Andorra: The Micro State at War with Germany for 43 Years

What’s that landscape of idyllic valleys nestled on the Pyrenees mountain range? Is it a Spain? Is it a France? No, it’s the 16th smallest country in the world, the Principality of Andorra. Join me in Today’s Geographics, as we explore some useful and pointless facts about this charming country. We will learn about Andorra’s unique system of government, its history and about that one time when a con artist became its King …
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Credits:
Host - Simon Whistler
Author - Arnaldo Teodorani
Producer - Jennifer Da Silva
Executive Producer - Shell Harris
Business inquiries to [e-mail]
Source/Further reading:
History
www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingLi...
www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/And...
all-andorra.com/history/
www.studycountry.com/guide/AD...
Facts
everything-everywhere.com/8-f...
www.cia.gov/library/publicati...
King Boris
www.historyfiles.co.uk/Featur...
www.albedomedia.com/cultura/h...
Tax haven and scandals
www.investopedia.com/ask/answ...
www.theguardian.com/world/201...
www.ft.com/content/bcedb7ae-c...
www.nytimes.com/2015/04/11/bu...
elpais.com/elpais/2019/10/16/...
Anthem
www.andorramania.uk/anthem-of-...
en.tapartoche.com/form/page-pa...
www.telegraph.co.uk/football/...
Clean energy
www.evwind.es/2019/12/12/repl...

[@Vollification]

Napoleon: “Andorra is a political curiosity that should be preserved.” Translation: "You are too cute to invade."

[@johan.ohgren]

Or not enough of a challenge. Do they even have a military?

[@Vollification]

@@johan.ohgren Yes, a twelve-man voulenteer unit funded by donations. (This is true)

[@SensitiveHomie310]

@@Vollification That's adorable

[@damnedson4685]

*Anndorable

[@adityamohan1773]

Andorable

[@Timotheus157]

Andorra: We are at war with Germany. Germany: What the heck is an Andorra!?!...

[@Doellimann]

Timotheus157 Reply from Germany: 🤣

[@yougothere6000]

A German ruler created/invented Andorra though. (Charlemagne/Carl/Karl der Große)

[@maximiliankuhn4531]

@@yougothere6000 Calling Charlemagne simply german does not strike me as accurate. He was a frank, the predecessors of the german and french kingdoms/empires. His descendants later split up his empire to France and the Holy Roman Empire (of german nation). This is important because in a way, this is where the eternal french-german rivalry started.

[@12tanuha21]

YouGo There He was germanic. The change from germanic to german happened some centuries later

[@outerik90]

Andorra: I am a joke to you?

[@yourroyalchungusness]

Andorra: War against Germany for 43 years Isles of Scilly: Hold my 335 years war against Netherlands

[@e-cuauhtemoc]

That's a long fuckin' time for a war. Did they originally forget what they were fighting about towards the last century of their war?

[@zacktrever1878]

@@e-cuauhtemoc War, war never changes...

[@riemergreidanus8123]

They fough i think for 1 Day and forgot to be honest

[@Rob_Kankerboef]

Not a single shot was fired in that war. The dutch also had an 80 year war for independence against spain

[@paranoiawilldestroyya3238]

Rome and Carthage were technically at war (third Punic war) for 2,131 years; a peace treaty was finally signed on February 5, 1985. Another case of everybody forgetting that the war had not been formally ended.

[@marcfont-areny969]

Hey there, I’m from Andorra!🇦🇩 Glad to see you’re interested in our history, hope everybody will like the video ; i surely did!

[@sneaky-rozzers]

Marc Font Areny tio som famosos

[@saxon-mt5by]

That makes two Andorrans here; looks like they're taking over KZbin!

[@retroand]

Ja som tres!

[@cucumber623]

glory to andorra, the thing with the football was a slice of genius

[@alapikomamalolonui6424]

Yes,.. but tell us more about Antonio the tobacconist,.. who knows EVERYONE..!!

[@acefreak9561]

Andorra: you took everything from me!!! Germany: I dont even know who you are!!!

[@gorkem9843]

Andorra: you will

[@gur262]

Germans watching : i think i wanna visit andorra.

[@samsmith2635]

Soon

[@morskojvolk]

in 1998, while planning an epic road trip from southern Spain to northern France, I proposed a detour through Andorra. My (now ex) wife was having none of it, she didn't want to drive through mountains. Twenty-two years later, I now live in a small west Texas town and no longer have the means to travel to Europe. The disappointment of missing out on a visit to Andorra had nothing to do with my divorce. No, really...

[@jasonirwin4631]

I'm might divorce some one over that. Luckily my current GF would love a road trip through the mountains.

