The landlocked Principality of Andorra is one of the smallest states in Europe. The country has an area of 468 km2 and a population of 78,000. Andorra has a per capita income above the European average and above its neighbors, Spain and France. Tourism, retail sales, and finance comprise more than three-quarters of GDP. Duty-free shopping and resorts attract millions of visitors annually. Agricultural production is limited given that only 5% of land is arable. The agriculture and forestry sector represent 0.6% of GDP. Andorra is a mountainous country, and therefore it is particularly sensitive to climate change.
The climate of Andorra is a humid mountain climate of mid-latitudes, but with a Mediterranean influence in the southern sector, where the characteristics are of continental Mediterranean climate. Some effects of climate change are already being perceived in the country’s mountains with an increase of about 0.17°C per decade in temperature and a decrease in annual rainfall of about 49 mm per decade. These variations are likely to result in impacts on water resources and snow cover, essential for sports related tourism, which is one of the pillars of the country’s economy (First National Communications, 2016).