The land that Europe forgot: The not-so-rough guide to Andorra

Imagine a country whose entire population could fit inside the Old Trafford football stadium, and still leave 4,000 seats spare.

Imagine a country which has the world's highest life expectancy; the world's lowest rate of unemployment (0 per cent); and the world's highest consumption of chewing gum. (Cynics might say that there is little else to do. Not true. The snow-boarding is excellent and there are two kinds of local folk dance.)

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Imagine a country at peace for 700 years, except that it was, officially, at war with Germany until 1958. Imagine a country which has two heads of state, one main road, three valleys, one town, several villages and more than 100 duty-free supermarkets.

Welcome to Andorra, whose gallant football team takes on the might of England in a European championship qualifying match at Old Trafford today.

Don't dismiss the team lightly. They may mostly be semi-professional footballers and full-time waiters and duty-free shop-assistants, but they once defeated Belarus 2-0. They once held France, then the world champions, to a 1-0 scoreline.

Like many other things about Andorra, the football team is capable of springing surprises.

And here are 10 things that you did not know (or previously care) about Andorra.

Where is it?

Andorra, slightly larger than the Isle of Wight, is 181 square miles of land-locked mountains in the eastern Pyrenees on the border between France and Spain. The lowest point is 870m, about 3,000 feet, above sea level. The highest peak, the Coma Pedrosa, soars to 2,946 metres, or around 7,000 feet. The skiing is fine, if undemanding. There is not much flat space for football pitches.

What is Andorra's history? Why is it a separate country?

Andorra is one of the oldest independent nations in the world. It is the last of the "Marca Hispanica", or buffer states, on the south-west border of France, created by the Emperor Charlemagne 1,200 years ago to keep out the Moors. The country's sovereignty was confirmed by a treaty in 1278 - 500 years before the creation of the United States. Since 1607, its heads of state have been jointly the king (now the president) of France and whoever happens to be the Bishop of Ungell in Spain. Andorra pays President Jacques Chirac an annual tribute of two hams, 20 loaves and a few bottles of wine.

Who runs the country?

Since 1993, Andorra (previously ruled through a mish-mash of medieval laws) has a democratic constitution. Political parties and trades unions are no longer banned. There is a parliament, elected by the adults among the 20,000 or so passport-carrying Andorrans - the majority of the 71,000 population is Spanish or Portuguese. The Prime Minister is Albert Pintat of the centre-right Liberal Party. There is an "Andorran Independence Movement", which camaigns to overthrow the Franco-Spanish yoke and allow the Pyrenean nation to assert its full, independent influence on the world stage.

However, since 1993, Andorra has been a full member of the United Nations. Andorra has no army or air force. A navy would, in any case, be a luxury. Its defence and security are guaranteed jointly by France and Spain. In theory, all male residents are supposed to train as soldiers, just in case. Since Andorra has not been in conflict for 700 years, they no longer bother. Andorra was at war with Germany for 44 years until 1958. It declared war in 1914 but was accidentally left out of the Versailles peace treaty in 1919.

How good is the skiing?

Some say that it is the best in the Pyrenees. Others compare Andorra to eastern Europe - cheap, but the resorts are ugly and functional. The micro-state has made big investiments in lifts, and links between villages, in the past 10 years and has won a big winter following amongst the young. This - and the relative kindness of the slopes - has inevitably made Andorra a bit of a mecca for snowboarders. Don't expect great food but there is a lively apres-ski scene and the snow is fairly reliable.

Are there any famous Andorrans?

It depends what you mean by famous. Jacint Verdaguer (1845-1902), a celebrated Catalan poet, lived in the village of Ordina in Andorra for a month in 1883.

Joan Belloch Vivo was Bishop of Urgell and co-prince of Andorra in the 19th century. He also wrote Andorra's national anthem "El Gran Carlemany" (Great Charlemagne) whose stirring words will ring out over Old Trafford this afternoon. ("The great Charlemagne, my Father, from the Saracens liberated me. And from heaven he gave me life of Meritxell, the great mother..." Boris de Skossyreff, a Russian immigrant, declared himself King Boris I of Andorra in 1934. He was arrested by the Spanish police five days later. Amongst modern celebrities, there is Ricard Fiter Vilajoana, who is a writer and lawyer and was Ombusman of Andorra from 1998 to 2004.

