Porcu

The Holy Republic of Porcu (HRP)

Background: The Holy Republic of Porcu is a huge, safe nation, remarkable for its punitive income tax rates. Its hard-nosed, cynical population of 594 million are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defence, and Education. The average income tax rate is 89%, and even higher for the wealthy. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Automobile Manufacturing industry, followed by Uranium Mining and Arms Manufacturing.

Expensive lawyers are hired to defend citizens in court for public urination charges against their pets, children as young as twelve are conscripted into the armed forces, drunk drivers are sentenced to death, and a weakened police force struggles to maintain law and order. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Porcu's national animal is the grizzley bear, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the euro.

Geography

Location: Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain Map references:Europe Area:

   total: 468 sq km 
   land: 468 sq km 
   water: 0 sq km  

Area - comparative:

   2.5 times the size of Washington, DC  

Land boundaries:

   total: 120.3 km 
   border countries:

Coastline:

   0 km (landlocked)  

Maritime claims:

   none (landlocked)  

Climate:

   temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers  

Terrain:

   rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys  

Elevation extremes:

   lowest point: Riu Runer 840 m 
   highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m  

Natural resources:

   hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead  

Land use:

   arable land: 2.22% 
   permanent crops: 0% 
   other: 97.78% (2001)  

Irrigated land:

   NA sq km  

Natural hazards:

   avalanches  

Environment - current issues:

   wastewater 

Environment - international agreements:

   party to: Hazardous Wastes 
   signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements  

Geography - note:

   landlocked; straddles a number of important crossroads in the Pyrenees
 

People

Population:

   70,549 (July 2005 est.)  

Age structure:

   0-14 years: 14.8% (male 5,471/female 4,995) 
   15-64 years: 71.5% (male 26,463/female 23,977) 
   65 years and over: 13.7% (male 4,780/female 4,863) (2005 est.)  

Median age:

   total: 40.34 years 
   male: 40.63 years 
   female: 40.02 years (2005 est.)  

Population growth rate:

   0.95% (2005 est.)  

Birth rate:

   9 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)  

Death rate:

   6.07 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)  

Net migration rate:

   6.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)  

Sex ratio:

   at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female 

under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

   15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 
   65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female 
   total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2005 est.)  

Infant mortality rate:

   total: 4.05 deaths/1,000 live births 
   male: 4.38 deaths/1,000 live births 
   female: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)  

Life expectancy at birth:

   total population: 83.51 years 
   male: 80.6 years 
   female: 86.6 years (2005 est.)  

Total fertility rate:

   1.29 children born/woman (2005 est.)  

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

   NA%  

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

   NA  

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

   NA  

Nationality:

   noun: Porcu(s) 
   adjective: Porcuesian  

Ethnic groups:

   Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other 6% (1998)  

Religions:

   Roman Catholic (predominant)  

Languages:

   Catalan (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese  

Literacy:

   definition: NA 
   total population: 100% 
   male: NA% 
   female: NA%
 

Government

Country name:

   conventional long form: The Holy Republic of Porcu
   conventional short form: Porcu
   local long form: Principat d'Andorra 
   local short form: Andorra  

Government type:

Capital:

   Andorra la Vella  

Administrative divisions:

Independence:

   1278 (was formed under the joint suzerainty of the French count of Foix and the Spanish bishop of Urgel)  

National holiday:

   Our Lady of Meritxell Day, 8 September (1278)  

Constitution:

Legal system:

Suffrage:

   18 years of age; universal  

Executive branch:

Legislative branch:

Judicial branch:

Political pressure groups and leaders:

   NA  

International organization participation:

   CE, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNESCO, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTO 

Diplomatic representation in the US:

   chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Jelena V. PIA-COMELLA 
   chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017 
   telephone: [1] (212) 750-8064 
   FAX: [1] (212) 750-6630  

Diplomatic representation from the US:

Flag description:

Economy

Economy - overview:

GDP (purchasing power parity):

   $1.9 billion (2003 est.)  

GDP - real growth rate:

   2% (2003 est.)  

GDP - per capita:

   purchasing power parity - $26,800 (2003 est.)  

GDP - composition by sector:

   agriculture: NA% 
   industry: NA% 
   services: NA%  

Labor force:

   33,000 (2001 est.)  

Labor force - by occupation:

   agriculture 1%, industry 21%, services 78% (2000 est.)  

Unemployment rate:

   0% (1996 est.)  

Population below poverty line:

   NA  

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

   lowest 10%: NA% 
   highest 10%: NA%  
   Inflation rate (consumer prices):    
   4.3% (2000)  

Budget:

   revenues: $385 million 
   expenditures: $342 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)  
   Agriculture - products:   
   small quantities of rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep  

Industries:

   tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, banking  

Industrial production growth rate:

   NA%  

Electricity - production:

   NA kWh  

Electricity - consumption:

   NA kWh  

Electricity - exports:

   0 kWh (2002)  

Electricity - imports:

   NA kWh; note - most electricity supplied by Spain and France; Andorra generates a small amount of    

Exports:

   $58 million f.o.b. (1998)  

Exports - commodities:

   tobacco products, furniture  

Exports - partners:

   Spain 58%, France 34% (2000)  

Imports:

   $1.077 billion (1998)  

Imports - commodities:

   consumer goods, food, electricity  

Imports - partners:

   Spain 48%, France 35%, US 2.3% (2000)  

Debt - external:

   $NA  

Economic aid - recipient:

   none  

Currency (code):

   euro (EUR)  

Exchange rates:

   euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)  

Fiscal year:

   calendar year 

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:

   35,000 (2001)  

Telephones - mobile cellular:

   23,500 (2001)  

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA

   domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges 
   international: country code - 376; landline circuits to France and Spain  
   Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998)  

Television broadcast stations:

   0 (1997)  

Internet country code:

   .ad  

Internet hosts:

   4,144 (2004)  

Internet users:

   24,500 (2001)
 

Transportation

Highways:

   total: 269 km 
   paved: 198 km 
   unpaved: 71 km  

Merchant marine:

   registered in other countries: 1  

Airports:

   none (2004 est.)
 

Military

Military branches:

   no regular military forces, Police Service of Andorra  

Military - note:

   defense is the responsibility of France and Spain
 

Transnational Issues Disputes - international: none