Andorra, a torn principality?

In the Pyrenees, sandwiched between France and Spain, lies the Principality of Andorra. It is the last remaining more or less independent territory of the Spanish Marches, founded by Charlemagne to hold back the Islamic Moors and prevent them from gaining access to Christian France. In 1933, Andorra was occupied by French troops to keep the influences of the Spanish Civil War and Franco's influence outside French borders. Andorra was also the last country to make peace with Germany in 1958, due to the First World War. The principality is 'ruled' by two co-princes, according to the constitution adopted in 1993. Currently, these are French President Sarkozy and the Bishop of the Spanish city of La Seu d'Urgell, Joan Enric Vives i Sicília. However, their role is purely symbolic. Today, Andorra is politically strongly connected to the European Union without being a member. The euro is used as currency in the principality, but it does not have its own coins. Coins in the old denominations do exist, however, such as the 25 diner gold coin from 1997. Will there ever be 'own' coins in euro denominations? A design already exists, such as for the 2 euro coin.   Before the introduction of the euro, the Spanish peseta and the French franc were both legal tender in the country. This also had consequences for the postage stamps of Andorra. From 1928, stamps bearing the name Andorra were made available. These were stamps denominated in Spanish pesetas. In June 1931, stamps denominated in French francs followed. Unissued stamp of Andorra from 1932 But what about the numerical proportions? First of all, the number of inhabitants of Andorra. Currently, that is nearly 72.500, of which almost 21.000 live in the capital, Andorra de Vella. The population consists of 41% Spaniards, 36% Catalans (the Andorrans), 11% Portuguese, and 6% French. Catalan is the official language, spoken by 35% of the population, Spanish by 58%, and French by only 7%. There were only 242 issues of Spanish-language stamps in Andorra up to 1995, while French-language stamps reached the number of 475 by 1995! So, almost double. The influences of both the Spanish-language and French-language designers of Andorra's stamps are almost always clearly visible. Compare the Spanish and French stamps alongside the Spanish-language and French-language stamps.   Spain France Some Spanish-language stamps from Andorra:   And some French-speaking stamps from Andorra.   We see the differences between the Spanish and French approaches even more clearly in the depiction of the church of Sant Joan de Caselles.   But what about Andorra's postal service? The principality has no postal service of its own. This is carried out jointly by the postal services of Spain and France. Consequently, one can find two types of letterboxes: the red ones of the Spanish Post and the yellow ones of the French Post. So, it was important to separate letters and postcards if one used both French and Spanish stamps for postage. This was not convenient for Andorrans themselves if they sent a letter with a destination within Andorra itself, because that was postage-free! And now, with the introduction of the euro? Andorra has also adopted the new currency. From then on, stamps also received a value in euros. The end of French and Spanish stamps in Andorra? Absolutely not! The distinction is still visible, and the two postal services still work together. The Spanish stamps used on letters and postcards sent abroad are processed by the Spanish postal service via Spain. The rate for a letter up to 20 grams for a Spanish destination was €0,30 in 2007. For a letter within Europe, the rate was €0,58. Now for the French-language stamps. Letters and postcards are processed by the French postal service (La Poste). The rate for a letter up to 20 grams for France was €0,49 for second-class shipping and €0,54 for first-class shipping. For a letter within Europe, the rate was €0,60.   Just give me the Spanish stamps then, and I'll put my cards in the red Spanish mailbox! Viva correus espanyols!