[@GasGrassOrAssetto]

Why wouldnt you want to drive through the mountains?

[@K1ddkanuck]

@Steve Mclean You should have ended with "I should have looked at the map, somehow I ended up in Istanbul".

[@marjolainem09]

What's that bitch problem? Why wouldn't anyone want to go?? I hope you get to go one day!

[@WavyHippie420]

If you live west of San Angelo, TX yeah you should've taken that detour.

[@patrickbellsola3773]

Everything right!! I'm Patrick from Andorra, I live in one village named la Massana right next to andorra la vella. It's exciting to see videos of Andorra and explaining the culture. Sometimes we feel we don't even exist for the rest of the world. Pd. Sorry for my english it's really bad 😂

[@lmlmd2714]

Hello, Andorran! :)

[@marvindebot3264]

Your English is fine sir, better than that of some who were born speaking it.

[@SquallEternal]

I will add to the guy above, your English is perfectly fine. No need to apologise.

[@oliverwelles5366]

Hi Patrick. Your English is great! Especially for an internet commenter.

[@2857steve]

Hi Patrick! Any chance you know Franco and Blanca?😁

[@victorperepauibartomeudarn6604]

It's funny because I'm actually andorran. PD: I'm not Antoni, he's a friend of mine.

[@AdriaOliSal]

Mare de déu senyor, tots aquests noms i cognoms són teus?:O

[@victorperepauibartomeudarn6604]

Ja veus nano, el primer per mon avi, el segon i el tercer pel sant del bateig i l'últim per la parròquia xdxd

[@Vanyali]

know who the other half andorran is ? :)

[@victorperepauibartomeudarn6604]

@@Vanyali maybe we should ask that weird guy from the tobacco shop, he knows literally everyone in the damn whole nation.

[@alapikomamalolonui6424]

@@victorperepauibartomeudarn6604 Ahhhhh,.. you must mean "Antonio"...!!

[@corvus1374]

Andorra: I've been at war with Germany for several years. Also Andorra: We're neutral in World War II.

[@zacktrever1878]

@Quaker274 beaten by Andorraenian Mind-Power

[@constantvictory3547]

How nice it would be to just tell invaders, "Sorry, but we are neutral." Why didn't Poland think of that? There is no such thing as "neutral" in a war. "Neutral" is a euphemism for complicit with the aggressors.

[@Vollification]

Goes to war with Germany on the side of France. Both parties forget it.

[@Vollification]

@Quaker274 No, they declared war at the same time as France but no one got the memo.

[@boulderbash19700209]

@@constantvictory3547 You can't be neutral when you're invaded. But you can be neutral if both side of the war ignore you. That's what Swiss did.

[@rnhubble]

Sounds like a country from the Hallmark Channel where if the prince isn't married by Christmas Morning the Nation is officially disolved.

[@QuantumRift]

Yes. very much so. Or the Prince is incognito, or the princess is, or .....

[@lordmordred33]

The french co-prince (Macron) it's already married with one of his former teachers of high school... so if the other one has to be married before christmas andorrans have a problem... cause the other one it's a bishop and they can't marry

[@seanc.5310]

😂🤣🤣😂

[@theloverlyladylo9158]

Have you heard about the prince of Lichtenstein? Hes the prince of a country of 68 square miles who married an Afro-Panamanian New York- raised fashion designer. Theirs is a story Hallmark would reject for being too cliche.

[@MAGGOT_VOMIT]

_Don't know why but I picture Andorrans riding side-saddle around those hills on severely obese horses._

[@fantasia55]

I visited Andorra in 1980. A local told me that during WWII, four German soldiers drove in and took over the capital city’s main hotel. They woke up, hungover, in jail, and were deported. Andorra 1, Germany 0

[@DavidGarrick1515]

😝😝😝👏👏👏👍

[@NeurosenkavalierEmilSinclair]

Ah come on, it happens to the best of us 😒

[@Mightydoggo]

"Hans, why are we even here?" "I don´t know Siegfried, but the locals must love us. This is my 5th free bottle of wine already!"

[@Randomstuffs261]

1945: USA: "The war is over" Germany : "The war is over" Britain: "The war is over" USSR: "The war is over" Andorra : *"tHe wAR hAS oNly jUsT beGuN"*

[@BaltazarSMZ]

Ussr(Russia) is technically never ended ww2 with Japan because of an island

[@whentheroach9964]

im sure the Soviet navy was against the Japanese

[@SkinnerNoah]

My dad visited Andorra in the early 90s. He was in the US army national guard and was stationed in Germany during and after desert Storm. He said Andorra has the cleanest air he has ever breathed

[@realhawaii5o]

Andorran air in the capital is terrible, actually. Andorra la Vella is in a valley and they have a lot of cars per capita... Therefore there is a lot of pollution and smog in the capital, oftentimes.

