conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein
conventional short form: Liechtenstein
local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein
local short form: Liechtenstein
160 km²
Vaduz
Swiss franc (CHF)
423
.li
German, Alemannic dialect
Roman Catholic, Protestant, unknown
34,247
constitutional monarchy
two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band
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 enter into 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. Shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight resulted in concerns about the use of financial institutions for money laundering. However, Liechtenstein implemented anti-money-laundering legislation over the past several years and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US went into effect in 2003.
continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers
