Andorra’s capital city lies in a beautiful mountain valley.
THE PRINCES OF ANDORRA
Once upon a time, a Spanish nobleman decided to give his country away.
The tiny country he ruled was Andorra, high up in the Pyrenees Mountains
between Spain and France. The nobleman gave his country to a Spanish
bishop. So, for a couple of hundred years, Spanish bishops ruled
Andorra.
But one day, the riding bishop decided he couldn’t defend the tiny
country. He asked a Spanish nobleman to help. Then, members of the
Spanish nobleman’s family married into a noble French family. Before
long, one of the French noblemen decided he wanted to rule Andorra.
The Spanish bishop disagreed. How did they settle the matter? They both
became princes of Andorra and ruled the tiny country together! But they
let the people elect a General Council to make some local laws. And
that’s the way it’s been ever since. The General Council meets in the
House of the Valleys, in Andorra, the capital city.
Today, the princes of Andorra are the president of France and the bishop
of Urgel, Spain. According to custom, the people of Andorra give the
French president about \$2 every other year. They give the Spanish
bishop about \$8 every other year. Every other year, the bishop also
gets 6 hams, 6 rounds of cheese, and 6 hens. He gives the food to needy
people in Spain.
The lawmakers of Andorra meet in the House of the Valleys.