Er, that's about it.

Are there any good reasons to live there?

Yes, several. Andorra has the highest life expectancy in the world - 83.51 years (80.6 for men and 86.6 for women). It has no taxes. It has no unemployment - officially at 0 per cent, the lowest in the world, jointly with Nauru. Andorra has a moderate climate, even in winter, and three or four good ski resorts. You could also learn one of Andorra's folk dances, the contrapas and the marratxa. If you like to see cars skidding, there is also the Andros Trophy, one of the most prestigious events in France's "ice-racing" series, held in Pas de La Case, one of Andorra's most elegant ski resorts in December.

Are there reasons NOT to live there? Andorra has 11,600,000 visitors a year, mostly Spaniards who come to buy duty-free drink and cigarettes and other cheap goods. Although there are still some pretty churches and other buildings in the smaller villages, the economy and the architecture of the main town, Andorra la Vella, are dominated by ugly supermarkets. The local food is unexciting. Andorra is, in fact, the "Calais of the South".

It is also the chewing gum capital of the world. Each Andorran, in theory, consumes two pounds of chewing gum a year. There may, however, be something sticky about this statistic. Much of the cut-price gum probably disappears back into Spain.

Do the Andorrans have their own currency or language?

No. The dominant language is catalan. French and Spanish are also official languages. The currency is the euro. Unlike Monaco and San Marino, Andorra does not have the right to produce euros with a national symbol. Since these would be in great demand by coin-collectors, and a useful source of income, Andorra has been in discussion with Brussels for permission to mint Andorran euros for two years.

How else do they make their living?

Ninety per cent of the national income is from tourism but there is also a little light sheep-farming and shoe and furniture making. There are a number of off-shore, as it were, banks but Andorra has a less shady financial reputation than, say, Monaco.

Only two per cent of the land is arable. Most food is imported. Much is sold back to the Spanish, who buy everything from Spanish wine to Spanish butter far cheaper than in Spain.

Do they have any pretty postage stamps?

Yes, loads. There is no Andorran postal service, as such. You can choose to put your letters in either a Spanish postbox or a French postbox but you must use one of the colourful local stamps.

Has Andorra ever won the Eurovision Song Contest?

Er, no. Andorra did not participate until 2004 when it entered the first Catalan language song ever heard in the great televisual eisteddfod. The singer was a Spaniard. Marta Roure. She failed to qualify for the final. In 2005, Andorra tried with a Dutch singer, Marian van der Wal. She fell at the semi-final stage. Can no one in Andorra sing?

Can they play football? Is the country soccer mad?

A qualified Yes to the first. A resounding No to the second. Andorra has only had a national team for 10 years but it has already won three victories, against Belarus, Albania and Macedonia. The first of those victories, against Macedonia in 2004, was achieved before a crowd of 116 people, the lowest ever for any World Cup game.

A local journalist explained at the time: "They don't have much time for football here. In their leisure time, they go walking."

Many members of the Andorra squad are, in truth, Spanish-born. They include Koldo, the goalkeeper, real name Jesus Luis Alvarez Eulate, recently voted "best Andorran player of the last 50 years". The most skilful Andorran-born outfield player of recent years is Celades Lopez, born Andorra la Vella, September 1975, who plays for Real Zaragoza in the Spanish first division. Unfortunately for Andorra, he has chosen to play for the Spanish national team.

Andorra is currently placed 132nd in the FIFA world rankings, a distinct improvement on its starting position of 188th in 1997. The Andorrans may not be the most skilful team but they compensate by being one of the dirtiest, receiving more red and yellow cards than any other team in the world during the qualifying stages for the 2006 World Cup.

This mouse may not be able to roar but it knows how to foul. England have been warned.