[@TheGuyfromValhalla]

@サイレントボイス lol

[@aetiii]

​@サイレントボイス we had cars in the 90's you dumb zoomer. it wasnt the stone age.

[@aetiii]

@サイレントボイス the 90's isnt as far back as you think zoomer. everyone and their mother could afford to buy a car in the 90's in europe. polution would have been way worse since there were no filters or regulations on polutions. you are just outing yourself as either extremely ignorant and daft or as very underaged. imagine being so cringe that you would actually delete your previous comment

[@markletts2000]

I rode through on a Vespa I'd bought in Spain and like a lot of that region when your out of the cities the air is fresh.

[@icyburger]

Napoleon: we shall take Ando.... Andorra: *cute anime eyes* Napoleon: ... Out to dinner

[@pequenoperezoso3743]

_puppy eyes_

[@MrShanester117]

I’ve been at war with Belgium for twenty years. They don’t even know

[@Nightcrawlerfive]

Have you sent any troops?

[@Kakarot64.]

@@Nightcrawlerfive I would imagine theres been several commando raids on Belgium economic assets (specifically chocolate shops)

[@brandonbowden1262]

One day they will feel the wraith

[@Thumbsupurbum]

Belgium doesn't stand a chance.

[@crhu319]

It's like my war on Florida.

[@njmoto6473]

Having spent a considerable amount of time in Ordino, I've really grown found of this tiny country and all it's quirks. A couple of oddities you didn't mention. Andorra has no post office. France and Spain offer their postal services. If you mail anything back to the USA use the French post office, it's far more efficient. Entering or leaving Andorra you will have to provide a passport and are subject to search of your vehicle because of the Duty Free abuse issues. Booze, cigarettes and petrol are the biggies. Andorra gets a lot of Motorcycle tourism in the summer as the coll d'Ordino is an AWESOME ride on a bike. In the summer the road from Ax-Les-Thermes is very congested, all the way up the mountain. It's a very scenic place and English is spoken among the many Brits that live in small enclaves. However, French and Spanish are understood by all Andorrans.

[@barnard-baca]

Andorra was my obsession as a 13 year old SWL in Seattle. I would try to pick up Radio Amdorra. Not sure if I ever really did. But they wrote me, sent me a QSL card and a nice letter in català . I read "The Road to Andorra" and imagined smuggling and tobacco and sheep still reigned. Back in Mexico now. Alas, having travelled in Europe, I was --and am-- saddened by the reality of tax haven Andorra, tourists, etc. Like Portugal, invaded by -----. Great video.

[@michaelfoye1135]

Nestled deep within the hollows of the Pyrenees mountains, lies an unassuming tiny nation, slowly amassing the power, resources, and influence it needs to breathe life into an ancient dream. The timeless dream of an Andorran Empire. Long live the king, no wait prince, err bishop.., ah who rules this thing this week?

[@CptMuttonchops]

The answer inequivocally will be "someone who's good friends with whoever ruled this thing a while ago".

[@r.brooks5287]

It's a republic.

[@cucumber623]

i do now get out

[@michaelfoye1135]

@Don White Yes, Andorra is truly the Mouse that Roared.

[@dwightstjohn6927]

@@r.brooks5287 "Republic".

[@paullutze9307]

Andorra: We are at war with Germany ! Germans: *chuckles* how cute

[@Logan_93]

Settle down little guy, that's how countries like Russia and the US look at you these days.

[@paddypeet3878]

As being a regular visitor to Andorra I can positively say it’s one of the most breath taking places where nature does take over, the winter months are especially gorgeous though

[@avelus5984]

Didn’t know Andorra was this aggressive and unstable. I always thought they were just a small country minding their own business.

[@avie1895]

As an andorra. we aren’t aggressive but yes we generally mind our own business lol

[@Vollification]

North Korea: "We will nuke everyone." Andorra: "Hold my cigarette."

[@cinnaminson0653]

@@avie1895 do Andorrans dream of world domination?

[@CptMuttonchops]

It's less "unstable" and more "oops we forgot about this clearly symbolic gesture that we will realistically never be able to back up". Plus, andorra was pretty behind the times even then.

[@gelingarcia83]

@@cinnaminson0653 yes. If Andorra was an animal, it would be "Brains" the cartoon mouse 🤣

[@dernvader6876]

Hello, I'm a 0.5 person... from Andorra! Great show, but I'd like to see the other half, please...

[@fixmix9857]

For real?

