Andorra

Andorra is all mountains and valleys.

The tallest peak is Comapedrosa. Little lakes and waterfalls sit high in the hills. In winter, people ski on the slopes.

All of Andorra is mountainous. The highest point is Comapedrosa peak, 2,942 meters high, in the northwest of the country. Around it is a nature park of forests, small lakes and waterfalls, with paths and mountain huts for hikers.

In the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley you can see a glacial landscape, shaped by ice: steep cliffs high up, with woods and a short gorge lower down. Andorra has three protected nature areas, and in winter its slopes are good for skiing.

Andorra's relief is entirely mountainous: its valleys are cut into the southern Pyrenees and drain to the Valira River. The highest point is Comapedrosa, 2,942 m, inside Les Valls del Comapedrosa Communal Natural Park, a protected area of 15.42 km² in the parish of La Massana, known for forests, small lakes and waterfalls.

UNESCO describes the upper Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley as an exposed glacial landscape with steep cliffs, rock glaciers and lake glaciers, narrowing downstream into woodland and a short gorge; a secondary valley, the Perafita-Claror, joins from the southwest. Andorra has three protected natural spaces: the Sorteny Valley, Madriu-Perafita-Claror and the Comapedrosa valleys. In 2020 UNESCO also named the parish of Ordino a Biosphere Reserve. Britannica notes Andorra's excellent opportunities for winter sports.

Chamois live in Andorra's mountain parks.

Golden eagles fly in the sky. Bearded vultures live here too. So do little rock lizards.

Andorra's three nature parks are home to many kinds of wildlife. In the Sorteny Valley, a small park in the parish of Ordino, live the Pyrenean chamois, the Pyrenean newt and the common frog. More than 700 kinds of flowers and other plants grow there.

In the Comapedrosa park, golden eagles and bearded vultures are regular residents, and so is Aurelio's rock lizard. Typical alpine flowers, such as the alpine violet, grow there too.

Andorra's protected areas hold typical high-Pyrenean species. The Sorteny Valley park in Ordino, more than 1,000 hectares on both banks of the Sorteny River, is the smallest of the three but has more than 700 species of flowers and plants, some found only in the Pyrenees; its animals include the Pyrenean chamois, the Pyrenean newt and the common frog.

In Les Valls del Comapedrosa park the regular inhabitants include Aurelio's rock lizard, the golden eagle and the bearded vulture, and the alpine flora includes the alpine violet and the Pyrenean mouse-ear. In the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley, UNESCO describes vast pastures and wooded valleys that reflect the persistence of pastoralism and a strong mountain culture.

About 89,750 people lived in Andorra in 2026.

The main language is Catalan. Many people speak Spanish or French too. A warm stew called escudella is eaten in winter.

About 89,750 people lived in Andorra in June 2026. A little less than half of them were Andorran citizens. Many others were citizens of Spain, Portugal, France or other countries. Almost nine in ten people live in towns.

Catalan is Andorra's official language, and Spanish and French are also spoken. Andorran cooking uses local, seasonal food from the mountains. Escudella, a light pork stew with vegetables, is served in winter, and trinxat is made with winter cabbage, potatoes and garlic.

The Department of Statistics' June 2026 estimate gives 40,113 Andorran nationals (44.7 percent), 21,137 Spanish, 8,324 Portuguese and 4,246 French nationals, and 15,932 people of other nationalities; 10.6 percent of residents were under 15 and 16.0 percent were 65 or older. Britannica gives the urban share as 87.7 percent (2024). Andorra has long had a strong affinity with Catalonia: Catalan is the official language, its institutions are based on Catalan law, and many Spanish immigrants are Catalan. Most Andorrans are Roman Catholic.

Visit Andorra, the official tourism site, describes a cuisine of local, seasonal mountain produce, later influenced by French and Catalan cooking; a recipe book of Andorran gastronomy collects about thirty traditional recipes. Escudella, a light pork stew with seasonal vegetables, is served in winter and, at Christmas, with a traditional pasta called galets; trinxat de montanya combines winter cabbage, potatoes, garlic and tocino, a cured pork, and trout is pan-fried with almonds and cured ham. Old high-mountain barns called bordes, once used for grain and cattle, have become restaurants.