Background: The Principality of Liechtenstein was established
within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719; it became a sovereign state in 1806.
Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the
economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to
conclude a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II
(in which Liechtenstein remained neutral) the country's low taxes have
spurred outstanding economic growth. However, shortcomings in banking
regulatory oversight have resulted in concerns about the use of the
financial institutions for money laundering.
Government type: hereditary constitutional
monarchy
Capital: Vaduz
Currency: 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SFR) = 100 centimes, rappen, or
centesimi
Geography of Liechtenstein
Location: Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland
Geographic coordinates: 47 10 N, 9 32 E
Area:
total: 160 sq km
land: 160 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 76 km
border countries: Austria 35 km, Switzerland 41 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to
moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers
Terrain: mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m
highest point: Grauspitz 2,599 m
Natural resources: hydroelectric potential, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 16%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 25% (1993 est.)
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked
countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation
People of Liechtenstein
Population: 33,717 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.41%
15-64 years: 70.6%
65 years and over: 10.99%
Population growth rate: 0.98%
Birth rate: 11.53 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 6.7 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: 4.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.95 years
male: 75.32 years
female: 82.6 years
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Liechtensteiner(s)
adjective: Liechtenstein
Ethnic groups: Alemannic 87.5%, Italian, Turkish, and other 12.5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 7.4%, unknown 7.7%, other 4.9% (1996)
Languages: German (official), Alemannic dialect
Literacy:
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (1981 est.)
SOURCE: The World Factbook |