Andorra

Prehistoric humans and Thomas Jefferson, contributor to Paleontology, on stamps of Andorra

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Contents:
Andorra officially the Principality of Andorra, also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a sovereign landlocked microstate in Southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France.
Created under a charter in A.D. 988, the present Principality was formed in A.D. 1278. It is known as a principality, as it is a monarchy headed by two Co-Princes – the Spanish/Roman Catholic Bishop of Urgell and the President of France. Andorra is the sixth-smallest nation in Europe, having an area of 468 km2 and a population of approximately 85,000. Its capital Andorra la Vella is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 metres above sea level. The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, Portuguese, and French are also commonly spoken. It is not a member of the European Union, but the Euro is the de facto currency. It has been a member of the United Nations since 1993. [R1]

Postal services in Andorra are unique in that they are not operated by the country itself, but by its two larger neighbouring countries, Spain and France. This is a legacy of the centuries of de facto control exercised by those two countries over Andorra. Since 1857 Andorra used both French and Spanish postage stamps, but later both countries started to print their own stamps for Andorra featuring unique designs.
The first French stamps issued for Andorra were French stamps overprinted "ANDORRE" in 1931. In 1932 the French Post started to produce unique postage stamps inscribed "Vallees d'Andorre", then it was changed to "ANDORRE" and today they are inscribed "Principat D'Andorra".
The Spanish Post has been using overprinted stamps with "CORREOS / ANDORRA" since 1928. In 1929 the Spanish Post started to produce unique postage stamps inscribed "ANDORRA", then it was changed to "Principat D'Andorra" and today they are inscribed "Principat D'Andorra Correus Espanyols".
These stamps are used for international correspondence, as postal service within Andorra is free.
Today, Correos of Spain and La Poste of France operate side by side. [R2]



Official stamps of Andorra related to Paleoanthropology: prehistoric humans

12.11.2007 "Prehistoric Humans" (FA) [1]
Prehistoric humans on stamps of Anorra 2007
Notes:
[1] Settlements of prehistoric humans.



Other stamps to consider: contributors to Paleontology

03.07.1976 "200 years of USA independence" [O1](FA)
Father of American Paleontology, Thomas Jefferson on stamp of Andorra 1976

Notes:
[O1] - The third American President Mr. Thomas Jefferson, also known as the "Farther of American Paleontology"
Thomas Jefferson is rightfully renowned as the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, the Third President of the United States, and a champion of Liberty. But he was also a central player in the beginnings of American paleontology. In addition, his participation occurred at a time when people were struggling with the ideas of fossils as evidence of past life, of extinction, and of an Earth far older than the Biblical account.
Some of the fruits of Jefferson's paleontology became part of the collections at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. Beginning in 1849 these holdings were transferred over to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, where they are currently housed.

USA stamp of Thomas Jefferson issued in 1851 is the first Paleontology related stamp ever. Since than many stamps of Thomas Jefferson are issued in USA and around the world.



References:



Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for reviewing the draft page and his valuable comments.


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