[@jamesdalling1]

Looks likes your best chance to meet the other 0.97% subcriber, is to climb up the nearest mountain and shout Blanca, Blanca where are Blanca? Through a megaphone👌

[@christianlee1693]

@@jamesdalling1 oh Blanca, where are thou Blanca

[@SergioRodriguez-fn7xg]

Another person from Andorra here! =)

[@ronmeier8850]

@@jamesdalling1 while moon walking naked with Trumpy Bear as seen on TV!

[@singindiva721]

And here I thought Amsterdam was the highest capital in Europe...

[@skwrttj]

singindiva721... that’s a different high....

[@TwoWholeWorms]

Nah, 'sthe most expensive one :p

[@David-lr2vi]

singindiva721 😂😂😂

[@mungmungthethird1664]

Most underrated comment

[@ryanschumacher3448]

😂 That was good fam

[@MaskedGEEK]

I’ve been skiing in Andorra in my twilight years of school back in the mid 90’s. I found it particularly fascinating that on the north side of the Pyrenees the locals speak French, and the locals on the southern side spoke Spanish. They at least did back when I was on my skiing trip.

[@79centsoutofadollar]

This vid has finally confirmed it for me... you must do your own closed captioning, because it said "hi, I'm Simon" to the Andorrans, when you didn't say it aloud... ...so I must therefore say to you: Thank you for doing CC at all on all of your vids. It helps out a huge amount. As someone who is hard of hearing and who often doesn't like to sit so close to the screen that I can touch it with my tongue, it's a huge relief, I can lay back in bed and watch on my console. I rely HEAVILY on subtitles/CC....and oftentimes I have to make do with the AUTO GENERATED stuff on a lot of vids, which.... sometimes it works out fine, sometimes it's like reading it in a language other than English. People who do pure subs, like you, tend to always do it perfectly, though...and yours often has interesting or funny parts in them that aren't what you actually say, although sometimes the extra stuff goes by so fast, one could not possibly read it unless they paused the vid to read the CC, heh. Anyway, you seem exactly like a person who would do your own CC, the anal retentive type....and that's a GOOD way to be, IMO, I'm that way myself. I like people who are sticklers for details and want to make sure thing are as best as they can be and trust nobody but themselves to do it. Anyway, slowly making my way through most all of these, much like I do on your BIOGRAPHICS and other channels.

[@EricPerroflauta]

2:33 You got me... I'm from Andorra!

[@fenriz218]

I'd like to visit this place (any country, that turns a bum into a king got my thumbs-up), but, as a German... are we still "technically" at war and do I have to bring my granddad's bayonet...?

[@Litepaw]

Do you know the half of a human who is also a subscriber from there? 😃

[@harmony5510]

There is more than 1,4 Andorran watching this

[@bobjackson4720]

The Pyrenees features some amazing valleys that time seems to have forgotten. Small villages with ancient tall towered churches, the area is well worth a visit.

[@jevongraham5223]

Can confirm, I live in one

[@pancakesb3115]

Okay so, I'm not Andorran but I've lived all my life in there (I was raised in Andorra) and I honestly wished this video existed 2 years ago so it would've helped me in my exams lol Btw, great content! Maybe next time you could dig more on the cultural side of the country. We are small but we have a lot of traditions ;)

[@zacktrever1878]

I didn't think it was possible to find a country adorable *Enters Andorra*

[@user-bl4oq7fd8d]

That's an andorrable joke.

[@paulthrutner9114]

If they were in space they would be andormeda

[@andriesoliviier9529]

I've never met an Andorran in my life, but for some reason I love them all right now.

[@marioluigi3801]

"Andorra, where is your lord?" Simon: "They haven't got a lord... They're an anarcho-syndalist commune where citizens take turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week." "Who lives in that tower?" "Nobody lives there, it was built by the Abbasids."

[@lensperspective9753]

Mario Luigi Me likee the Monty Pyton

[@marioluigi3801]

@@lensperspective9753 lol it's relatable to almost every situation. Also, I DID actually make a shrubbery at my house that looks nice, and wasn't too expensive. I make sure that everyone refers to it as "the shrubbery" 🤣 True story

[@Seamus322]

And there's an armored Frenchman on the ramparts of said tower, "Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!"

[@marioluigi3801]

@@Seamus322 lmfao considering that it's Andorra, you can expect the Spanish Inquisition (Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition!!!)

[@adamgardiner5869]

I'm 27 I'm not old!

[@ricardocastillo3048]

Oh my God Simon, Just tell me how Andorra 🇦🇩 is at war with Germany 🇩🇪

[@xotan]

IOt's a Ruritanian conce-pt that makes life more livable.

