Geography of Andorra

Andorra is a small, landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountain range and bordered by Spain and France. With an area of 468 km², it is the sixth smallest country in Europe and also the largest of the European microstates.

Andorra
ContinentEurope
SubregionSouthwest Europe
Geographic coordinates42°30′N 1°30′E
Area
 - Total
 - Water
Ranked 179th
468 km²
121.4 hectares (1.214 km2)
Coastline0 km (landlocked)
Land boundaries118 km
Countries borderedSpain 63 km
France 55 km
Highest pointComa Pedrosa, 2,946 m
Lowest pointRiu Runer, 840 m (2756 ft)
Longest riverGran Valira
Largest inland body of waterLake Juclar (23 ha)
Land usearable land: 1.7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pasture 38.3%
forest: 34.0%
other: 26.0% (2018)
Irrigated land 0 km2
Climate:temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers
Terrain:rugged mountains and narrow valleys
Natural resourceshydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead
Natural hazardsavalanches
Environmental issuesdeforestation, overgrazing of meadows, air pollution, waste disposal

Andorra consists predominantly of rugged mountains, the highest being the Coma Pedrosa at 2,942 metres (9,652 ft), and the average elevation of Andorra is 1,996 metres (6,549 ft). These are dissected by three narrow valleys in a Y shape that combine into one as the main stream, the Gran Valira river, leaves the country for Spain (at Andorra's lowest point of 840 m or 2,756 ft).

Andorra's climate is similar to that of its neighbours' temperate climates, but its higher elevation means there is, on average, more snow in winter, lower humidity, and it is slightly cooler in summer. There are, on average, 300 days per year of sunshine.

Phytogeographically, Andorra belongs to the Atlantic European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Andorra belongs to the ecoregion of Pyrenees conifer and mixed forests.

Landslides and avalanches are the main natural hazards. There are frequent earthquakes below Richter magnitude 2. There is no historical record of any damaging earthquakes in Andorra, but the Andorran government has studied the possibility of a future one.

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