France both have embassies within Andorra and Andorra itself has embassies in 6 other countries.

Edited 12/10/2015 17:19:55

Wrong Pablo the Catalonian flag is based upon the older County of Barcelona, their heirs then became count of Provence, Foix or Aragon, that's why all these entities nowadays share almost the same flag: the Senyera (Blood and Gold) which come from the House of Barcelona.

Funny/interesting story about Andorra (the only one I found actually):

Someone declared himself King of Andorra once, not so long ago in 1933, Boris Skossyreff a noble of Lithuanian Background attempted to seize the power.
On July 12 the same year he issued a proclamation in Urgell, Spain, declaring himself Boris I, King of Andorra and "Regent for His Majesty the King of France" (though the family heads of the House of Bourbon disavowed him), and declaring war on the Bishop of Urgell, Justí Guitart i Vilardebó, the Co-Prince of Andorra.
Unfortunately the new self proclaimed monarch Skossyreff was soon after arrested by Spanish Guardia Civil and taken out of Andorra, first to Barcelona and then on July 23 to Madrid, where he was imprisoned until he was expelled from Spain in November (if he waited a little more he would not have been worried that much by the Spaniards since the Civil War started not so long after).

We should all hail Boris I, Prince of the Valleys of Andorra, Count of Orange and Baron of Skossyreff … sovereign of Andorra and defender of the faith!

Andorra is the only country to have Catalan as an official language :)