Andorra
Andorrans live in seven valleys that form Andorra's
political districts. Andorrans are a minority in their
own country; they make up only approximately 36% of the
population or about 28,000 native Andorrans. Spanish,
French, and Portuguese residents make up the other 64%
of the population.
The national language is Catalan, a romance language
related to the Provençal groups. French and Spanish are
also spoken.
Education law requires school attendance for children up
to age 16. A system of French, Spanish, and Andorran
public schools provides education up to the secondary
level. Schools are built and maintained by Andorran
authorities, who pay also for Andorran teachers. French
and Spanish schools pay for their own teachers. About
35% of Andorran children attend the French primary
schools, 35% attend Spanish, and 29% attend Andorran
schools. Andorran schools follow the Spanish curriculum,
and their diplomas are recognized by the Spanish
education system. In July 1997, the University of
Andorra was established. The number of students makes it
impossible for the University of Andorra to develop a
full academic program, and it serves principally as a
center for virtual studies, connected to Spanish and
French universities. The only two graduate schools in
Andorra are the Nursing School and the School of
Computer Science. |
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Andorra is the last independent survivor of the March
states, a number of buffer states created by Charlemagne
to keep the Muslim Moors from advancing into Christian
France. Tradition holds that Charlemagne granted a
charter to the Andorran people in return for their
fighting the Moors. In the 800s, Charlemagne's grandson,
Charles the Bald, made Count of Urgell overlord of
Andorra. A descendant of the count later gave the lands
to the diocese of Urgell, headed by Bishop of Seu
d'Urgell.
In the 11th century, fearing military action by
neighboring lords, the bishop placed himself under the
protection of the Lord of Caboet, a Spanish nobleman.
Later, the Count of Foix, a French noble, became heir to
Lord Caboet through marriage, and a dispute arose
between the French Count and the Spanish bishop over
Andorra.
In 1278, the conflict was resolved by the signing of a
pareage, which provided that Andorra's sovereignty be
shared between the Count of Foix and the Bishop of Seu
d'Urgell of Spain. The pareage, a feudal institution
recognizing the principle of equality of rights shared
by two rulers, gave the small state its territory and
political form.
Over the years, the title was passed between French and
Spanish rule until, in the reign of the French King
Henry IV, an edict in 1607 established the head of the
French state and the Bishop of Urgell as co-princes of
Andorra.
Given its relative isolation, Andorra has existed
outside the mainstream of European history, with few
ties to countries other than France and Spain. In recent
times, however, its thriving tourist industry and
developments in transportation and communications have
removed the country from its isolation.
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