[@ridgecrestwack9746]

Eww 😂

[@cskearney0926]

Where's the fun in that? 😅🤣😂

[@darthvenator2487]

They should settle the matter with a football game.

[@firassukarieh3043]

T t7esse

[@mitseraffej5812]

I passed through there in the late 70s. The locally produced hash was great.

[@ilarious5729]

A man of culture!

[@mitseraffej5812]

@@ilarious5729 Yes, hash is a very civilised way to get high. Haven't seen any for nigh on 40 years. Haven't been stoned for 30.

[@510faithfulforlife7]

Its fascinating. There could be a sports match going on somewhere right now, whose attendance represents a higher percentage of human life than the entire population of Andorra.

[@chip9649]

Or imagine a sports event in Andorra. Lol the whole population in one stadium.

[@510faithfulforlife7]

@@chip9649 That would be an amazing sight!

[@todddougherty9492]

Could be??? Any title match of most popular sport in most countries best that. A lot of college and pro football games meet or beat that during the regular season here in America.

[@johndododoe1411]

It's early 2021, very few places dare having even 100 people in one place at the same time, because of a worldwide plague that spreads through coughing and spitting.

[@Logan_93]

@@johndododoe1411 nah. That's pretty much over and done with now.

[@artistwithouttalent]

I did a project on Andorra for my PoliSci class, so when I saw this pop up in my notifications I hit it as soon as I could.

[@paulmakinson1965]

I worked 10 ski seasons in Andorra as a ski instructor/coach. The mountains are not as exciting as the Alps but the ski resorts are very well equipped and the runs very well groomed. Most appreciated is the public health insurance, low taxes, great nightlife and friendly people. There is a British community installed there in Soldeu. They originally came to work for the ski tourism and have remained as residents. I now have many friends there and visit them at least once a year. Sometimes I go there for some end of season touring/backcountry skiing.

[@soniamandico4393]

I'm from Andorra! 🇦🇩 Such an amazing video!

[@sergiobosque7416]

You got it wrong. Suno I was not the count of Sardinia. That is an italian island in the mediterranean. He was the count of Cerdaña, a small catalan valley, as well as Urgell, another small catalan valley.

[@joan1187]

Cerdanya Just a footnote: Sardenya (Sardinia in English) and Cerdanya sound similar because the original name of the island, more similar to Sardinia actually was "catalanised" when the island was overtaken by Jaume I (I think). But yeah, confounding names is his thing

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

That makes more sense.

[@mashamylaramu]

Sardinians, they were super-aggresive they have attacked Russia at Crimea

[@gelingarcia83]

It might induce to confussion for non-spanish speakers, as Sardinia is Cerdeña in Spanish, and the French region is called Cerdaña. Just 1 vowel difference.

[@metalhead83192]

Andorra: The quiet, weird kid who's parents keep forgetting where they left him.

[@caroleanderson4020]

The San Diego neighborhood where i grew up has a handful of streets with Andorra in the name (ieAndorra: street, way, court, etc) being problematic for mail carriers and delivery drivers. I did get to visit the actual country for a day when i lived in Barcelona in 1990. I loved it, very beautiful unique place.

[@johnnymittens77]

I've been to Andorra over a dozen times and I love the place. Great people, very hospitable. Great skiing in the winter, great for mountain biking and motorcycling in the summer. The roads are as good as anything in the alps and the of road trails are spectacular

[@oilrig834]

"life after Boris" i see what you did there

[@denizmetint.462]

iiiit'z Boris

[@jack20928]

@@denizmetint.462 * *hardbass intensifies* *

[@sopwithsnoopy8779]

Andorra: "We are at war with Germany?" (bombards Germany with Persefone) Germany: "Oh Yeah? Take this!" (responds by bombarding Andorra with Scorpions, Rammstein, and Blind Guardian)

[@yougothere6000]

Andorra actually was created by a German. Lol

[@cucumber623]

you can bombard me with rammstein all you want, up to 11 and shake the fillings out of the germans teeth

[@sparkpenguin]

i don't think i've heard of blind guardian in like fifteen years. nicely done.

[@HansKSG]

Blind Guardian was my first foray into Heavy Metal. Still one of my faves.

[@eloquentia7207]

Rammstein is a weapon of mass destruction! 🤘🤘🤘

[@aaronseet2738]

"con artist became its king." Where have I heard that story before...

[@meetn2veg]

I miss it so much. I lived there for 15 years from the early 90's.

[@zanizone3617]

How was it? I've always been fascinated by micro states. Daily life must be peculiar.

[@meetn2veg]

@@zanizone3617 Fabulous! No or few taxes, party time in ski seasons, gorgeous during summer ... Best time of my life! But I hear that's all changed now :-(

[@jslferrell]

Charlemagne: we need a DMZ, but people are living there. Yeah, we’ll let them stay, but let bishops tax the crap out of them. God be with you, crazy Andorrans.

