The buffer zones situated between two great powers are constantly exposed to invasions and excesses of all kinds. Principality of Andorra, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France, is a rare and happy exception, its borders remaining unchanged since 1278, when the conflict between Count of Foix and the Bishop of La Seu d'Urgell was resolved by the signing of a pareage (pariatges), which provided that its sovereignty be shared between these two. And so it remained until today, with some brief interludes, the role of monarch being exercised jointly by the President of France and the Catholic Bishop of the Catalan city La Seu d'Urgell.
From the history of the principality should remember two special events: the episode Boris Skossyreff (who proclaimed himself Prince of Andorra on July 12, 1934, declaring immediately war on Bishop of Urgell, a situation that lasted a week), and that this country was on state of war with Germany between 1914 and 1958, because it was forgotten on the Treaty of Versailles. The country's army was composed at that time of 10 people, and its military budget was 4 dollars per year for ceremonial blanks. Today a twelve-man ceremonial unit remains the only permanent section of the Andorran Army. The army has not fought for more than 700 years, and its main responsibility is to present the flag of Andorra at official ceremonial functions.
Andorra is the sixth-smallest nation in Europe, and its capital, Andorra la Vella, is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023m. The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, Portuguese, and French are also commonly spoken. In 2013, the people of Andorra had the highest life expectancy in the world at 81 years. Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 10.2 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts.
About the stamp
The stamp, Població Filipina, was issued on July 7, 2014 in recognition of the OFW's economic contribution to the Principality. The stamp features three children of Filipino origin who live in Andorra - Veronica, Dylan and Von Mart - wearing barong tagalog, balintawak and salakot. As of 2013, there are about 800 Filipinos in Andorra, majority of them work as engineers, sales agent, and hotel and restaurant workers. Most of them remain Filipino citizens, as it takes at least 25 years´ residency for a foreigner to be eligible for Andorran citizenship.
References
Andorra - Wikipedia
Sender: Lukasz
Sent from Andorra la Vella (Andorra) on 05.09.2014
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