Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra , is a sovereign landlocked microstate on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees, bordered by France in the north and Spain in the south. Believed to have been created by Charlemagne, Andorra was ruled by the Count of Urgell until 988 when it was transferred to the Diocese of Urgell, and the present principality was formed by a charter in 1278. It is known as a principality as it is a diarchy headed by two Co-Princes: the Catholic Bishop of Urgell in Spain and the President of the Republic of France. Andorra is the sixth-smallest nation in Europe, having an area of 468 square kilometres and a population of approximately 77,281. The Andorrans are a Romance ethnic group of originally Catalan descent. Andorra is the 16th-smallest country in the world by land and 11th-smallest country by population. Its capital Andorra la Vella is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 metres above sea level. The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, Portuguese, and French are also commonly spoken.Andorra's tourism services an estimated 10.2 million visitors annually. It is not a member of the European Union, but the euro is its official currency. It has been a member of the United Nations since 1993. In 2013, the people of Andorra had the highest life expectancy in the world at 81 years, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study.
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