[@luismarquez7917]

Been there and it's beautiful. Many languages spoken. I was told it's not an easy process to become an andoran nationalist.

[@TitaniumEye]

1:32 In imperial that's actually 86,000 and 1/2 bushels of serfs, a standard bushel serf being one and 1/43,000 of a regular peasant. Yes, I know, bonkers conversions, but what can you do.

[@ronanrogers4127]

I went skiing in Andorra in 1989. It was great. At that time I was a lousy skier, so Andorra was perfect because the ski runs didn’t have any trees!

[@baronvonjo1929]

I remember being like wtf is that when I just looked at it randomly on a map

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:40 - Chapter 1 - Facts to get you started 3:05 - Chapter 2 - The economy 6:25 - Chapter 3 - How green was my valley 12:55 - Chapter 4 - A believe & free 15:40 - Chapter 5 - King boris I 18:40 - Chapter 6 - Life after boris

[@sgperformer]

Making the history of Andorra fun to watch deserves a medal of honor, earning you a new sub and a wholehearted like.

[@EMurph42]

I adore that anthem tease guys! I wanted to hear your singing voice Simon, I’m a music teacher & extra interested; but that was no disappointment! I love what you did there, legit surprised yet satisfied. Honestly never seen anybody do that before and most people hate singing, excellent choice.

[@hernan5940]

I lived there for a while, coming from the South American plains it got to a point that drove me nuts to see mountains all over the place. Funny how you say "Urgell", I was there once to run some errands. BTW, Andorrans are mostly very nice people.

[@Alsyya]

I was searching this comment, I had to actually laugh out loud when he said Urgell

[@lordmordred33]

@@Alsyya It's funniereven to look him call Sardinia to Cerdanya

[@dianamartins3851]

Don't know who writes the subtitles in English but cracks me up everytime!

[@FarfettilLejl]

It looked like they included bits that didn't make it to the final video, weird

[@aaronluckett1374]

I always watch Simon with the captions on ... because there are easter eggs in there. It's beautiful.

[@stoeff2180]

Boris Skossyrew aka King Boris I. (for 10 days) lived (and died 1989) in my small german hometown together with his french wife. I met him once and was at his grave only yesterday. After the Andorra-Episode he also claimed to be a spy for Nazi-Germany at the Jalta Conference 1945.

[@bnrmom4eto819]

Just waiting until Simon talks about Ohrid, Skopje, Belgrade, Zagreb, Ljubaljana, Dubrovnik, Budva, Herceg Novi, the island of St. Stefan in Montenegro, ancient city of Stobi, Igalo, Makarska, some of the Croatian island like Hvar, Nish, Kalemegdan I just wait.

[@popded]

I think he has done a video on Sarajevo

[@bnrmom4eto819]

@@popded that's why i didn't say Sarajevo hehe. I have watch all his vids

[@bnrmom4eto819]

@dzoni011 ahahah right my friend he can make a complete new yt channel for balkan like fr

[@Spanishdog17]

Sealand and Kristiana too. Maybe even San Marino.

[@bnrmom4eto819]

@@Spanishdog17 nice choises i was like more like choosing my regional beauties BECAUSE BALKANS NEED MORE RECOGNISION ABOUT BEING BEAUTIFUL AND NOT A PLACE WHERE THE LAST MAJOR WAR ON EUROPEAN SOIL WAS ON....

[@PPYTAO]

I visited Andorra briefly, I knew it was interesting but had no idea that it’s history was so colourful!

[@ashkitt7719]

Thanks for converting this to Freedom Units for us Burgerlanders. I appreciate your attempts to be inclusive and diverse.

[@edikrow8271]

Thanks for the video, it's great to see people on youtube talking about Andorra, my country 🇦🇩

[@julius-stark]

I thought Andorra was where those blue aliens with the antennas on their heads came from?

[@MasterMalrubius]

I thought it was Samantha's mother.

[@vondahe]

Some Spanish and French would say that is almost the case.

[@lluisvilalta1139]

No, that's Washington DC ;D

[@Theggman83]

DaSovrup tlhaQ! ;-)

[@paranoiawilldestroyya3238]

That would be Andoria, pinkskin! Adm. Schran

[@tbildz]

Thank you for translating the population numbers. As an American I often find the metric translations difficult so appreciate the solid u gave by translating population numbers. 😂😂. I love these videos, great work..

[@mick6384]

I appreciate the extra little tidbits in the subtitles thank you

[@billotto602]

Without a doubt the most interesting & humorous (I mean that in a good way) video I've ever seen from you. Thanks Simon ! 😊❤

[@Raiche58]

Of course I immediately thought of the Star Trek aliens.

[@martins.4240]

"All hail the Andorian Empire!" "Andorra you say?" ffs

[@brandonbowden1262]

Yes thank you sir That’s all I could think of

[@sarasarah1810]

they are actually better looking on S.T.

[@jordilt3449]

as a catalan, i never was able to avoid the resemblance between andorians and andorrans for the whole Enterprise series. Glad that those blue guys were not that bad. (side note: the ending episode was unfair for the cast and the whole serie. ) Not the first time that happens something like this thou: In The Lord of the Rings saga, that Aragorn guy resembled also to Aragon (which reminded to the Crown of Aragon and, in our case, the counts). Glad that he was not the bad guy either :P

[@sarasarah1810]

@@jordilt3449 indeed.😊

[@blackblurable]

Andorra the country that is home to one of my favorite bands I’ve grown up with. Persefone

[@PiousMoltar]

Cool band, I forgot they were from there.

[@christopherfriend7402]

Fascinating history for such a small place. 80k population with and 8-10M tourists is amazing.

[@AMagrow]

Thanks you Simon. Love your videos!!

[@cruzada07]

i declare war but i'm not gonna send anybody at all

[@daspai7588]

john hand CIV VI in a nutshell

[@zacktrever1878]

*Stonks*

[@goodun2974]

I am a pacifist who doesn't care for sports either. I long to live in a world where the political and diplomatic default is, "soccer is war by other means." Got a dispute? Settle it with a sports match. Just be aware that, as an American, I can tell you that the Americans sometimes cheat.

[@wanderschlosser1857]

That's the most pacifistic way to have a war!

[@CptMuttonchops]

@@goodun2974 That wouldn't work because almost of all our national teams (except basketball, who is doing shockingly well) suck balls.

[@alanhorowitz3796]

Do one about Luxembourg. Their history is profoundly comprehensive.

[@eliotgoodfellow7294]

loved it Simon, thank you.

[@Vincent-396]

Another very informative video. Thank you.

[@andrewtech8634]

This guy needs his own show on discovery or somthing I love his page

[@beaubeaukitty5301]

Its his accent & his bald head & glasses It makes him Look at least 63% smarter than your average professor

[@davidw.]

This video was very interesting, do some more small states as well

[@John_Fugazzi]

Best documentary on Andorra ever! Even beats David Brinkley's 1963 effort that was part of his "Our Man In..." series, but there it had to share the bill with other European micro-states.

[@btetschner]

Thank you for the video.

[@glc0012]

I enjoy your micro-states videos. Please do more, e.g Monaco.

[@thegametesterman]

I'm basically from Andorra, best place in the world .

[@violanettling2117]

If i would be interested to move to Andorra, what languages should i know how to speak? Or is english enough?

[@thegametesterman]

@@violanettling2117 Catalan is the main spoken language however as with most other countries locals can often speak good English

[@theethanito]

@@violanettling2117 I don’t think English would be enough if you wanted to move here, not a lot of people in Andorra speak fluent English. I would recommend that you learnt Spanish, because most of us here speak Spanish daily and it is obviously a LOT more common in the rest of the world than Catalan is. However, it’s really hard to move here by the way… you should inform yourself well if you actually really want to move here!

[@ohbuddyiliketowatch]

I fall asleep to the sound of your voice. I always finish watching another time. I love your informative videos.

[@cormacjoanne]

I have no idea why but I find listening to Simon super relaxing. I am relaxing and learning at the same time 😊

[@galadrielgaladriel6725]

As a curiosity of Andorra that only the Spanish and the French know, Andorra is known as the Country of the youtubers, because many youtubers from various countries have moved to Andorra, there are avenues where the most famous youtubers of Spain live, from France, Latin America etc it is said that there are more youtubers than Andorran

[@cauldronmoon]

That is fantastic! Thanks Simon!!! Now I want to visit Andorra !! 🇦🇩

[@NaijaAmericana]

I liked this video. Perhaps making more vids about the smallest countries and/or kingdoms in the world.

[@flareinc7413]

Super interesting stuff :O Thanks for making this video.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

USA: China is cheating China: What ever Andorra: I agree or maybe not.

[@maxwebster7572]

China: USA is full of cheating infidels. USA: Make quarter pounders $1 again Canada: Trudeau declares war against taxidermy.

[@FriedrichBarb]

My hometown "microstate" in the South of Spain, Gibraltar, has only 7km2 and fits 40,000 people, basically half of Andorra's wow lol Great video I've never learnt much about Andorra, would probably visit in future

[@kevinlytton765]

Great video. Very interesting and informative

[@Christopher-N]

(1:09) I love when a triangle is used to comic effect. One of my favorite examples is in the comedy film, _Top Secret!,_ during which a Ford Pinto is just touched on its rear bumper, producing a large explosion; the joke being about the placement of the fuel tank outside the shielding of the rear axle, resulting in collision fires.

[@popded]

@2:59 Where did that music come from? Those where the opening notes of "Sofka", a piece/ song played in North Macedonia, Greek Macedonia and Bulgaria!

[@Scootermagoo]

Simon lives in Bulgaria I believe, He may be english but for whatever reason he moved there and does the filming/editing.

[@cory7328]

He lives in Czech. I believe Prague.

[@Scootermagoo]

@@cory7328 I looked it up and saw it was Prague so my bad I knew it was somewhere down in the Balkans.

[@cory7328]

Scootermagoo lol! It’s all a mess of accents and language’s my southern USA ears mistake for the same.

[@d4mdcykey]

Could you also do a segment on St. Maarten, that is half French and half Dutch? This episode reminded me of that island where we used to vacation. Thanks for all your excellent content!

[@simonh6371]

Ehhh??? A mountainous (highest point nearly 3000m) landlocked independent country reminds you of a relatively flat (highest point: 400m) island which is not independent, it is shared by 2 European countries? How does that work?

[@seltonk5136]

Weirdest comment I've seen in a while ! It's an art form! Congrats 🎉

[@alexgottmituns7049]

Loved the HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY reference!

[@wpcampbell491]

Very nice, Simon. I wouldn't know this place exists had you not made this video.

[@mikecrase3047]

When my daughter and I were in the region she asked why didn't Spain or France take it over. Most common answer give: no one wanted it😁🤣😁🤣

[@paranoiawilldestroyya3238]

Or they didn't want it bad enough to deal with the bad press that would come with invading such a tiny country.

[@lukedontknow9283]

Zeremei Dyfraen Var Juliano I do

[@PiousMoltar]

@TJ Thunder Wales is invaded

[@user-hv6gi9ux6z]

@TJ Thunder Wales is part of the uk

[@retroand]

That's not true. The Spanish far right dreams with a take over. It's the complex pact between the foreign countries that kept us as an independent country for so long. Spain and France are two territory-hungry countries (we all remember how things went for them during colonnial era). If one of them invades the other counters (France protected us from Francoists in 1939, for example). If both of them agreed to invade, then the bishop would involve the Vatican to mediate.

[@nesirsitsir]

How awesome would it be to see a little Barbs cameo from the Geography now channel

[@PG-is9vr]

Informative and fascinating.

[@doerte89]

Thanks for Erinnerung!

[@barrywerdell2614]

You left one question unasked and unanswered. What if Catalonia became independent from Spain, how would this affect Andorra?

[@lluisvilalta1139]

I'm a Catalan who has visited Andorra quite often - either for shopping or landscape tourism. There would be barely any affectation derived from such eventuality, IMHO. Andorra's economy relies mainly in shopping tourism and sky; some decades ago, most of such visitors came from Spain (Catalonia especially) and France, but they've now diversified a lot their offer so as to attract visitors from all around the world. So I guess that, if the above mentioned eventuality happened in the end, Andorrans would just sit and watch while taking some pop corns and beer - and later would get back again to work ;)

[@jordanpowell2242]

Lluis Vilalta that is so unlike Britain or Ireland in the event of Ulster (Northern Ireland) became independent for one the British will now have to deal with the Nationalist or communist who hate their guts on the other hand, they will have a civil war on their hands if a pro-British government is established with the Catholics wanting to create a communist/nationalist government and stay the hell away from England. Ireland would be affected more or less if Russia and China aid the North will weapons and tanks as S.Ireland has no jet fighters, Surface to air missiles or tanks so a war would be literally one sided

[@barrywerdell2614]

Thank you for clearing that up for me

[@MidnightatMidian]

@@lluisvilalta1139 Andorra is basically selling Tax-free stuffs that are heavily taxed in Europa, that's why people are going there shopping. From my point of view, this is actually legalized contraband. As well as Monaco, which is legalized Tax-evasion, made by the wealthy, for the wealthy.

[@jaspermervin5204]

@Steve Mclean Or Andorra?

[@eti401]

I only watch these videos to hear you say "EMPARHHHH"

[@li22ietopper26]

Thank you. I found this episode very interesting.

[@Saraseeksthompson0211]

How is he so adorable? I wish this guy could have been my teacher. I might have actually learned something lol thanks for taking the time to put captions for those of us with disabilities. So helpful. 👍